I decided to take on the six megathemes of this year as listed by the Barna Group. The second is "Christians are becoming more ingrown and less outreach-oriented."
Yup, color me guilty.
Here's just one little thought before I deal with myself. Considering how many churches now focus on a "seeker-sensitive" service, you would think that more people would make the effort to invite others to church. I would think it would defeat the purpose of being "seeker-sensitive" if the members don't bring any "seekers" to whom the church should be "sensitive." Just saying.
I know that as a home educating parent, I often paint myself as I did when I attended a Christian high school. It seems that we're in a "Christian bubble." We are surrounded by mostly fellow believers. Church. Co-op. Gymnastics. Etc. It's very easy to become "ingrown."
Don't get me wrong, we get "socialized" alright, but unless I make the effort to think about it, it all gets very academic. Let's "git 'er done."
Maybe it's only because of my personality type. This "type-A" or choleric person that I am wants to get things done. Thankfully, I'm enough of a sanguine to also want to have fun doing it, but I do have a tendency to put things and the order of things before people. I've been working on this problem for fourt...well, let's just say a long time.
But this tendency makes me get the ballet class done and leave. Go to the museum and see what pertains to our lesson and leave. Wait for my daughter in gymnastics and leave. I admit that making an effort to reach out to those around me is not usually my first instinct or action. Shame on me and shame on the example I set.
Thankfully, my daughter's extroverted, sanguine nature knows no stranger. The first thing she thinks about are the people involved. Now all I need to do is to help her channel that for God's service.
Maybe I should make that the goal of the activity, write it down on my lesson plan, and it might actually get done!
Barna Group includes this comment, "...most Americans are unimpressed with the contributions Christians and churches have made to society over the past few years."
I find that interesting.
We have Christian hip-hop, Christian coffee houses, Christian dinner theater, Christian heavy metal, Christian movies, Christian health clubs, et. al. You mean we have all this and we're not making contributions to society? Hmmm. It almost sounds like it's the opposite. Like the world is making "contributions" to Christendom. Or maybe it's all part of the "ingrowth." I know one thing for sure and that to figure it out is beyond my pay! :-)
I will say, however, that I do see home education making a contribution to society. Ivy league universities are courting home schooled students. Groups like Generation Joshua are helping to train our youth to be politically active. I've seen home schooled students helping with food pantries or animal shelters. Home schoolers are making contributions to society, and I think that is the reason, in part, why the negative stereotypes of home schoolers are disappearing more and more.
And talk about "contributions to society"! I definitely think that is a definition well suited to a person who was home educated! My child will be a "contribution to society".
So, I think this whole trend comes down to the fact that we need to be witnesses of Christ to this world in word and deed.
Let me go write that down in my planner before I forget......
Showing posts with label Barna Group. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barna Group. Show all posts
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Why I don't have to rely on my parenting skills...
I recently shared this article from the Barna Group about the six trends they noticed in 2010. I was sad but not surprised by what they shared.
I want to take these trends and share some thoughts I glean about how these are shown or addressed in homeschooling. I decided to take on this grandious challenge by breaking it down into bite-sized pieces of one trend at a time. Only God knows if I'll actually get through all six trends, but I really felt strongly about some of these things. Maybe I'll find some other people who also feel strongly about the same things!
The first trend was "The Christian Church is becoming less theologically literate."
An unfortunate Amen to that. I remember the pastor of a church we used to attend say that he couldn't teach doctrines/theology at our church because it would be too difficult for the people in the county in which we were to understand. Demographically, they just weren't that kind of people. (Did I mention that we used to go to that church.)
I remember attending our current church for the first time. They were actually studying stystematic theology for Sunday School! And since it's a family integrated church, my daughter sets through service while our pastor teaches us about such things as justification, propitiation,anticipation...wait scratch that last one (unless you're looking forward to the return of Jesus like I am!)
Shall I really go out on a limb? Most individuals do not understand the impact of doctrine on their lives because many pastors/preachers don't understand it either! Theology in Bible college can become like many other classes you have to take in many other majors; it's something you have to learn to get your degree, but don't see how you really use it in day-to-day practice. (Like that 30 page lesson plan I had to do for my "Teaching Science" class in college. I still shudder at the thought!)
But ultimately, I don't think the responsibility to become more theologically literate (applicable) soley rests with the church. We all homeschool for various reasons, but for many it comes down to the fact that the responsibility to educate our children was laid on us as parents in the Bible and not given the state or church.
If we as parents don't know doctrine or understand how it applies to us, how can we impart that to our children? Guess what? I think it's just like many of thes other subjcts we teach. We learn and teach at the same time! What a better example to our children than that?
Catechism is one great way of instilling doctrine into our children. I used to think that it was merely rote memorization, but now see it as memorizing the truths of Scripture and filing them away for needed times.
