A Review of the BSF Bible Study Program
NOTE: All BSF lesson notes quoted on this site are accurate as of the 2011/12 class cycle when this review was written. They may have been revised since then.
Introduction:
_Bible Study Fellowship or BSF as it is referred to by many, is one of the
more popular Bible study programs around. Many people enjoy the
discipline of the Bible study, the structure, the detailed class notes,
the fellowship, and the overall commitment displayed by the leadership
team. I served as a leader for many of the years I spent with BSF and I
am acquainted with most of the studies ever produced by BSF. However, over the years, I became increasingly uncomfortable with the very thing I took for granted in the early classes I attended - their beliefs and consequently what they actually teach through their lectures and questions/notes. Ultimately, I left because I do not see myself teaching what I came to realize as serious errors of doctrine and theology.
It was my involvement with BSF that also motivated me to continue to study God's Word outside of these lessons. It was through my own studies and investigations that I began to have serious concerns about what BSF is teaching. There are a number of areas that you, the BSF class member should know about. Before you are quick to say "no organization is perfect" (and this is true), I would suggest that you read on. For those of you who have been involved with BSF for some time, you too may not even be aware of these concerns that I have discovered. Someone once pointed out that rat poison is mostly food and a little bit of poison.
My aim here is to share my discoveries that you may form your own convictions.
It was my involvement with BSF that also motivated me to continue to study God's Word outside of these lessons. It was through my own studies and investigations that I began to have serious concerns about what BSF is teaching. There are a number of areas that you, the BSF class member should know about. Before you are quick to say "no organization is perfect" (and this is true), I would suggest that you read on. For those of you who have been involved with BSF for some time, you too may not even be aware of these concerns that I have discovered. Someone once pointed out that rat poison is mostly food and a little bit of poison.
My aim here is to share my discoveries that you may form your own convictions.
BSF Lesson Notes and Discussion Questions - BSF lesson notes in blue
_The best approach that I can think of is to show you what BSF have written in the distributed lesson notes, because these
are self-explanatory:
Isaiah Bible-Study (Lesson 28, Pg 4, ref Isaiah 60 ‘the Glory of Zion’):
“ Isaiah 60:12 is crucial to this chapter; “the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly ruined.” The “you” here is Israel. Their attitude toward the people of God would determine how they stood with God “
The “you” here is most certainly Christ and NOT Israel. God’s Word appears to have been hijacked, replacing Christ for Israel. Here in chapter 60, Isaiah was prophesying the coming promised Messiah Jesus Christ, the light of the world (John 8:12). Note BSF’s comment that our attitude toward Israel determines our standing with God. This is obviously contrary to what Jesus taught. It is our attitude towards our Lord Jesus (not Israel) that should determine how we stand with God.
Genesis Bible-Study (Lesson 12, Pg 3, ref Gen 12:3 ‘blessings and curse’ :
“ God promised that Abraham should be so identified with Him that for anyone to be kind, good, or generous to Abraham would be considered as being kind, good, or generous toward God …. When God blesses us, He also blesses those who belong to us because He considers us His own – a part of Himself … that actually to curse Abraham deliberately is almost the equivalent of cursing God. Throughout history, this prophecy has continued even in regard to Abraham’s seed, the Jewish nation. “
Abraham was not God, and the tying of Abraham and (as BSF interprets it) his “seed” the Jewish nation, to the equivalent of God, is a blasphemous idea. Further along in Gen 22, God's repeated call to Abraham included the word "offspring" or "seed" (depending on translation):
and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed Gen 22:18
The term ‘nations’ refer to the peoples whom God had not yet made himself known to, will be blessed through the peoples whom God had made himself known (Abraham and his descendants). Note carefully that the above verse refers to a certain single offspring (or seed) that will be the means by which God will fulfill His plan. This is explained by the writer of Acts 3 with:
And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, “Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.” When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways. Acts 3:25-26
These verses from Acts 3 affirm that the ‘offspring’ will first be sent to the people God initially revealed himself to (to turn them from their wicked ways), and this offspring will be the promised blessing to all the peoples on earth. The offspring is Christ and the blessing is God’s salvation plan through Christ:
The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say ‘and to seeds’, meaning many people, but ‘and to your seed’, meaning one person, who is Christ. Gal 3:16
BTW, ‘nations’ interpreted from the original refer to those whom God had not yet revealed Himself to, i.e., ‘Gentiles’.
