Not for dabblers

So when’s the last time you memorized a brief passage from the Bible? Or maybe even just a single verse? Fact is, it’s a dying art. Pastors, youth leaders, Sunday school teachers, and Christian school and homeschool curriculum designers wring their deeply discouraged hands. “I’m just no good at it,” folks tell them.

They should meet Hannah Leary, a winsome 18-year-old from Eden, N.Y., who long ago quit measuring her memory work by verses, passages, or even chapters. Instead, Hannah has tucked away in her memory 10 whole books of the Bible.

“I’m not especially smart,” Hannah told me modestly—but not altogether persuasively. “I’ve had lots of help.”

Some of that help has come from her mom and dad, along with her six sisters and two brothers. Hannah’s specialty is Bible memorization—and she says appreciatively that other family members have chipped in cheerfully to do her family chores when she has a big competition coming up.

‘At first, yes, I was just reading theological words. But then it started coming alive.’—Hannah Leary

But the biggest help has come from the organization known as the National Bible Bee. As early as 2009, NBB captured Hannah’s vision and imagination; it provided a context in which to organize her efforts, and it offered a significant monetary reward for youngsters who excelled. This year, in fact, Hannah walked off with a $100,000 prize.

National Bible Bee is the brainchild of a Texas entrepreneur who says he had noticed the popularity of similar competitions in spelling and geography. “Why not,” he asked, “do the same thing with Bible memory? And why not offer competitive prize money?” In six years, NBB has attracted some 45,000 participants—boys and girls in three age levels who have shown themselves ready to take on the disciplines needed for sometimes excruciating national competition.

Contestants typically launch their efforts in local and regional competition, based on Scripture passages and a curriculum announced by NBB early each summer. By mid-September, regional winners have emerged and begin the hard work of preparing for the late fall national finals. This year’s finals are set for Nov. 18-22 at the Marriott Hotel in San Antonio, Texas.

The 360 youngsters who end up in San Antonio will be noteworthy not just for their word-perfect recollection of the assigned passages, but for their understanding of those passages’ gospel truth as well. And veteran contestants like Hannah Leary (she’s participated for six years straight) appreciate the family spirit that pervades the big event. “It’s something,” she says, “to see folks coaching each other even when you know you might be helping the other person get the prize you’re working so hard for. That’s when you know the power of God is at work.”

Because of the flexibility they can use to structure their family schedules, homeschoolers dominate the lists of NBB participants. But homeschoolers haven’t been the only winners—and NBB organizers and sponsors would like to broaden the list. Indeed, starting this year, free copies of the current curriculum can be downloaded from NBB’s website. Yet another indicator of NBB’s open and welcoming spirit is that participants get to choose from among four different versions of the Bible for their memorization.

NBB faces regular refinement. This year, a sparkling new nationally televised game show (including an additional $270,000 in prizes), is running through the summer months, adding a second track of options. Indeed, Hannah Leary just missed winning the annual traditional bee, but then claimed first place in the TV contest.

In Hannah’s experience, memorization augments understanding. “Hebrews has always been a confusing book for me,” she recalls. “So I started, as I often do, just reading the text [Hebrews 6 and 7] about 10 times. At first, yes, I was just reading theological words. But then it started coming alive. The ideas were running through my head, and there was fresh understanding. Not 100 percent—but the Lord was revealing Himself through His Word.”

More details—about both the traditional competition and the televised game show—may be found at National Bible Bee’s website: biblebee.org. But keep in mind that it’s not a pursuit for those who only want to dabble.

Email jbelz@wng.org