Take the first question of the Smaller Catechism.
Q. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man's chief end is to glorify God (1 Cor. 10:31), and to enjoy him for ever (Ps. 73:25-26).
There are so many times since learning that question and answer that we've been able to discuss with our daughter whether or not her behavior was glorifying to God or if she was enjoying God by what she was doing.
While currently, we only deal with the questions and answers, it's a benefit to have the Scripture references available to look up. Let's face it, there is no benefit in learning theology if it's not based on the Word of God.
Here's another example of how catechism can help.
An anecdote told of Dwight L. Moody will illustrate the value to the religious life of having been taught these forms of truth. He was staying with a Scottish friend in London, but suppose we let the narrator tell the story. ‘A young man had come to speak to Mr. Moody about religious things. He was in difficulty about a number of points, among the rest about prayer and natural laws. ‘What is prayer?,’ he said, ‘I can’t tell what you mean by it!’ They were in the hall of a large London house. Before Moody could answer, a child’s voice was heard singing on the stairs. It was that of a little girl of nine or ten, the daughter of their host. She came running down the stairs and paused as she saw strangers sitting in the hall. ‘Come here, Jenny,’ her father said, ‘and tell this gentleman ‘What is prayer.’ ’ Jenny did not know what had been going on, but she quite understood that she was now called upon to say her Catechism. So she drew herself up, and folded her hands in front of her, like a good little girl who was going to ‘say her questions,’ and she said in her clear childish voice: ‘Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies.’ ‘Ah! That’s the Catechism!’ Moody said, ‘thank God for that Catechism.’ ’ (From The Westminster Teacher, April, 1909).
Orthodoxy. Theology. Doctrine. Catechism. These are not 4-letter words! (Really, they are not. I counted the number of letters in each!) God wants us and our children to mature in these "so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes" (Ephesians 4:14).
Knowing true Biblical truth is the only way not to be tossed on the waves. A few sources to start you out if you want to look into catechism are: Every Good Path, Catechism CCW, A Puritan Catechism, A Catechism for Boys and Girls.
I'll end with a personal example of how doctrine makes a difference in my daily life. God is sovereign. Nothing can prohibit the will of God. He is in total control. Knowing this theological truth helps me rest in the fact I don't have to worry about my parenting skills.I can't do anything to warp my daughter more than God will allow! ;-)
I want to take these trends and share some thoughts I glean about how these are shown or addressed in homeschooling. I decided to take on this grandious challenge by breaking it down into bite-sized pieces of one trend at a time. Only God knows if I'll actually get through all six trends, but I really felt strongly about some of these things. Maybe I'll find some other people who also feel strongly about the same things!
The first trend was "The Christian Church is becoming less theologically literate."
An unfortunate Amen to that. I remember the pastor of a church we used to attend say that he couldn't teach doctrines/theology at our church because it would be too difficult for the people in the county in which we were to understand. Demographically, they just weren't that kind of people. (Did I mention that we used to go to that church.)
I remember attending our current church for the first time. They were actually studying stystematic theology for Sunday School! And since it's a family integrated church, my daughter sets through service while our pastor teaches us about such things as justification, propitiation,
Shall I really go out on a limb? Most individuals do not understand the impact of doctrine on their lives because many pastors/preachers don't understand it either! Theology in Bible college can become like many other classes you have to take in many other majors; it's something you have to learn to get your degree, but don't see how you really use it in day-to-day practice. (Like that 30 page lesson plan I had to do for my "Teaching Science" class in college. I still shudder at the thought!)
But ultimately, I don't think the responsibility to become more theologically literate (applicable) soley rests with the church. We all homeschool for various reasons, but for many it comes down to the fact that the responsibility to educate our children was laid on us as parents in the Bible and not given the state or church.
If we as parents don't know doctrine or understand how it applies to us, how can we impart that to our children? Guess what? I think it's just like many of thes other subjcts we teach. We learn and teach at the same time! What a better example to our children than that?
Catechism is one great way of instilling doctrine into our children. I used to think that it was merely rote memorization, but now see it as memorizing the truths of Scripture and filing them away for needed times.
Take the first question of the Smaller Catechism.
Q. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man's chief end is to glorify God (1 Cor. 10:31), and to enjoy him for ever (Ps. 73:25-26).
There are so many times since learning that question and answer that we've been able to discuss with our daughter whether or not her behavior was glorifying to God or if she was enjoying God by what she was doing.
While currently, we only deal with the questions and answers, it's a benefit to have the Scripture references available to look up. Let's face it, there is no benefit in learning theology if it's not based on the Word of God.
Here's another example of how catechism can help.
