Advanced Bible Seminar and Israel Trip Unlock the Scriptures for Students
Even before boarding their flights for Tel Aviv on March 12, the 28 Upper School students in the semester-long Advanced Bible Seminar had begun to discover how a focused exploration of the Bible was impacting and improving their spiritual understanding and practice.
And during their spring break trip to Israel and the West Bank, their appreciation for the Bible grew exponentially, increasing their commitment to continued study of the Scriptures. Over a period of 10 days, the students and their chaperones, led by teacher Evan MacDonald (US'94, C'06), immersed themselves in Bible history—re-reading and discussing accounts of spiritual discovery and healing at the very sites where the ancient prophets, Jesus, and his disciples lived and worked.
It’s clear that the study and research tools MacDonald introduced during the first half of the class have helped students feel less intimidated by the Bible’s language and more comfortable unraveling its symbolism and metaphors. In the process, the students agree, they have come to realize that the Bible’s teachings are neither outdated nor irrelevant.
“Before, I used to just read past things that I didn’t understand,” says sophomore Hannah. “Now, I’m so excited to look deeper. The Bible is kind of like a treasure chest—you uncover one thing, and then you uncover something else!”
Junior Juliet echoes a similar sentiment: “I had never dug deep or paid too much attention [to the Bible],” she says. “But [after] being in this class . . . I’m applying the Bible so much more than I have before.”
Class Topics Guided by Holy Land Destinations
The travel itinerary helped shape the design and content of the class. Students were asked to select specific locations from the route, research the history and accompanying biblical events, and write a mini “guide” to each location and its importance. Every student’s contributions then became part of a printed travel journal that provided useful background as well as references to help explain complex passages. In effect, the students created their own textbook! Each day of the trip, MacDonald or Bible Program Coordinator Kathy Merrill (C'72) delivered multiple 20-minute talks at specific locations—such as Mounts Carmel and Tabor, Caesarea Philippi and the Pool of Siloam, Bethany and the pool of Bethesda—that brought alive the significance of what occurred there.
For the remainder of the semester, the students will prepare a written exegesis on their selected story, incorporating understanding of the original Hebrew or Greek terms, information from Bible commentaries, dictionaries, Mrs. Eddy’s works, and relevant articles from the Christian Science periodicals. The students will connect the story they researched to a modern-day challenge, transferring their understanding to help metaphysically address a current world need. The final project will include the paper and an oral presentation that incorporates their metaphysical findings, on-site video footage, and images from their time in Israel.
Beyond Bible Literacy
Discussing his goals for the class, MacDonald says, “I wanted the students to love the Bible, to try to understand it more each day, and to realize that the Bible is not a collection of trivia but the Word of God to be lived each day.” He feels that goal has been surpassed. “This group of young men and women are special to me,” he continues. “The fruitage they and their parents are sharing with me about the impact of the class and the trip—on their morals, their receptivity to learning about the Bible, and their understanding of Christian Science—is incredible.”
The students agree that the class is impacting their lives in unexpected ways. Many find their newer and deeper understanding of Bible history and prophecy translating directly to their everyday practice of Christian Science. Several students note that during Bible Lesson study in the dorm, or even in afterschool conversations with peers, they are more comfortable sharing their inspiration and insights.
“The more I study the Bible, I’m discovering the whole history behind our religion and the build-up to what Mrs. Eddy founded as Christian Science,” says junior Chandler. This class has “helped me realize that both these books, the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, are keys to each other. They co-relate, and it’s very, very important to read both of them together.”
Senior Noah agrees. “Before I used to rely solely on Science and Health when I was working on healings and praying,” he says. “[But] if you don’t understand the Bible, you can’t really understand Science and Health. The co-relation between the two is really important.”
And, more broadly, classmate Aidan notes, the class experience and what he learned on the trip to Israel has been “like this call back to the essence of Christianity . . . [to a] really abundant faith and love for God.”