GDQ Bible Curriculum Overview
Studying the Bible is central to GDQ’s vision statement: Educating international children to have maximum influence for the glory of God in their lifetime. The Bible, being God’s written communication, is the lens through which all knowledge and learning is understood. It is the central medium through which God reveals to us the Savior, Jesus Christ; and it is useful for teaching, correcting, rebuking and training in righteousness (John 5:39-40; 2 Timothy 3:16).
GDQ desires that its students come to understand biblical truths so that they can apply them to their lives by modelling Christlikeness in all areas of life and learning. This includes healthy spiritual formation, positive character development, service, Bible study, mission mindedness and life-long learning of the Word of God. To achieve this end, GDQ’s Bible program aims to encourage students to know God and to be equipped as a disciple of Jesus Christ. This includes
- Understanding God’s plan of salvation, knowing where he/she stands in it and being encouraged in each Bible class to receive this salvation by grace alone.
- Demonstrating evidence of a transformed life into Christlikeness through the application of Scripture and the work of the Holy Spirit, which is reflected in the student’s life and learning (2 Corinthians 3:18).
- Growing in his/her knowledge and love of Jesus and in the Christian disciplines of prayer, Bible reading, Bible study and Bible memorization (I Peter 2:2).
- Understanding that God’s word is truth and that it is applicable to every facet of life and learning (2 Timothy 3:16).
- Knowing how to correctly handle the word of truth by interpreting Scripture in context and by using proper interpretation principles (2 Timothy 2:15).
- Having an increased understanding of God, basic theological concepts, major biblical themes, the historicity of Scripture and how these all relate with contemporary issues.
- Being a life-long learner of the word of God (Psalm 1:2-3; 119:105).
Lower School Bible Program
GDQ’s lower school Bible program provides students a foundational understanding of the importance of the Bible in the lives of Christians. Students gain insight into the character of God, the lives of the people who followed God and the extent of God’s love for each of them. Going beyond the accumulation of information, students learn that God desires a personal relationship with them. They are challenged to emulate the lives of those who followed God as evidenced by the choices they make in their attitudes and actions.
Middle School Bible Program
The middle school Bible program provides students with a strong narrative overview of the Old and New Testaments. The grade 6 curriculum focuses on the Old Testament narratives, with a great deal of time devoted to the narratives in Genesis. Using a harmony of the four gospels, grade 7 students walk through the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. The grade 8 class examines the growth of the New Testament church as recorded in the book of Acts.
Along with the overview and discussion of the biblical narratives, middle school classes are focused on positive character development and personal application of Bible teaching. This includes memorization, journaling, in class prayer, personal reflection and application of biblical values. The driving goal of the Bible program is to encourage students to know God and to be equipped as a disciple of Jesus Christ.
High School Bible Program
The high school Bible program provides students with a cohesive understanding of the scriptures. The grade 9 curriculum begins with an introduction to the Bible, examining key questions that provide students with a background understanding of its contents. Questions addressed include: What is the Bible? Who wrote the Bible? Is it trustworthy? Why is it worth studying? The second half of the course focuses on apologetics, enabling students to examine questions that are generally used against the Christian faith. In grade 10, students gain an overview of the Old Testament books, focusing on the content of each book and where each book fits into the Old Testament storyline. In grade 11, students transition into the books of the New Testament, again focusing on the background and message of each book. Finally, the grade 12 curriculum, a worldview course, provides students the opportunity to examine, analyze and discuss components of the world’s major religions.
The high school Bible program goes beyond simply covering content. An important component of the courses is personal application of biblical teaching. This is fostered through a devotional time, in class prayer, memorization, journaling, personal reflection and application of biblical values. The driving goal of the Bible program is to encourage students to know God and to be equipped as a disciple of Jesus Christ.