Sunday School Curriculum

It seems to me, and this is purely personal observation, opinion, and bias, that children growing up in evangelical churches nowadays are as ignorant of the Bible at the age of eighteen as they are at the age of eight. They do not know basic Bible teachings and as a result are totally unprepared to face the challenges of living for Christ once they have left their homes.

I was asked a while back what I thought a child should that has grown up in the church under my care should know by the time he or she is eighteen. After giving the question some thought I came up with the following items. If I were to give it more thought I could probably add some things to the list.

• The necessity of the new birth and how one finds life in Christ
  
  
• That salvation is entirely a work of God, is by grace and not by works
  
  — Is appropriated by faith alone
  — Involves a turning away from sin as well as a turning to Christ.
  

• The doctrine of the Bible with respect to inspiration and authority.

• How to determine if a translation or version is good or poor.

• Why we reject the Apocrypha

• The names of all the books of the Bible in the order they appear.

• How to study the Bible for oneself.

• The major characters of the Bible and what their roles.

• The major events of the Bible and where they are found.

• The Ten Commandments and where they are found.

• The Beatitudes and where they are found.

• The Lord’s Prayer and where it is found.

• The differences and similarities of the Gospels.

• The attributes and names of God.

• The meanings of theological words such as conversion, redemption, atonement, satisfaction, propitiation, sanctification, justification, and glorification.

• How to determine if a religious group is orthodox or a cult/false belief.

• How to know the will of God.

• What the Bible says regarding marriage, divorce, and sexual purity.

• The difference between Law and Grace.

• What it means to be united with Christ and how to preserve that connection.