Origins of Bible Quizzing and WBQA

Bible Quizzing began in Youth for Christ in the late 1940's. Jack Hamilton was a successful businessman in Kansas City in the early post-World War II days. God began working in his mind and life and led Jack to begin high school Bible clubs. Beginning first in Kansas City and later in other metropolitan areas across the country, Jack pioneered and developed the concept of "Youth for Christ Bible Club." The YFC club was a rallying point for individual Christians on a high school campus. It provided them with a means of carrying the gospel to their unsaved friends.

Shortly thereafter Bible Quizzing was born. Jack felt that there was a need for an activity that would involve Christian teenagers in a serious study of the Word of God. A competitive framework that involved questions and answers, the Word of God, and teenagers seemed to meet this need. Starting in Kansas City, Bible Quizzing spread in several years to Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, and other parts of the nation.

Since then, a large number of denominations and organizations have developed their own programs. WBQA was formed in 1972 through the efforts of Dr. Duane Cuthbertson. The ministry's purpose was to provide a common format for the various Bible Quizzing organizations. The current quiz material cycle was established in the early 1980's and has enabled the majority of churches, schools and ministry organizations to coordinate their programs. Since 1974, many of these teams have attended WBQA finals to fellowship and experience the best competition from a variety of backgrounds.

Please send additional information on this topic to Rick Morgan