The Bible, Sunday School and Strategy

Wait what was that?

What was that word you just mumbled under your breath while reading scripture to the entire Sunday school class? Yep, you can’t tell me, can you? And I think I know why: You can’t pronounce it. I know your tricks because, well, I’m ashamed to say it, but I use the same tricks. In fact the trick you just used is one of my faves. The ol’ “I’d rather you think I have a speech impediment than have you think I don’t know the correct pronunciation of every single word in the Bible” trick. I know it well and use it often.

We’ve all been there, haven’t we? The Sunday school teacher asks for volunteers to read scripture, so I raise my hand. I’ve got this in the bag! I mean the passage we’re looking at today is from Genesis, so no table of contents needed (wipes forehead), that’s always a positive start.

Plus, I like to think of myself as a solid reader, not necessarily something to marvel at, but a sort of testament to the fine public elementary school education I received. With this in mind, I’m OK with reading to the class from time to time. I flip to the passage hastily, trying to appear at ease as my fingers gracefully flip through the pages, as if that’s what they’re accustomed to doing routinely. As if God not only changed my heart when I chose to follow Him, but He had also physically changed my fingers for premium scripture- locating efficiency.

I clear my throat like any seasoned reader does before setting sail into the waters of vocal Bible readings. And sometimes things go just right. My sails catch wind. So, I’m going along at a respectable speed, being careful to enunciate and project.

Then it happens.

I see it in the distance. It’s a word, but not a word I’m familiar with. Not a word I can pronounce. What will they think? Is there anyone else in the room to which this word is foreign? Who knows? This could be a name or city that’s well known to everyone, but me. This is when I’m forced to think under pressure. It’s do or die, with regards to my Bible reading reputation.

It’s time for a clutch play. This is when defense mechanisms come into action. I have two that I prefer to use, when I don’t know the pronunciation for a word in the Bible. There’s the method I mentioned earlier. As you approach the word, slowly start to speak lower and slur your words together. Then when you’ve passed the word of unfamiliarity, start transitioning back to the clear, strong reading voice that the class has grown to know and love.

The next trick is also quite simple. When you get to the word just “happen to” cough, but instead of pausing, read the word while in mid-cough. There’s no way they’ll know you were struggling with where to put the emphasis on the syllables. When executed flawlessly, these tricks of the trade work like a charm.

Really these tricks are pretty silly. Sometimes I let my pride get in the way. Psalms 25:9 says, “He guides the humble in what is right and teaches him his ways.”

Sometimes being humble before the Lord may mean humbling yourself before the entire Sunday school class. It’s OK to laugh at yourself. And the class will forget as soon as something else interesting happens—like the pastor’s toupee falling off during a baptism.

Most likely, if you can’t pronounce a certain word in the Bible, there are probably others in the room who are in the same boat. If you make yourself vulnerable, it may make them feel comfortable enough to come forward and admit they’re struggling with Bible word pronunciation, too. You could be a beacon of light in their dark world. Just do as Mrs. Beaty, my first grade teacher, told me to do: Sound it out.

Maddie Privott is from Bethany, Okla., but attends college at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville.