Answer: The question that will help your students increase their understanding and use of a biblical perspective. Keep in mind there is more than 1 question you can ask your students. So, choose a question.

Choose a question that…

• Relates to the content your students are learning.
  
• You like, feel comfortable with, and have some answers for.
  
• You think your students will find engaging.

You have 3 options, only 2 of which are useful:

1. Stop now and don’t choose a question. It’s an option, and choosing this won’t help your students increase their understanding and use of a biblical perspective.
   
2. Choose a question from the list of 99 questions (see below).
   
3. Develop your own question.

Here’s the list of 99 questions:

1. How are you a witness for God?
   
2. How are God's mercy and justice related?
   
3. How aware should you be of culture?
   
4. How can art express your beliefs?
   
5. How can art express our relationship with God and creation?
   
6. How can you be a good caretaker?
   
7. How can you be a wise steward?
   
8. How can you bring change?
   
9. How can you care for God's creation?
   
10. How can you care for your body?
    
11. How can you care for sound?
    
12. How can you communicate the truth in love?
    
13. How can you depict the Christian faith?
    
14. How can you maintain your body as God's temple?
    
15. How can you make healthy decisions?
    
16. How can you relate to the target culture?
    
17. How can you bridge cultural differences?
    
18. How can you repair relationships?
    
19. How can you serve God and others?
    
20. How can you solve the problem?
    
21. How can you use ___ (subject/topic) wrongly?
    
22. How can you use a biblical perspective?
    
23. How can you use math to serve others?
    
24. How can you use mathematical habits of mind?
    
25. How can you use music?
    
26. How can you use your creativity?
    
27. How can you use your gifts and learning?
    
28. How can you use the Bible to guide your life?
    
29. How can you work with others?
    
30. How can learning a language change you?
    
31. How can math help you learn about God and creation?
    
32. How can music help you learn about God and creation?
    
33. How can religion undermine God's work?
    
34. How can you use math to make sense of God's world?
    
35. How can we praise God through music?
    
36. How can we see God's creative power in creation?
    
37. How do authors help us see truth?
    
38. How do you balance head and heart?
    
39. How do cultures affect/reflect worldviews?
    
40. How do you balance needs and caretaking?
    
41. How do you learn, live, and serve with others?
    
42. How do you live out your convictions?
    
43. How do others help us see?
    
44. How do patterns help you make sense of God's world?
    
45. How do we know?
    
46. How do we know God cares?
    
47. How do we use language?
    
48. How do worldviews affect life?
    
49. How does ___ (subject/topic) help you develop as a person?
    
50. How does ___ (subject/topic) help you serve others?
    
51. How does a belief system influence a point of view?
    
52. How does belief affect design?
    
53. How does culture affect who you become?
    
54. How does evil work in our lives?
    
55. How does God show sovereignty?
    
56. How does God show us who He is?
    
57. How does God speak to us?
    
58. How does God use ordinary people to do His work?
    
59. How does God want you to carry on His work?
    
60. How does God want you to live?
    
61. How does God want you to view others?
    
62. How does God work?
    
63. How does God's Word help you see?
    
64. How does nature reveal God?
    
65. How has culture shaped you?
    
66. How can you reflect God's glory?
    
67. How important is this?
    
68. How is Jesus the purpose of your life and learning?
    
69. How shall we then live?
    
70. How should Christians apply truth and justice?
    
71. How should Christians live in a world filled with suffering?
    
72. How should Christians respond to bias?
    
73. How should Christians use wealth and power?
    
74. How should you deal with injustice?
    
75. How should you live?
    
76. How should you respond to competition?
    
77. How should you respond to God?
    
78. How should you use resources?
    
79. How should we live in God's world?
    
80. How tolerant can a community be?
    
81. How will you achieve the "good"?
    
82. What does being a disciple of Jesus mean?
    
83. What does it mean to be human?
    
84. What does it mean to lead a meaningful life?
    
85. What does Jesus' life mean to you?
    
86. What if?
    
87. What’s the problem?
    
88. What’s your responsibility?
    
89. What’s the significance of words?
    
90. What’s the solution?
    
91. What’s wrong with the world?
    
92. What makes good music good?
    
93. What makes us who we are?
    
94. What's true?
    
95. Where do you belong?
    
96. Who are you?
    
97. Who is God?
    
98. Who is your neighbor?
    
99. Why breathe?

Write down 1 question you want to ask. If you are reading this and you have not yet written a question down, stop reading, choose a question, and write it down. Now that you have your question, keep reading.

So, what’s the real question? It’s not “What question do I want to ask my students?” It’s “What question am I going to ask my students?”

Remember, success is your students increasing their understanding and use of a Biblical perspective by responding personally to the question you have asked. Success is not you choosing the question or even you asking your students the question. But you have to choose the question and then ask it before your students can respond personally to it.

In preparing to ask your question, ask a colleague for help. Why? Because reading about asking questions is one thing, and doing it is another. Let’s be honest. It’s hard to do new things, to change, to ask questions to help students understand and use a biblical perspective. And doing new things while teaching is even harder. So, ask for help. Working with someone dramatically increases the likelihood of success.

In preparing to ask your question, be sure to plan your lesson so that it’ll go well. Here are some things you can do:

• Pose your question to the class that is most likely to engage the in responding to the question. Or pose your question during the subject or time of day in which your students are most likely to engage in responding to the question.
  
• Write the question on the board, and then set the context by showing how the question is related to course content and a biblical perspective.
  
• Invite your students to respond in a way that they like to respond—journal writing, small group discussion, brainstorming….

Get help. Prepare your lesson. Then ask your question. Today.

*For a set of discussion questions you can use to further reflect on this blog entry, click here.