Teaching Teens the Bible through Drama
Teenagers are a tough group to break. Why? They're on a trail of self discovery till they reach maturity. If you need to reach a teenager with the Bible, use drama and role playing. Oldsters regularly feel that sugar coating issues will make them depart or appear less scary. While we mean well, this is not really the truth.
Burying our heads in the sand makes issues worse. This is as true now as it was when biblical events were being lived. If God did not spare us the truth of these folks's existence back then, why should we attempt to do so with our youngsters now? What the Bible also shows us is that he'll use these folk and change their hearts. We do not have to remain where we are or who we are at the moment. God can change us into the person we were always supposed to be. He loved them and he adores us - out and in of our sin.
Role playing has been used in a selection of arenas. In support it can teach folks to appreciate one another. For kids, they can act out their feelings about certain issues and themselves. To start, ask them about a Bible story that they remember. If they get anything wrong correct them by reading the scripture passages. Ask them to interpret the scriptures in their own way thru role playing. A bunch of kids can take a Bible story, then create and act out a play.
This will give the children an opportunity to tell you how they see the bible story and translate it. On a more modern note, ask the kids to link a tale in the Bible with a frequent situation in their lives.
Then, they can debate their situation and how they think God is working or not working. For kids, the Bible can be used to show parallels between their lives and the life of those that lived millenia gone. Using the replies of the Lord God during the past, they are going to see that they can count on God in their circumstances right now. Drama is a serious part of the life of a teen.
Use that to prompt them to study the Bible and God's teachings through their own lives.
