Something got me thinking about Bible memorization programs in youth ministry yesterday, and my initial reaction towards them was negative. I wasn’t sure exactly why, so I thought about it for a while and came up with some reasons why I’m not a fan:

1. Memorization does not equal maturity or discipleship. I’ve written before about the narcissism of Christian education, and how it equates education and facts with discipleship, when obviously that’s not the case. Bible memorization is in the same league. Just because one student memorizes five verses and the other memorizes one hundred one should not be elevated over the other, but that is almost always the case.
2. Memorization elevates certain kinds of students over and above other. How well will a student with dyslexia or ADHD be able to memorize anything, let alone the Bible? Or what about people that just don’t memorize things well? I am one of those people. I am not good at memorizing dates, facts, and isolated tidbits. Unfortunately, since these Bible memorization programs usually do elevate the students who memorize the most, those who do not are relegated to second class status.
3. Memorization is not equivalent to “hiding your word in my heart.” Psalm 119:11 is often cited as a reason why we should memorize scripture and conduct Bible memorization programs: “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” The key word in this verse is heart, not head. Memorization does nothing to ensure that God’s word makes it into the hearts of our students. How many students memorize things for a test at school, but have not hidden them in their heart?
4. Most memorization programs are reward-driven competitions. Memorize X verses and get Y. The best prizes come for memorizing the most verses. There are all sorts of theological problems with reward-driven discipleship programs. Simply replace prizes like Nintendo Wiis and iPods with cash payouts and you’ll see the beginning of the problems.
5. Memorization is not a historical spiritual discipline. Quite simply, individual scripture memorization was nearly impossible in the early church. That’s not to say that we shouldn’t memorize scripture, but it is to say that it is not a cornerstone of the faith like preaching, prayer, baptism, and communion. If it was possible to be a Christian for hundreds of years without memorizing scripture, then it still is.
6. Memorization removes scripture from historical tradition and literary context. One of my fears is that, especially in cases where students memorize isolated verses, we are teaching poor methods of scripture interpretation by de-contextualizing scripture. Bible memorization also divorces scripture from its historical and communal context, leaving scripture as a matter for the individual.
7. This guy. He’s memorized over 100 chapters of the New Testament. See the video below for an example of the fruit of his labors.

Alright, my flame suit is on, fire away.