Bible Quiz Tournaments: WBQA Finals

Here is the letter read at the banquet! Special thanks to Amy Cook!

June 2006

Amy, a quizzer from Iowa and from the team Without Weakening, To the quiz teams scattered among World, Greetings.

Consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face quizzes of many kinds because you know that the testing of your memory develops olympic points. Olympic points must be added up so that you may sleep in Saturday morning, not lacking any rest. Your scores are being reported all over World.

Now you, if you call yourself a quizzer, if you rely on your studying and brag about your relationship to the coach, if you know his will and approve of your strategy because you are instructed by the coach; if you are convinced that you are a guide for your teammates because you have in your minds the embodiment of Romans and James; you then who quiz others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against errors, do you error? You who say that people should not jump too quickly, do you jump too quickly? You who brag about your strategy, do you disappoint your team by breaking the strategy? But you, who are you to judge someone else's answer? To the quizmaster he stands or falls. We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect quizzer. As it is written, "So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you defend."

But if our errors bring out the quizmasters' authority more clearly, what shall we say? That the quizmaster is unjust in bringing his wrath on us? (I am using a human argument.) Certainly not! If that were so, how could quizmasters judge at World? Captains might argue, "If my answers enhance Detroit's scores, why am I still jumping?" It has always been my ambition not to jump at the point where the answer is not known so that I would not be building up someone else's score. But quizmasters hold no terror for those who are right, but for those who are wrong. Do you want to be free form fear of the one in authority? Than answer what is right and he will commend you. But if you are wrong, be afraid. For he does not call errors for nothing. Watch the quizmasters carefully - the shape of letters is on their lips. Blessed is the quizzer whose fouls the quizmaster will never count against him.

My dear friends, take note of this: everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to jump, for quizzers' errors do not bring about the perfect quiz-out the coach desires. I do not understand what I do. For when I want to jump, I do not jump, but when I jump I error. And if I jump where I do not want, I agree that our strategy was good. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. The jumps I do not want to make, these I keep on doing. Just as it is written, "Quiz-outs I loved, but errors I hated."

Therefore, I urge you quizzers to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me. Pray that I may be rescued from Trinity Baptist. Indeed, I would not have known want stress was except through quizzing Trinity! And, is it not Berrien who is exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into contests? I also urge you to watch out for Maine who puts obstacles in your way that are contrary to the strategy you had planned. Keep away from them!

If anyone considers himself a perfect quoter and yet does not keep a tight reign on his tongue, he may say too much and his answer is worthless. But if one of you should wander from the text and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a quizzer from the error of his quoting will save him from sitting out and cover over a multitude of disappointment.

I commend to you my sister Elizabeth, a servant of the league in Cedar Rapids. I ask you to receive her in a way worthy of the quizmasters and to give her any help she may need from you for she has been a great help to many people including me.

Greet Carissa Hodson who worked very hard for you.

Greet my dear friend Hannah Roberts, another quizzer who has worked very hard on my team.

Greet Chris Frey and Gary Goetz. They are outstanding among the quizmasters and they were in quizzing before I was.

Greet Edward Talmage and his coach, who has been a mother to me too. And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber because the end is nearer now than when we first began. The tournament is nearly over and my retirement is almost here. So from Iowa all the way around to Cedarville, I have fully crammed Romans and James. I have asked myself what advantage, then, is there in being a quizzer, or what value is there in memorization. Much in every way! First of all, we have been entrusted with the very words of God.

I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you.

The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

Amy Cook

P.S. But now that there is no more place for me to quiz in these tournaments, and since I have been longing for many years to quizmaster, I plan to do so next year. But take note of this - quiz in Acts as those who are going to be judged by a former quizzer, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful!