Teaching or Preaching - I feel your pain Pastor!
Last week I missed Faith Baptist Pastor Carl Partain's weeping and gnashing. His letter to the editor titled "Preaching being replaced by entertainment" started me wondering if perhaps young people might care for hearing about God as much as they do Geography. Or Government! Or History!
Now I hardly think we need more of the Gospel that I imagine is presented via Faith Baptist in Roanoke. I'd personally like to see and experience more of the "Social Gospel" all over our county and beyond. I think we've got more than enough of Faith's fundamentalism around here yet perhaps not. I am OK with whatever anybody wants to believe. "Whatever gets you through the night!" has always been my idea on other people's religion. But Brother Partain is certainly on to a huge concern for all of us with the idea that our society is very "artificial" and of "this world".
Returning to the Pastor, he writes,
I figure that learning about the Gospel (or Government or Geography or ...!) begins at home and can be also influenced by society. Dropping standards? You can't imagine! We've got a real mess Pastor. You are worried about their souls but I'm worried about their/our survival and ideally their/our success. I expect it is hard to put the fun in fundamentalism especially.
I'd also suggest that most of these children have not grown up with the foundational truths of all major religions. They've however likely been saturated with a culture full of filth and materialism and anti-intellectualism and short term satiation and ... Many of their parents have had to work long hard hours to keep the bills paid in an increasingly tough harsh economy that seems to mostly work for the upper class. I also know this generation has been extraordinarily entertained. Many are spoiled and some have been let down by their parents in the most foundational ways. From drugs to sex abuse to latch-key kids to ... I've seen it Sir! And I feel your pain!
Working on the adults might be the place to start yet we can't forget about the kids of today. I also believe in solid research that suggests what actually occurs via the classroom teacher yields only about 10% of actual learning. Accordingly, it might not be "our fault" that our efforts go unrewarded much of the time. Good luck to you/us Pastor! We are all going to need it!
Peace ... or War!
Now I hardly think we need more of the Gospel that I imagine is presented via Faith Baptist in Roanoke. I'd personally like to see and experience more of the "Social Gospel" all over our county and beyond. I think we've got more than enough of Faith's fundamentalism around here yet perhaps not. I am OK with whatever anybody wants to believe. "Whatever gets you through the night!" has always been my idea on other people's religion. But Brother Partain is certainly on to a huge concern for all of us with the idea that our society is very "artificial" and of "this world".
Returning to the Pastor, he writes,
We try to do everything in our power to figure our why our kids are not interested in church. It is because our churches have dropped their standards to cater to a dying society. Parents have lost their burden and zeal for the things of God, so why wouldn't their children?
I figure that learning about the Gospel (or Government or Geography or ...!) begins at home and can be also influenced by society. Dropping standards? You can't imagine! We've got a real mess Pastor. You are worried about their souls but I'm worried about their/our survival and ideally their/our success. I expect it is hard to put the fun in fundamentalism especially.
I'd also suggest that most of these children have not grown up with the foundational truths of all major religions. They've however likely been saturated with a culture full of filth and materialism and anti-intellectualism and short term satiation and ... Many of their parents have had to work long hard hours to keep the bills paid in an increasingly tough harsh economy that seems to mostly work for the upper class. I also know this generation has been extraordinarily entertained. Many are spoiled and some have been let down by their parents in the most foundational ways. From drugs to sex abuse to latch-key kids to ... I've seen it Sir! And I feel your pain!
Working on the adults might be the place to start yet we can't forget about the kids of today. I also believe in solid research that suggests what actually occurs via the classroom teacher yields only about 10% of actual learning. Accordingly, it might not be "our fault" that our efforts go unrewarded much of the time. Good luck to you/us Pastor! We are all going to need it!
Peace ... or War!
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