Rowing Coaches and Bible Teachers

In my collegiate days I took up rowing and “walked on” the University of Cincinnati crew team. I had been an avid runner in high school, but got burned out mentally and physically. But, I hadn’t lost the desire to compete, so I took up rowing.

It’s not an easy sport to just “pick up.” Besides the physical demands on the body—virtually every muscle and organ in the body is taxed to the max—it requires precise technique that must be in complete sync with every other oarsman in the boat. There’s not a lot of room for individuality.

My local rec center has a few Concept-II ergometers, or rowing machines, which I will occasionally take for a spin for a full body workout. Not surprising, it’s not one of the more popular pieces of equipment in the gym.

Despite the instruction sheet pinned to the wall next to these machines, I’ve never seen anyone take the kind of stroke that would propel a boat of eight down the course with any measure of efficiency. Most would be fortunate not to capsize.

Yesterday, I observed an instructor teaching a group of novices. Her coaching wasn’t horrible. In fact, most of what she said was solid advice. She rightly told her students to keep their chins up and shoulders square, how to properly use the stirrups, and to avoid bending too far forward or backward. But, there was no instruction regarding leg drive, hand placement, the “catch”, or the “finish,” among many other finer details. Nonetheless, her  students were much better off than those who only read the instruction sheet, and far better off than those who were just winging it.

Watching this instruction got me thinking about teaching the Bible. People have a wide range of access to instruction on how to study the Bible: a graduate degree, a survey course at a university, classes through their local congregation, online, or none at all.

It should go without saying, that the more qualified the teacher the better off the student. A rookie rower who jumps into a boat with no training could hurt themselves or sink the boat (and everyone on board). Only after years of training under expert supervision is the student rower in the position to teach other rowers.

The same is true for teaching the Bible. Sure, anyone can read the Bible—and I suggest everyone should! But, unless you’ve studied under a qualified expert to the point where you have also mastered the material, you might want to think twice about passing on your limited skills to others.  After all, it would be tragic to capsize someone's faith or shipwreck their life due to irresponsible teaching (see James 3:1). It's true that a little knowledge can be dangerous.

* Photos courtesy of Wikipedia