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Somebody forgot to tell the kids in Lindy O'Brien's fourth-grade class that studying the Bible is supposed to be boring. When the Christian schoolteacher announces that it's time to review God's Word, 20 of her 23 students can't contain themselves, letting out whoops of glee usually reserved for recess or lunch.

That is because O'Brien uses an unconventional teaching method called HoneyWord, which uses cartoon characters and household objects to drive home complex theological concepts.

Instead of telling her kids to turn to a chapter and verse, O'Brien holds up a cartoon showing a monkey falling from a broken gymnasium exercise ring. Meanwhile, a frantic mouse attempts to catch the monkey in a bathtub. The cartoon looks baffling and even a bit silly to uninitiated adults, but for these MTV-generation kids, it's a flash card from heaven, conveying a treasure trove of biblical information and moral instruction.

"This is from Matthew 19 and Mark 10," says one student, analyzing the cartoon's happy hieroglyphics in less than two seconds. (In the HoneyWord Way, monkeys always point to Mark, and mice mean Matthew. The monkey's prominent feet and the mouse's bathtub signify chapter numbers.)

But the teaching system does more than provide handles for memorization of Bible trivia. It also helps youngsters home in on what the Bible says. Focusing on the broken exercise ring, one girl gets the jump on her classmates by calling out, "Jesus is teaching about divorce." And sure enough, as O'Brien draws her students out with questions about the cartoon, the kids recite the high points of Jesus' lesson: the importance of honoring commitments, the reality of human unfaithfulness, and the unchanging faithfulness of God.

"God will never break his love for us," says one young scholar, beaming with joy and accomplishment. The kids want to continue talking about the monkey, divorce, and God's love. One young man is particularly interested in exploring Jesus' approach to the Pharisees. But O'Brien changes gears and grabs her box of Bible goodies.

Dividing the class into a boys' team and a girls' team, she holds up a series of items. The room erupts into cheers and howls as students try to outdo each other in their recall of biblical principles.

O'Brien holds up a picture of a bunch of grapes. First one, then two-dozen students yell out: "The time is ripe to believe in Jesus."

And then a Band-Aid: "I can go to heaven because Christ died for me."

A ruler: "I will let Jesus rule my riches."

A ladder: "Serving others is the highest good I can do."

A balloon: "I will celebrate Jesus in my life."

A dime: "I will give a tenth to God."

The kids could go on like this for much longer. But now it is time for science. As O'Brien puts away her goodies and tells the kids to open up their science books, a groan rises in the room. But O'Brien hardly notices. Kids seem excited about studying the Bible at Colorado Springs Christian School, one of hundreds of schools and churches that have adopted the HoneyWord system for their Bible curriculum.

Emmett Cooper is a man who cannot get enough honey. He eats it on his cereal, drinks it in tea and coffee, pours it over ice cream, and ingests it in nutritional supplements.

Cooper is also deeply concerned about the state of Bible instruction in churches and schools. He is convinced that many fill-in-the-blank-type lessons turn children away from the Bible, turning young hearts and minds from a source of knowledge and wisdom David described as "sweeter than honey to my mouth."

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April 29 1996, Vol. 40, No. 5