There’s a new television program designed to make you feel dumber than you already felt. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, the show is hosted by Jeff Foxworthy, who has made a living by describing how dumb he is – and he’s the one making fun of the contestants!
The show is called “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” and the premise is to show otherwise functional adults that they are, indeed, as dumb as rocks – or at least not as smart as 11-year-olds.
Of course, all is not as it seems. There’s a panel of bright-eyed fifth grade students on hand to “help” the poor adults answer these elementary-level questions. Those “bright” kids are actually child actors who have been given “worksheets” to study prior to the show. As a result, they occasionally miss an answer, but not often.
And as for those grade-school questions . . . Here’s a sample Second Grade Earth Science question: “True or False, All snowflakes are ten-sided geometric figures.” Sorry, but most second graders I know would be stumped at that “geometric figure” part. (I’m not completely sure myself.)
And here’s a Fourth Grade Math Question: “The supplementary angle of a 40-degree angle has how many degrees?” I have a Ph.D. from a major university and I still have no idea what the answer is to that one. I’m pretty sure I was absent that day.
Apparently watching grown-ups make fools of themselves is quite popular, since the show has been a success. Which makes me wonder if we couldn’t adapt it to the church setting – sort of “Are you smarter than a Sunday School teacher?” Maybe you can check your knowledge level:
1st grade: Where did Jesus perform His first miracle?
2nd grade: To what did Naomi change her name after she was widowed?
3rd grade: Which Bible character had surgery performed on him as he slept?
4th grade: What soldier criticized David for coming to the battlefield?
5th grade: What color was the cloth draped over the Ark of the Covenant?
So, preacher, are you smarter than a Sunday School teacher?
(If you’ve got the answers, send them to feedback@preaching.com. We’ll select five names from correct submissions and send a free book. Be sure to include your name, church, mailing address, and email address. The correct answers will be in next month’s issue – if you can wait!)
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Michael Duduit is Editor of Preaching magazine. You can write to him at michael@preaching.com, or visit his website at www.michaelduduit.com.