I quit university at age 19.
People were probably upset with me. I remember overhearing a friend’s mom refer to me as, “floundering,” once.
After two years in school, I finished my last psych course with a “P” (that’s a whole other story) and gained an Arts Associate diploma. It took all my energy to finish that fourth semester and I knew I didn’t have it in me to continue.
What was I even going to do with my diploma? I had no plans.
So, I went to Bible College.
The challenge
One course, James and Peter, piqued my interest. James was my favourite biblical book, probably because of his writing style. James uses clear, concise, motivating language and it resounded with me.
On the first day of class, we were handed a syllabus. Aside from the regular assignments, we would have a term project, mid-term and final exam. No big deal.
Then we went over the term project options:
Choose one (worth 25 per cent of final grade):
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Memorize first four chapters of 1 Peter or all five chapters of James (any translation)
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Write a 2,500-word (nine-10 pages) topical/exegetical term paper on any passage in James or Peter
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Perform an artistic presentation on any passage in James or Peter. A five-page formal write-up must be included
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Perform a drama on any passage in James or Peter. A five-page formal write-up must be included
BIG deal
Balking, I realized this term project was going to seriously hamper my social life. Writing a paper seemed like the easiest option, but after I looked up “exegetical,” I changed my mind. And conceptual performance arts were out. There was no way I would even consider writing, practicing and performing a piece to perform in front of the school.
So, I decided to memorize the book of James. My logic determined memorization would be less invasive to my schedule since it freed me from writing and the library. However, apart from Sunday school verses-for-stickers, I hadn’t done much memorizing, and didn’t know where to start.
Procrastinating preparation
I read a few Bible translations and decided on The New Living Translation. Of the different versions, I felt it was the most like how I spoke. That would surely make memorization at least a tiny bit easier.
Next, I started reading critically. First, I defined the general theme of the book. Then, picked seven headings, dividing the book into sections:
General theme: Written to scattered Jewish Christians, aiming to confront hypocritical practices and teach proper Christian living.
Topical summary:
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Intro/background
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Trials and temptations
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Prayer
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The tongue
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Obedience and wealth
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Wisdom
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Ministry to backsliders (the confused, disappointed and ticked-off)
Having smaller chunks to remember made the task seem more manageable.
The memorizing part
When I actually started memorizing, I went slowly and painfully verse-by-verse. I took each section and concentrated on it individually. I didn’t memorize in order at first. Instead, I started with the most interesting bits and worked from there.
The actual process of memorization:
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Read silently
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Read audibly
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Copy text to paper
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Write text from memory
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Review, rewrite sections with mistakes
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Repeat steps 4-5 until section contains no errors, three times consecutively
This method worked really well for me.
After a section was memorized to my satisfaction, I moved on to the next one.
A couple weeks later, after I became confident in the memorization process, I started reciting audibly. Now I had to ask friends and family to read along as I spoke. It was difficult and awkward but an important part of the exercise. Writing something from memory is a lot easier than saying it aloud.
In order to keep the words in my head I had to practice every day. The actual memorization took about four weeks (including my extra-long prep time). It took more than double that to make it a fluid presentation.
Putting it in context
My term project grade was based on more than repeating the words in the correct order. When reciting, I needed to show I actually understood the text by varying tone, pitch and enunciation based on each section. So, after the basics were mastered, I moved on to the context. I knew the essentials but was still viewing the assignment from an academic perspective.
I learned James was writing to Christians who already knew the Gospel, but were exploited and victimized by Orthodox Jews, who viewed Christianity as a cult. James tells them trials and temptations are to be expected and endured—and are not from God!
Connecting with the words and really understanding their context helped me add emphasis and emotion to my presentation.
The test
When I performed my recitation, I was shaking with nervousness. As a result, I opted to sit and speak, instead of stand and gesture dramatically. My seven-step outline served as a valuable memory tool—if I lost my place I could quickly recall the section and continue. In the end, I lost some marks for fluidity and mixed up a couple sentences, but overall I was amazed I had managed to memorize a book of the Bible at all. Finishing with an 82.6 per cent was gravy.
Not only was memorizing the most time-intensive term project I’ve ever done, but I had to engage writing, research and performance in order to score well. It was totally worth it. I may have initially chosen memorization to get out of work, but as a result, I became intimately familiar with the text—for three months, I literally thought about it day and night. I even found myself quoting verses in regular life. The book of James became invariably relevant to my everyday living.
Even now, the struggle and discipline I encountered that semester feels fresh. The exact words are no longer on the tip of my tongue but the warnings and lessons James wrote about are written on my heart. Good thing too, since those pages in my Bible are maimed beyond recognition after a semester of writing, highlighting, oscillating and general attrition.
Have you ever had to memorize? What methods did you find effective? What would you tell others about Scipture memory?
By Robyn Roste
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