Here is another verse that affirms this:
Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’ Gal 3:8
Now, "Abraham's seed" is also used to refer to all who come to Christ in faith:
If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise Gal 3:29
Therefore, all true Christians today are “Abraham’s seed” certainly NOT the “Jewish nation” as BSF stated. This grossly distorted interpretation comes straight from the Scofield notes and is widely used by Christian Zionist organizations to promote their cause to support the modern day nation of Israel. Christians, stay away from this unsavory agenda!
On blessings and curses:
The book of Amos makes it explicitly clear that it was God Himself who severely punished Israel for unrepentant sin. Even within the Isaiah study, the BSF class member would have noted that the prophet Isaiah had also warned Israel of impending judgement from God. This of course went unheeded as we read from scripture. Their punishment came in the form of the Assyrian and the Babylonian conquests.
For the LORD God Almighty declares,
“I will stir up a nation against you, O house of Israel,
that will oppress you all the way
from Lebo Hamath to the valley of the Arabah.” Amos 6:14
The above is just one verse from the book of Amos, but the entire book is a “must read” for anyone who still harbors the wrong understanding. “Throughout history” (to borrow BSF’s use of the term) of the ancient Israelites, God had used the evil nations (whom He later also punished for their own evil) to inflict judgement upon Israel. Evil does not escape God’s judgement. There are no favorites with God. He is fair and just. We should also recall the story of pharaoh of Egypt and how God used him against Israel (Exodus).
One of the best ways to illustrate this is to use the Hebrew narrative of Joshua 5:13-15 which teaches us that God is not on anybody’s side, ours or those we consider our enemies (He is just and fair). We need to be on God’s side by being righteous before Him.
BSF’s message on the other hand is, to paraphrase, “remember what happened to those nations that tried to do evil to Israel in the past” Clearly a very different kind of message from what we find from the Bible.
Matthew Bible-Study (Lesson 28, Pg 5, ref Matt 25:31-46 ‘sheep and goats’):
“ As proof of the regenerated character of these persons who Jesus knows as His “sheep”, Jesus enumerates their deeds of kindness done to “these brothers of mine” which he treats as though such deeds were done to Him personally. …. Whereas the blessing is prepared for the sheep, everlasting fire is prepared only for the devil and his angels … These go to the place of punishment only because they have refused God’s grace. This refusal is seen in their attitude to Christ’s brothers, who are His representatives on earth while He is in heaven. Sins of omission, not open antagonism, of the “goats” indicate their true attitude to Jesus Himself. “
In the above, Bible Study Fellowship appear to state that a person who does not serve Israel (the remnant Jews “these brothers” of Jesus) will be condemned to the “everlasting fire” (originally intended for the devil and his angels but now also the “place of punishment” for the “goats”) because this is equivalent to rejecting the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. BSF goes on to say that any apathy towards these “brothers of Christ” will be counted just as bad as open antagonism towards them! Another Christian Zionist propaganda to stay away from.
Note that BSF also declares that Jews are God's representatives on earth while He is in heaven! - another absurd and blasphemous idea.
This apparent gross distortion of the Matthew 25 message will come as a shock to all who regard themselves as true followers of Christ. The Christian Zionist contamination here is so utterly blatant, so plainly obvious, so plainly un-Christian in character and in spirit, that one surely must question if BSF is truly motivated by the love of Christ, or have they become an agent of un-Godly schemers who would not think twice about distorting the very Word of Christ. I will leave this to the reader to decide.
The truth of this Matthew passage is quite different from BSF's interpretation. In this scene, and consistent with most Bible commentators, Jesus was really referring to the outcasts, the ‘down-and-out’, the marginalized of society, the disenfranchised, the suffering, hungry, the oppressed, the weak, the poor, and so forth. There are more than a few examples in the NT that showed Jesus to be deeply compassionate towards this aspect of humanity. He never once checked beforehand to see if they were Jews or Samaritans/Gentile, believer or unbeliever, poor or rich.
There are other Christian Zionist comments or discussion questions in the various BSF class notes at various times to various degrees. An example of such a discussion question is found in the Isaiah Bible study:
Lesson 27, Question 6: “ What offering would you joyfully bring from your nation to contribute to the glory of Zion and to honor the Lord? “
False teachings and brainwashing like these have serious consequences. You will see from some of the following verses that if we let our minds be poisoned by these false messages, it can lead us astray, away from God. These false messages that I have pointed out can lead a person to blindly support injustice, evil, racism, and the oppression of the many thousands of people (including Christians) who live in the Palestine region now occupied by Israel. These kinds of wrong teachings can also give rise to a dangerous false hope of the future that awaits.
