For the past 18-years, American Christian kids who know their scriptures really well, have been competing in the annual National Bible Bee.
This year saw 360 participants aged from seven to 18 grouped into various age categories.
Nine-year-old Daniel Chew was the junior winner after reciting 19 verses of 350 words from Romans 12.
The New York Times observed that the event demands astonishing feats of memorization from contestants as well as voluminous knowledge of Scripture.
The youngest aged seven to 10 have to be able recall around 570 verses.
The oldest memorize almost 1,000 verses or 20,000 words, in the hope of winning the A$75,000 first prize.
Just a single error such as an errant plural or a wrong tense in a long passage can lead to elimination.
The Bible Bee has achieved a quiet kind of celebrity status in US Christian circles with video clips of competitors circulating beyond those communities on social media.
Its slogan is “To know God’s Word and make Him known.”
The New York Times reports: “With sweeping spotlights, dramatic music and celebrity hosts, the Bee’s production values resemble The Voice far more than a church basement.”
“Yet the competitors themselves represent a kind of demure poise and wholesomeness for which many Americans are nostalgic. They called adults “ma’am” and “sir.” The boys onstage had tucked in their shirts; almost every girl wore her hair and hemlines long.”
“At one point in the final, Abby Chew raised her hand to inform the judges that she had been mistakenly awarded points for an incorrect answer. In the audience, rows of younger siblings sat still for hours in almost miraculous silence.”
The Times observed: “Boys and girls seemed to excel equally at the competition. But it is otherwise a space that celebrates traditional gender roles.”
“I desire to be a wife and mother and raise a godly home-schooling family,” said one junior finalist.
But in this competition knowing your Bible is paramount.
One verse to remember was: Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces.
Bible knowledge questions included: “According to Jeremiah 52, who was King Nebuchadnezzar’s captain/commander that set fire to Jerusalem?”
He was Nebuzaradan, which three of five contestants answered correctly.
Photo: Facebook – National Bible Bee
