There are two main ways to go about teaching someone something. You can teach them what you think they need to know, or may need to know sometime later on. Or you can teach them what you think they're ready to understand at the moment. These two approaches are the basic ways of going about teaching.

But sometimes these two methods can come into conflict. I began my ministry as an associate minister in charge of youth and education. It was the typical associate position. It did not take me long to learn that youth and education is a big job all by itself. It was during this time that these two basic educational approaches became one live issue in the congregation.

The discussion centered around how much Bible could or should be taught to young children. There were those who felt that the …