We need to open our eyes to the injustice that we see in our midst. We must never allow our hearts to become so hardened that we feel nothing when we see innocents die and people wailing for their loved ones killed in the rubble of their homes. People of other religions grieve over their loved ones just like we would. They have hopes and aspirations like we all do. They do not care about politics too, but they certainly are caught up in it. THIS would be the kind of apathy of the hardened-hearted self-professing Christians that Jesus was really referring to in Matthew 25:41-46.
Remember how Jesus replied those hard-hearted Jews (when they arrogantly retorted Jesus reminding Jesus that their father was Abraham): “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire.” John 8:44
Now look at what the following verses are saying to us in contrast with what BSF is teaching:
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Matthew 5:9
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:7-8
If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. 1 John 4:20-21
“Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt. Exodus 22:21
When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. Leviticus 19:33
The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God. Leviticus 19:34
Do not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother Deuteronomy 23:7
Please also read Genesis 21:17-18 - the tender mercies and the promise God made to Hagar the slave woman (yes, God’s blessings of the Messiah extends to all people).
He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:43-45
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 7:21
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. Matthew 7:24
If you want to enter life, obey the commandments Matthew 19:17b
Isaiah Bible-Study (Lesson 28, Pg 4, ref Isaiah 60 ‘the Glory of Zion’):
“ Isaiah 60:12 is crucial to this chapter; “the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly ruined.” The “you” here is Israel. Their attitude toward the people of God would determine how they stood with God “
The “you” here is most certainly Christ and NOT Israel. God’s Word appears to have been hijacked, replacing Christ for Israel. Here in chapter 60, Isaiah was prophesying the coming promised Messiah Jesus Christ, the light of the world (John 8:12). Note BSF’s comment that our attitude toward Israel determines our standing with God. This is obviously contrary to what Jesus taught. It is our attitude towards our Lord Jesus (not Israel) that should determine how we stand with God.
Genesis Bible-Study (Lesson 12, Pg 3, ref Gen 12:3 ‘blessings and curse’ :
“ God promised that Abraham should be so identified with Him that for anyone to be kind, good, or generous to Abraham would be considered as being kind, good, or generous toward God …. When God blesses us, He also blesses those who belong to us because He considers us His own – a part of Himself … that actually to curse Abraham deliberately is almost the equivalent of cursing God. Throughout history, this prophecy has continued even in regard to Abraham’s seed, the Jewish nation. “
Abraham was not God, and the tying of Abraham and (as BSF interprets it) his “seed” the Jewish nation, to the equivalent of God, is a blasphemous idea. Further along in Gen 22, God's repeated call to Abraham included the word "offspring" or "seed" (depending on translation):
and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed Gen 22:18
The term ‘nations’ refer to the peoples whom God had not yet made himself known to, will be blessed through the peoples whom God had made himself known (Abraham and his descendants). Note carefully that the above verse refers to a certain single offspring (or seed) that will be the means by which God will fulfill His plan. This is explained by the writer of Acts 3 with:
And you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers. He said to Abraham, “Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.” When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways. Acts 3:25-26
These verses from Acts 3 affirm that the ‘offspring’ will first be sent to the people God initially revealed himself to (to turn them from their wicked ways), and this offspring will be the promised blessing to all the peoples on earth. The offspring is Christ and the blessing is God’s salvation plan through Christ:
The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say ‘and to seeds’, meaning many people, but ‘and to your seed’, meaning one person, who is Christ. Gal 3:16
BTW, ‘nations’ interpreted from the original refer to those whom God had not yet revealed Himself to, i.e., ‘Gentiles’.
Here is another verse that affirms this:
Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: ‘All nations will be blessed through you.’ Gal 3:8
Now, "Abraham's seed" is also used to refer to all who come to Christ in faith:
If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise Gal 3:29
Therefore, all true Christians today are “Abraham’s seed” certainly NOT the “Jewish nation” as BSF stated. This grossly distorted interpretation comes straight from the Scofield notes and is widely used by Christian Zionist organizations to promote their cause to support the modern day nation of Israel. Christians, stay away from this unsavory agenda!
On blessings and curses:
The book of Amos makes it explicitly clear that it was God Himself who severely punished Israel for unrepentant sin. Even within the Isaiah study, the BSF class member would have noted that the prophet Isaiah had also warned Israel of impending judgement from God. This of course went unheeded as we read from scripture. Their punishment came in the form of the Assyrian and the Babylonian conquests.
