Global InformationBible quiz information
Bible Quiz, also known as Bible Bowl or Bible Quizzing, is a quiz-bowl competition based on Bible memorization and study.[1] The competition takes place between teams (often representing individual churches), and participants are quizzed on the content of a pre-determined section of the Bible. They are a popular activity in some Protestant churches and organizations, particularly in the United States. The exact rules of the game differ depending on the sponsoring organization.
Most organizations have seasons which roughly correspond with the U.S. school year (September–early July), holding local competitions on a monthly basis, with playoffs that lead to a national championship tournament. Contestants are usually students in grades six through twelve, although some organizations also offer a separate division for younger children.
The competition is similar to Quick Recall in many American schools, but it uses the Bible as the subject. Competitions which use the name "Bible Bowl" are modelled on television's College Bowl in the 1950s.[2] Most groups feature teams competing to be the first to "buzz in" using an electronic lockout device, much like those still used in TV game shows such as Jeopardy! today. Some organizations, however, such as Nazarene Bible quizzing and the C&MA bible quizzing program, use benches (or pads) instead of buzzers, jumping when they know the question, and giving the required information necessary to be counted correct.
Some groups also feature a "quoting bee" as an additional part of their competition. Similar to a spelling bee, a contestant is given a verse reference (or references) and must quote the verse verbatim within a time limit (8–30 seconds, depending on the level of competition) or be eliminated.
Bible trivia questions are typically made up from the team coordinators' own Bible knowledge, or derived from other sources, such as Bible trivia board games (i.e. Trivial Pursuit for the Bible) or free online Bible trivia sources.
Other organizations, such as Nazarene Bible Quiz, Assemblies of God Teen Bible Quiz, Bible Quiz Fellowship, World Bible Quiz Association, Piedmont Quizzing Association, and the C&MA, derive their questions solely from the Bible text. Contestants come in teams of up to five people and two or three teams compete in a round. Quizzers buzz in as the question is being read, using either a hand-activated device or by standing (activating an electric switch in their seat). The first quizzer to buzz in must answer the question; in many competitions, if that person interrupts the moderator before the end of the question, the quizzer must complete the question first and then give the answer. In these organizations, quizzers will often memorize entire books or sets of books, depending on the material given for the year. Those who compete at higher levels often will have the entire material memorized, recallable by any given reference or keyword. Many are able to quote from start to finish in one sitting. Some organizations have competitions where they compete as to accuracy in quoting the material.
- ^ Yi, Fred (2003-07-18). "July 18, 2003 ~ Bible Quizzing | July 18, 2003 | Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly | PBS". Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly. Retrieved 2022-12-31.
- ^ "National Bible Bowl Tournament adds latest chapter". heraldextra.com. Retrieved 2022-12-31.