BOOK STUDY OR BIBLE STUDY?

by blondie 7 Replies latest jw friends

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  blondie

  *** km 9/76 p. 8 Question Box ***

  Might a discussion using the Bible alone be reported as a study? (…) But at times persons are unwilling to use any literature other than the Bible. (…) As the individual gains confidence, an appropriate publication might be introduced. When this is done, we do not want to give the impression that we are changing from a Bible study to a book study." In the Kingdom Ministry October 2008 p. 1 the WTS finally quietly changed the Congregation BOOK Study to Congregation BIBLE Study "“Commencing January 1, 2009, the Congregation Book Study will be held at the same time as the Theocratic Ministry School and the Service Meeting. The name of the Congregation Book Study will be changed to Congregation Bible Study.”
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  blondie

  What did Charles Taze say about studying the bible without a WT publication?

  "Furthermore, not only do we find that people cannot see the divine plan in studying the Bible by itself, but we see, also, that if anyone lays the SCRIPTURE STUDIES aside, even after he has used them, after he has become familiar with them, after he has read them for ten years - if he then lays them aside and ignores them and goes to the Bible alone, though he has understood his Bible for ten years, our experience shows that within two years he goes into darkness. On the other hand, if he had earnest heed to the opportunities for service and consider that merely read the SCRIPTURE STUDIES with their references, and had not read a page of the Bible, as such, he would be in the light at the end of the two years, because he would have the light of the Scriptures." Watchtower 1910 Sep 15 reprints p.344
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  NotFormer

  You raise a few interesting issues, Blondie, at least from my point of view and from my recent experience:

  https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/6240050866552832/am-return-visit

  I asked the question if I'm a return visit. I presume that is a different designation than "Bible study" or "study". The gentleman didn't really make an appointment to "study" any piece of official WT literature, but just said he'd be back in two weeks. (I'm doing it a bit tough, mood wise, but I hope that by Saturday I'll be more pleasant company again)

  This becomes a point of interest because on Friday I actually approached the trolley ministry people, who happened to be in town. Armed with an amicable previous experience, I was able to say that I'd recently been in contact with one of their people (and I was able to give them his name), so with that foot in the door we were able to have a reasonably pleasant chat for five or so minutes.

  One of the gentlemen asked specifically if the chap at my door had left any literature with me. I guessed he was establishing whether I was a "study" or a return visit. (Is that correct?) I'm assuming that at this point the return visit is to attempt to set up an actual proper "study". Is that likely to be the case?

  I did mention that he had gone out his way to get me a "new" NWT, but paradoxically that is hardly what the JWs would refer to as study material. (Fancy a Bible study based on just reading from the Bible! 🙄 It'd create the situation Blondie quotes from Russell above)
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  Journeyman

  In the Kingdom Ministry October 2008 p. 1 the WTS finally quietly changed the Congregation BOOK Study to Congregation BIBLE Study "“Commencing January 1, 2009, the Congregation Book Study will be held at the same time as the Theocratic Ministry School and the Service Meeting. The name of the Congregation Book Study will be changed to Congregation Bible Study.”

  Thanks for the clarification, Blondie. I knew it had changed during my time, but couldn't pinpoint exactly when. It must have been when they removed it from being a separate weekly meeting and integrated it into the other main midweek meeting. That was when they used the excuse they were showing brothers consideration and giving them an "extra" evening for their own "family worship"! So kind and loving! 🙄
  
  I've always called it the BOOK study, and will continue to do so because that is exactly what it is. For all the semantics by the Org, it is really a BOOK written by WTBTS which is the basis for the study, with Bible verses threaded in around it, NOT a BIBLE study with some other publication(s) floating around it. It's obvious where the priority lies, especially since the trend started in the 1990s towards drawing specific attention to features IN the book, such as tables, graphs or illustrations.
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  NotFormer

  Okay, I'm getting confused by their constant need to change terms. Is a return visit person, when those return visits are for the purpose of going through a specific piece of WT literature, referred to as a "study" and if so, are they more specifically a "Bible study"? I might be asking all this on the wrong thread.
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  blondie

  Not Former, last I knew a "return visit" is making another contact with the same individual, face to face, phone call, e-mail, text, snail mail, etc. (used to be call backs--then back calls) Organized to Do Jehovah's Will (older elders manual) Chapter 8, p. 80-81 "In reporting “Return Visits,” count the total number of calls made for the purpose of furthering interest previously shown by someone who is not a dedicated, baptized Witness. A return visit can be made by means of a personal visit, by writing a letter, making a telephone call, sending a text message or an e-mail, or delivering some literature. Each time a home Bible study is conducted, a return visit can be counted. A parent may count up to one return visit each week when taking the lead during family worship with an unbaptized child present.
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  Journeyman

  Yes the word "study" is used in two different contexts here.

  The CBS - formerly Congregation Book Study, now Congregation Bible Study (but often shorted informally by the R&F to exclude the word "congregation") - is a congregation meeting part, usually at the end of the midweek meeting. At that, everyone attending follows through a chapter (or more usually now, just a few paragraphs) of a WT-produced book based on some Bible account or characters, which will include Bible verses to look up. The current book being "studied" is based around the Bible book of Acts and is called “Bearing Thorough Witness About God’s Kingdom". That will finish soon and a new book is starting in July called "Lessons You Can Learn From The Bible" Both of these are available in PDF from the JW website if you want to know what they are looking at.

  A Bible study (often shorted informally by the R&F to just "a study", eg: "I'm going on a study later" or "how many studies do you have now?") is any repeat return visit that has developed beyond three returns, where the JW can report it as ongoing. Despite the name, it doesn't need to be any kind of "study" really these days - it could be just reading one paragraph and a Bible verse at a time, or it could be as long as sitting down for an hour to do a whole chapter from a book or brochure, reading the Bible verses included there as you go. Very rarely, it might be using ONLY the Bible - but that would only be if the "householder" insists, and the JW involved will usually try to "move" the study on to using a publication ASAP, or to at least show some of their videos (JWs are heavily encouraged to show video clips from the JW website to householders now).
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  TonusOH

  The WTS has always made it clear that only the GB can interpret scripture. JWs are encouraged to read the Bible, not to study it. At least, not without the WTS publications on hand, so they get the 'correct' interpretation.