For the LORD God Almighty declares,
“I will stir up a nation against you, O house of Israel,
that will oppress you all the way
from Lebo Hamath to the valley of the Arabah.” Amos 6:14
The above is just one verse from the book of Amos, but the entire book is a “must read” for anyone who still harbors the wrong understanding. “Throughout history” (to borrow BSF’s use of the term) of the ancient Israelites, God had used the evil nations (whom He later also punished for their own evil) to inflict judgement upon Israel. Evil does not escape God’s judgement. There are no favorites with God. He is fair and just. We should also recall the story of pharaoh of Egypt and how God used him against Israel (Exodus).
One of the best ways to illustrate this is to use the Hebrew narrative of Joshua 5:13-15 which teaches us that God is not on anybody’s side, ours or those we consider our enemies (He is just and fair). We need to be on God’s side by being righteous before Him.
BSF’s message on the other hand is, to paraphrase, “remember what happened to those nations that tried to do evil to Israel in the past” Clearly a very different kind of message from what we find from the Bible.
Matthew Bible-Study (Lesson 28, Pg 5, ref Matt 25:31-46 ‘sheep and goats’):
“ As proof of the regenerated character of these persons who Jesus knows as His “sheep”, Jesus enumerates their deeds of kindness done to “these brothers of mine” which he treats as though such deeds were done to Him personally. …. Whereas the blessing is prepared for the sheep, everlasting fire is prepared only for the devil and his angels … These go to the place of punishment only because they have refused God’s grace. This refusal is seen in their attitude to Christ’s brothers, who are His representatives on earth while He is in heaven. Sins of omission, not open antagonism, of the “goats” indicate their true attitude to Jesus Himself. “
In the above, Bible Study Fellowship appear to state that a person who does not serve Israel (the remnant Jews “these brothers” of Jesus) will be condemned to the “everlasting fire” (originally intended for the devil and his angels but now also the “place of punishment” for the “goats”) because this is equivalent to rejecting the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. BSF goes on to say that any apathy towards these “brothers of Christ” will be counted just as bad as open antagonism towards them! Another Christian Zionist propaganda to stay away from.
Note that BSF also declares that Jews are God's representatives on earth while He is in heaven! - another absurd and blasphemous idea.
This apparent gross distortion of the Matthew 25 message will come as a shock to all who regard themselves as true followers of Christ. The Christian Zionist contamination here is so utterly blatant, so plainly obvious, so plainly un-Christian in character and in spirit, that one surely must question if BSF is truly motivated by the love of Christ, or have they become an agent of un-Godly schemers who would not think twice about distorting the very Word of Christ. I will leave this to the reader to decide.
The truth of this Matthew passage is quite different from BSF's interpretation. In this scene, and consistent with most Bible commentators, Jesus was really referring to the outcasts, the ‘down-and-out’, the marginalized of society, the disenfranchised, the suffering, hungry, the oppressed, the weak, the poor, and so forth. There are more than a few examples in the NT that showed Jesus to be deeply compassionate towards this aspect of humanity. He never once checked beforehand to see if they were Jews or Samaritans/Gentile, believer or unbeliever, poor or rich.
There are other Christian Zionist comments or discussion questions in the various BSF class notes at various times to various degrees. An example of such a discussion question is found in the Isaiah Bible study:
Lesson 27, Question 6: “ What offering would you joyfully bring from your nation to contribute to the glory of Zion and to honor the Lord? “
False teachings and brainwashing like these have serious consequences. You will see from some of the following verses that if we let our minds be poisoned by these false messages, it can lead us astray, away from God. These false messages that I have pointed out can lead a person to blindly support injustice, evil, racism, and the oppression of the many thousands of people (including Christians) who live in the Palestine region now occupied by Israel. These kinds of wrong teachings can also give rise to a dangerous false hope of the future that awaits.
We need to open our eyes to the injustice that we see in our midst. We must never allow our hearts to become so hardened that we feel nothing when we see innocents die and people wailing for their loved ones killed in the rubble of their homes. People of other religions grieve over their loved ones just like we would. They have hopes and aspirations like we all do. They do not care about politics too, but they certainly are caught up in it. THIS would be the kind of apathy of the hardened-hearted self-professing Christians that Jesus was really referring to in Matthew 25:41-46.
Remember how Jesus replied those hard-hearted Jews (when they arrogantly retorted Jesus reminding Jesus that their father was Abraham): “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire.” John 8:44
Now look at what the following verses are saying to us in contrast with what BSF is teaching:
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Matthew 5:9
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:7-8
If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. 1 John 4:20-21
“Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt. Exodus 22:21
When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. Leviticus 19:33
The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God. Leviticus 19:34
Do not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother Deuteronomy 23:7
Please also read Genesis 21:17-18 - the tender mercies and the promise God made to Hagar the slave woman (yes, God’s blessings of the Messiah extends to all people).
