In case you were wondering, I'm on Facebook.
Yippee!
It is kind of nice to "reconnect" with some people. At least to find out what became of them.
I was going through my "friends" list recently and noticed something disturbing.
Looking at my "friends" from grade school and high school got me kind of depressed. No, not because they portray themselves as having a great job and a great life. (Believe me, there are other things that depress me more.) It's that part where one can list their "religious views."
Let me backtrack here.
I am what can be affectionately called a "system kid." I attended an LCMS grade school, I attended an LCMS high school, I attended an LCMS college and I attended an LCMS seminary. Through all of that, I am still a member of the LCMS. (Sadly, no award exists for those of us who have accomplish such a feat.)
It was looking at those "religious views" that got me depressed.
Reading over and over again the "religious views" of people that I had gone to grade school or high school with and seeing the views posted: "Methodist", "I believe there is a God,", "non-denominational", blah, blah, blah.
This was painful to read. I grew up with these people. I went to church with them. I knew their parents and, in some cases, their grandparents. I know that a majority of those that I went to high school with also went to an LCMS grade school. What the hell happened?
Who does this reflect poorly on? Do you blame the churches? Do you blame the schools? Do you blame the parents? Do you blame the pastors? Do you blame the teachers? Is it some of the above? All of the above? I don't know.
What I do know is that it looks like almost a whole generation just disappeared. Gone.
I wonder if the parents who sacrificed (I know my parents did) so their children could get an education at a Lutheran school wasted their money? Maybe they would have been better off sending their children to public schools and treating themselves to a better car or vacation.
What happened? Why was there a disconnect?
How, why, did this faith not get passed on to my generation?
Is there any way to get them back?
Not likely, I think.
Is this still happening today?
What can be done to prevent this?
Does something need to change?
Here's my challenge to you:
If you are on Facebook, and you graduated from an LCMS grade school and/or high school, check out your friend's "religious views" and see where they are today. (If you went to an LCMS college, I guess you can play as well.)
Let me know what you find.
Lutheran education, at all levels, and especially "higher" education, has a great potential, a great opportunity. Namely, it can make, nourish, and strengthen Lutherans, and help increase the chances that they will stay that way. And clearly it has failed. It doesn't take much to see that. Well, it takes being a Confessional Lutheran, and looking objectively at what is happening, and not happening on those campuses. I would go so far as to say that the Concordia system is even partly responsible for the way some pastors turn out, since college is their true formative time.
ReplyDeleteWell I must say that the two of you seem to be big on blaming LCMS and the 'Concordias' for how its graduates turn out. I'm curious to know why the author of this blog feels he should have received an "award" when he completed the seminary? Did you ever receive a 'Call' through the LCMS or are you just into blaming the system? I graduated from a Concordia University and the last time I checked, people needed to be responsible for their own actions and not simply blame it on everyone else. Where in the world did you get the idea that the Concordia system is partly responsible for the way some pastors turn out? What exactly are you referring to and would you mind elaborating on that a bit? How has LCMS 'higher education' failed Lutherans or just students in general? I am really interested to hear what all of you have to say about this.
ReplyDeletePam - A few things here.
ReplyDeleteFirst - Sarcasm -sar·casm [sahr-kaz-uhm] –noun
1. harsh or bitter derision or irony.
2. a sharply ironical taunt; sneering or cutting remark: a review full of sarcasms.
Apparently that was something that was not taught at the Concordia University you attended.
Second: unctuous unc·tu·ous[uhngk-choo-uhs] –adjective
1. characterized by excessive piousness or moralistic fervor, esp. in an affected manner; excessively smooth, suave, or smug.
This apparently was what you were taught at the Concordia University you attended. (If I was a betting man, I'd say you were a Seward grad. The guys I went to sem with that graduated from Concordia Seward, they were like the walking definition of that term.)
Third: The "award" in question here was not for graduating from seminary (although, some might argue otherwise), but for being part of an ever-growing minority of individuals who went through the entire educational system of the LCMS (grade school, high school, college, seminary).
Here's a question- Are not a majority of the teachers at LCMS grade schools and high schools graduates of a Concordia?
Answer - Uh, yeah.
These were the same classmates at my particular Concordia University who as quickly as possible would sell back their copy of the Book of Concord at the end of the quarter. Yes, any theology books that they had to purchase for classes, they sold them back at the end of the quarter. Maybe you like the idea of future teachers basically selling out their faith (the Lutheran Confession), but it made me sick. It made me sick knowing that these individuals who were going to be entrusted with the spiritual formation of future generations didn't think the Lutheran Confessions weren't that important to keep.
I guess you're right Pam, the 'Concordias' are to blame for this.
If you don't blame the LCMS or the CUS, who do you blame for the problems we have?
Your statement, "Where in the world did you get the idea that the Concordia system is partly responsible for the way some pastors turn out?" I find interesting. I think you have more of an issue with Mr. Gaba, which you should take up with him. Mr. Gaba and I are two different individuals, and the post and the comment from two different people. Please make the appropriate distinction when commenting. (Although, I will say that the Concordia University System does bear some of the blame for some of the pastors that have gone through there. Are you sure you went to a Concordia? The one I went to had quite a few "questionable" things done in the name of Lutheranism. I find it hard to believe your Concordia did not.)