An anecdote told of Dwight L. Moody will illustrate the value to the religious life of having been taught these forms of truth. He was staying with a Scottish friend in London, but suppose we let the narrator tell the story. ‘A young man had come to speak to Mr. Moody about religious things. He was in difficulty about a number of points, among the rest about prayer and natural laws. ‘What is prayer?,’ he said, ‘I can’t tell what you mean by it!’ They were in the hall of a large London house. Before Moody could answer, a child’s voice was heard singing on the stairs. It was that of a little girl of nine or ten, the daughter of their host. She came running down the stairs and paused as she saw strangers sitting in the hall. ‘Come here, Jenny,’ her father said, ‘and tell this gentleman ‘What is prayer.’ ’ Jenny did not know what had been going on, but she quite understood that she was now called upon to say her Catechism. So she drew herself up, and folded her hands in front of her, like a good little girl who was going to ‘say her questions,’ and she said in her clear childish voice: ‘Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God for things agreeable to his will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies.’ ‘Ah! That’s the Catechism!’ Moody said, ‘thank God for that Catechism.’ ’ (From The Westminster Teacher, April, 1909).
Orthodoxy. Theology. Doctrine. Catechism. These are not 4-letter words! (Really, they are not. I counted the number of letters in each!) God wants us and our children to mature in these "so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes" (Ephesians 4:14).
Knowing true Biblical truth is the only way not to be tossed on the waves. A few sources to start you out if you want to look into catechism are: Every Good Path, Catechism CCW, A Puritan Catechism, A Catechism for Boys and Girls.
I'll end with a personal example of how doctrine makes a difference in my daily life. God is sovereign. Nothing can prohibit the will of God. He is in total control. Knowing this theological truth helps me rest in the fact I don't have to worry about my parenting skills.I can't do anything to warp my daughter more than God will allow! ;-)
Monday, December 13, 2010
The Barna Group - Six Megathemes Emerge from Barna Group Research in 2010
December 13, 2010
"Change usually happens slowly in the Church. But a review of the past year's research conducted by the Barna Group provides a time-lapse portrayal of how the religious environment in the U.S. is morphing into something new.
Analyzing insights drawn from more than 5,000 non-proprietary interviews conducted over the past 11 months, George Barna indicated that the following patterns were evident in the survey findings."
The Barna Group - Six Megathemes Emerge from Barna Group Research in 2010
Analyzing insights drawn from more than 5,000 non-proprietary interviews conducted over the past 11 months, George Barna indicated that the following patterns were evident in the survey findings."
The Barna Group - Six Megathemes Emerge from Barna Group Research in 2010
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Family--Our Best Apologia Ever
Wednesday afternoon, Davis Carman of Apologia Educational Ministries spoke at the online Schoolhouse Expo.
I know many use the Apologia Science curriculum, but he mentioned the development of their new new, Bible/Worldview curriculum entitled What We Believe. The first is Who is God?. The second will be coming out this year and is entitled Who am I?
The reason I (and he) mentioned the new curriculum was because he spoke about the importance of having a Biblical worldview.
He quoted a Barna Group study to show why we should be concerned. I'll share a few of the scary facts.
Only 4% of those in the study had a Biblical Worldview. Of those who consider themselves "born again," the percentage jumps up to a whopping 9%. Five of the seven major influences are the media (TV, radio, music, books, internet). The other two are family and public policy. Notice that the church is not one of the major influences.
He made the point that we need to see our kids as our primary mission field. This is the reaon we need to do intentional parenting which includes making choices in which curriculum and books we use.
He mentioned that according to a 2007 NCE study, the number one reason for homeschooling was religious and moral instruction. He gave many references Deut 6:1-7, Psalm 78:1-8, Proverbs 22:6, and 3 John 1:4.
He had an awesome quote from Martin Luther, "I am afraid that the schools will prove the very gates of hell, unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures and engraving them in the heart of the youth."
I know many use the Apologia Science curriculum, but he mentioned the development of their new new, Bible/Worldview curriculum entitled What We Believe. The first is Who is God?. The second will be coming out this year and is entitled Who am I?
The reason I (and he) mentioned the new curriculum was because he spoke about the importance of having a Biblical worldview.
He quoted a Barna Group study to show why we should be concerned. I'll share a few of the scary facts.
Only 4% of those in the study had a Biblical Worldview. Of those who consider themselves "born again," the percentage jumps up to a whopping 9%. Five of the seven major influences are the media (TV, radio, music, books, internet). The other two are family and public policy. Notice that the church is not one of the major influences.
He made the point that we need to see our kids as our primary mission field. This is the reaon we need to do intentional parenting which includes making choices in which curriculum and books we use.
He mentioned that according to a 2007 NCE study, the number one reason for homeschooling was religious and moral instruction. He gave many references Deut 6:1-7, Psalm 78:1-8, Proverbs 22:6, and 3 John 1:4.
He had an awesome quote from Martin Luther, "I am afraid that the schools will prove the very gates of hell, unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures and engraving them in the heart of the youth."
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