He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:43-45
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 7:21
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. Matthew 7:24
If you want to enter life, obey the commandments Matthew 19:17b
Other Comments:
It would appear from the above that the present BSF executive director, leaders, and generally their board of directors, adopt a variant version of the false theological system called 'premillennial dispensationalism'. Through the years, it may be that BSF has evolved in its belief system depending on the personalities on board at the time. In any case, dispensationalism as a whole is in decline after many years of evolution and morphing around various themes. A diligent student of the Bible guided by the Holy Spirit, will easily and quickly become uncomfortable with the promotion of God who shows racial bias, who has two different standards for two different people, one who predetermines the eternal fate of one person over another, and who assigns a superior status to one group over all the others. A true Christian who knows the master's voice will know that these are very destructive, un-Christian heresies.
People who buy into this heresy inevitably end up supporting (knowingly or unwittingly) Christian Zionism. If you are unfamiliar with Christian Zionism, the internet is your resource and you will do well to research this. As you (and I hope that you will) dig a little deeper into this subject, focus on Christian Zionism and the Jewish lobby in America, and how it affects US foreign policy towards Israel and the middle-east in general. See for yourself how a false 'Christian' belief can so dramatically end up supporting racism, cruelty, oppression, and injustice. This is not the work of Christ. It is un-Christian through and through. What BSF teaches matters!
Other Areas of Concern with the Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) Practices or Teaching:
Here are a few brief comments on other areas of concern. I will not provide examples here as this is not the focus of my review. Existing class members should watch out for these, for themselves.
People who buy into this heresy inevitably end up supporting (knowingly or unwittingly) Christian Zionism. If you are unfamiliar with Christian Zionism, the internet is your resource and you will do well to research this. As you (and I hope that you will) dig a little deeper into this subject, focus on Christian Zionism and the Jewish lobby in America, and how it affects US foreign policy towards Israel and the middle-east in general. See for yourself how a false 'Christian' belief can so dramatically end up supporting racism, cruelty, oppression, and injustice. This is not the work of Christ. It is un-Christian through and through. What BSF teaches matters!
Other Areas of Concern with the Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) Practices or Teaching:
Here are a few brief comments on other areas of concern. I will not provide examples here as this is not the focus of my review. Existing class members should watch out for these, for themselves.
- Over
a thousand lectures are taught each week by mostly unqualified
‘Teaching Leaders’. Most if not all BSF TLs are lay Christians with
no theological training. Many have inadequate Bible knowledge. BSF recognizes this, but even though guides are provided, the TL inevitably
often inject their own unscriptural ideas to the message. The message is therefore not
consistently delivered.
- BSF
questions are discussed before lecture. Often these degenerate into
controversial arguments, and depending on the dynamics of the
individual groups, class members walk off with an assortment of
‘answers’. BSF formal lesson notes often do not provide a clue as what
the proper responses might be. Class members very often walk off
with very different “learning points” right or wrong.
- BSF
formal class notes are impressive at first glance. This is due to
the volume of information that is provided as lesson notes. When
examined by a more informed person, it becomes obvious that very often,
the ideas introduced are simply foreign to the Bible text. The clue to this
is when BSF uses terms like “it could be that”, “it is likely”,
“most probably”, it might be” and so forth. At times, the amount of
manufactured information creatively written fills an entire
section of notes. BSF even draws creative ‘life applications’ out of
their own created Biblical scenarios. Sadly, this is one of the
reasons why the study is popular with young and impressionable
Christians who do not know any better.
- BSF discussion questions are often leading questions. It is almost as if BSF have a predetermined response it expects and the questions designed to produce them. Bible study questions should instaed be designed to allow students to discover for themselves the full richness of the Word of God. Likewise, corresponding class notes appear to be very selective in including supporting verses while excluding other important passages that do not support the ideas BSF have in mind. These Bible study methods are very disturbing. As an example in the Genesis study, BSF conveniently leaves out the crucial information found in chapter 17 whereby God commanded that everyone in Abraham’s household be circumcised as a sign of His covenant with them. This included foreigners and slaves. BSF also left out the crucial information that both Abraham and Ishmael were circumcised on the same day. The implication is huge. The implication is that everyone without exception is included in the family of God whenever they become acquainted with the one true God and accepts Him in their lives. This has always been the case even from day one. Of course this fact runs contrary to what BSF teaches.