Judah Bible Curriculum

I don't know how many times in Bible college I heard, "You don't need a textbook to study the Book." All you need to learn about the Bible is the Bible itself. That's also the thinking behind the Judah Bible Curriculum. The Bible is the source and center of education.

The Judah Bible Curriculum (K-12) is a "Principle Approach" Bible curriculum whose distinctives are as follows:

• The Bible is the textbook. The student studies and learns the Bible.
• The student learns God's purpose in history, studying the hand of God in the lives of men and nations through the Bible.
• The student develops his reasoning ability, helping him to apply Biblical principles personally.
• The curriculum helps you shift from rote learning to Biblical reasoning.
• The student learns the relationship between the sovereignty of God and the personal responsibility of the individual.
• The student learns the relationship between individual character and national liberty.

For the study, the Bible is divided into 5 themes and describe what is happening governmentally. Each year, you study the Old Testament during first semester and the New Testament during the second. You will learn key individuals, events, instructions, and documents for each time period. The themes are as follows:

1. Creation
2. The Plan of Redemption Begins
3. The Kingdom of Israel
4. The Kingdom of God
5. The Early Church

You can order the Judah Bible Curriculum Pack ($44 digital; $74 CD), which includes the Judah Bible Curriculum Manual of instructions and resources, with the K-12 Weekly Theme Guide. You also get a Notebook Ideas book for elementary to help you start your notebooks.  You also receive over 8 hours of teacher training audio seminars. One statement that really stuck out to me during the first lecture was "The quality of society is dependent on the individual character of the people in that society." So very true.

I do like the philosophy behind the program. I like that the Bible is the textbook. I like that's it's designed to help you develop a comprehensive knowledge of God's Word. I like that its purpose is to teach your children Biblical principles to guide their lives. I like so many things about the Judah Bible Curriculum.

But . . . (you knew there was a but, didn't you?) It's overwhelming. There is so much information to take in. I haven't had the opportunity to listen to all of the lectures, which is a vital part of teaching the program. On one hand, I think this type of learning would be better when my children are a little older (I have 4 kids, ages 6 years and younger), but on the other hand, it might be easier to implement this style sooner rather than later. I definitely plan to study and research this curriculum more myself. Like I said, I really do like the idea of it. It's just an awful lot of leg work for the teacher. While it does provide key sheets to accompany the lesson, there is no clear direction in which to go. I would have to study the Bible passages, take notes, and compile notebook or coloring pages all before ever sitting down with my children. Unfortunately, I just don't have that amount of time on a daily basis.   

The methods, according to their website are

". . .intended to help you teach your student to research the text and categorize his findings, reason cause to effect to valid conclusions, and apply Biblical principles to his own life. They include producing a personal Bible notebook, researching the Bible Keys, writing exercises, essay testing, and utilizing various other resources to extend the study. The class activities are more verbal in the lowest grades and more written in the upper grades."

Maybe one day we can utilize this curriculum for learning and studying the Bible.

What works for one doesn't always work for another. Stop by the Crew blog to read more reviews and see if Judah Bible Curriculum is for you!

*Disclaimer: I was given a downloadable copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.