College Bible Study Topic Ideas

#21

There are many good Catholic Bible studies out there already, so I don’t think you necessarily have to reinvent the wheel.

Definitely take it to prayer. And ask yourself honestly why you are feeling like you need to develop your own thing.

I have a Masters in theology. I had at least 5 classes specifically on Scripture. I have also attended countless conferences, seminars, small group Bible studies, and more over the past 20 years. I don’t say all this to impress anyone, but simply as a way to preface that I can go to a basic Bible study for beginners and still get something out of it. Indeed, I am often humbled by the insight of “beginners” who see what I have missed.

Certainly, if you want to develop something on your own and you can find something that works for you and your group, more power to you. But I’d encourage you to at least consider going with what is being provided. It might surprise you.

#22

“DIY” Bible Study has inherent dangers.

When there are more solid Catholic studies available than one human being could complete in their lifetime, I find it very difficult to see the need for making up your own.

#23

Anything that rests on yourself is doomed to failure. But that’s a scarecrow argument, because I didn’t say it was just up to me. I had the Holy Spirit, a Jerome’s commentary, my priest. And you can always look up theological issues.

I honestly don’t know where all these “Bible studies you couldn’t complete in a lifetime” are. I’ve heard of a few. I didn’t think there were many, to be honest. Unless they’re not all Catholic.

God speaks to us through His Word. I think it’s best to read each book through, like it was written for. And, I’m sorry, I honestly don’t believe that many Catholics are leaving the Church and embracing heresy because of the Catholic Bible study they were attending at their parish. I stand by that, we as Catholics should not be afraid to read the Bible. It seems simple to me.

#24

I said I have topics in mind but they’re either too broad or too narrow. I talked to the man that asked me to organize it about one of the broader ideas and he helped me to not narrow it down, but bring more detail into my idea and make it more organized. After praying on it a lot the past few days, I think that my biggest thing is that I don’t really see myself as a teacher but more of a learner (I only got back into the Church last semester; I’m a freshman with sophomore standing) and I thought I’d have to assume that role. I’m going to take what I’ve come up with and hope to make it more discussional. The verses are pretty broad, but at the same time don’t leave a lot of room for what could be considered false interpretations (that’s a direct quote from my friend who asked me to organize it), so it’ll be nice to see how each one speaks to each man in my group.

#25

UPDATE:
I talked to the man (one of my good friends) that asked me to organize it about one of the broader ideas and he helped me to not narrow it down, but bring more detail into my idea and make it more organized. After praying on it a lot the past few days, I think that my biggest concern is that I don’t really see myself as a teacher but more of a fellow learner (I only got back into the Church last semester; I’m a freshman with sophomore standing) and I thought I’d have to assume that role. I’m going to take what I’ve come up with and hope to make it more discussional. The verses are all centered around trust in God, and they leave ample opportunity for discussion. I like the idea of taking an approach in which everyone learns from others’ insight (that may not make sense), and if anything that might be controversial is said, we have a library with several Catechisms on hand and three priests at my school. Thanks for all the replies!

#26

One Bible Study series that I think it really good is the Lectio series from the Augustine Institute.

They take a unique approach to Bible Study. While some are on Books of the Bible, others are on Biblical / Catholic topics.

https://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/category/lectio

God Bless

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in these forums do not necessarily reflect those of Catholic Answers. For official apologetics resources please visit www.catholic.com.