IN CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

Spring 2015

Vol. 48, No. 2

Good News
FOR
THE

Generations

IN CHRISTIAN EDUCATION
Spring 2015
Vol. 48, No. 2

Editor
Editor Emeritus
Editorial Committee
Editorials
Associate
Associate
Book Reviews
Graphic Design
Copy Editor
Circulation Coordinator

A PUBLICATION OF CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY, SEWARD, NEBRASKA

Good News for the Generations

3

Reflections
Rev. Dr. Brian L. Friedrich, President

Editorials

Good News to Children

Rebecca Peters

13

Scratching the Millennial Itch

Adriane Heins

17

Good News to Generation X

Scott Gress

22

Good News to the GenerationsThe Baby Boomers

Daniel P. Czaplewski

28

Whats the Good News for Older Adults?

Kenneth Holdorf

31

Book Reviews

Russell Moulds, Ph.D.

Rev. Dr. Marvin Bergman, Ed. D., Ph. D.
J. Dirk Reek, M.Div., S.T.M.
Daniel Thurber, A.D.
Brian L. Friedrich, M.Div., Ph.D.
Charles Blanco, M. Div., Ph.D.
Seth A. Boggs, M.F.A.
Marlene Block, B.A.
Holly Matzke

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reections

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In 1989, The Rev. Dr. Marvin Bergman began what became a 25-year term of
service as the editor of ISSUES in Christian Education. Prior to his service as editor,
Bergman, beginning in 1971, headed the Editorials section and, in 1975, the
Book Reviews section. It is accurate to say that no single person has shaped
and influenced the content and continuation of ISSUES more than Bergman.
After 74 editions the current edition, Good News for the Generations,
is the last edition for which Bergman will serve as editor. Throughout his
editorial service Bergmans aim has been to focus on the greatest issue of
all time: to know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.
These words, quoted by the now sainted Rev. Dr. W. Theophil Ted Janzow,
the sixth president of Concordia University, Nebraska, in the first edition
of what today is known as ISSUES in Christian Education, became a meaningful
moniker for Bergmans editorship. While ISSUES began as an extension of
conversations among Concordia faculty members to document and deepen
their ongoing discussions about Christian education, during the past 25
years ISSUES has become a popular and scholarly journal that has explored
a wide breadth of topics relevant and applicable to the ministry of Christian
education within the local parish and school. Among Bergmans favorites, the
following stand out as most significant: Perspectives on Human Origins,
Missional Lutheran Education, The Church in Concord or Discord, and
The Ministry of all Christians. (These and every issue since Vol. 1, No. 1,
August 1966, are archived on the universitys website: www.cune.edu/about/
publications/issues-in-Christian-education.)
The goal of ISSUES has always been to support the role of Christian education
in the local congregation. As editor, Bergman desired that ISSUES prompt
the church to continue to provide a multi-disciplinary foundation for its
entire ministry. Thus, whether his first or final edition, Bergman positioned
ISSUES as a practical, teaching tool to raise questions, explore answers from
a variety of perspectives and engage readers in thoughtful reflection while
connecting the dots of the edition to the answer to all of lifes most pressing
issues: Jesus Christ.
It is with deep gratitude that we dedicate the Spring 2015 edition of ISSUES
to the faithful, untiring, winsome, evangelical service of Marvin Bergman.
In October, the Universitys Board of Regents honored Bergman as the first
ever Editor Emeritus, a token of its deep gratitude and appreciation for his 25
years of service as editor and nearly 45 years of service to ISSUES. It is fitting
that Bergmans final edition articulates the challenges and opportunities of
proclaiming the Gospel and teaching the faith across the five generations
of persons living today in our complicated, complex world. As you consider
the articles of this edition, I suspect that, with me, you will observe that the
golden thread tying the articles together is the same theme that motivated
and informed all of Bergmans service to ISSUES, Concordia and the church:
to know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.
Thank you, Marv, for your marvelous ministry among us. Well done, good
and faithful servant!

Brian L. Friedrich, President

P.S. In October the Board of Regents appointed Dr. Russell Moulds, Professor
of Education and Director of the Two Kingdoms Network, as the Editor of
ISSUES. More information about the exciting new chapter now underway will
appear in the Fall 2015 edition.

editorials

Christian Education
as Narrative Identity
Formation
Jesus came to announce to us that an identity based and instruction. What does it look like to
on success, popularity and power is a false identity live faithfully before God in our daily life?
an illusion! Loudly and clearly he says: You are not what What does it mean to live as ambassadors of
the world makes you; but you are children of God. Gods now/not-yet kingdom? How can we
live our lives in a way that fulfills Christs
Henri Nouwen
What is the goal of Christian education? calling to be salt and light? The answers
In order to answer this question one must to these questions become the focus of
first have a clear understanding of the nature our Christian education efforts in our
of Christianity. Is Christianity a collection of homes, congregations, and communities.
rituals and moral practices? Is Christianity For me, the answer to these questions has
cognitive assent to communally agreed been the formation of Christian identity
upon doctrines and biblical articulations? through narrative.
Identity formation is the primary goal
Is Christianity simply faith in Christ as
our Savior from sin? With each answer of Christian educators. Inculcating a
the educator is exposing presuppositions biblical sense of self and a Christ-centered
that shape his or her philosophy and connection to God and the world is
practice. Over the years my own answers paramount. Without an identity grounded
have shifted. Early in my ministry, my in the gracious waters of baptism, we are
attempts at catechesis looked a lot like easily distracted and swayed by competing
Blooms cognitive taxonomy. The unspoken cultural narratives. A strong Christ-centered
philosophy was that in order to be Christian Christian identity is not only the foundation
there were specific things one needed to of Christian education; it is the well to which
know, and the goal of education was to help we must return throughout our lives.
The best approach I have found for
the learner know these vital truths. While it
is true the Christian faith involves a body of inculcating this grace-based identity is
knowledge, the goal must be something more narrative. The narrative that we tell shapes
than mere transmission. Transmission is not the learners perceptions of who they are
enough because Christianity is different; and the kind of God they have. In many
Christianity is life. And the goal of Christian ways we are always working with a narrative,
education is to help Gods children live that but the story that our narrative tells is
often confusing and self-contradictory. As
life faithfully before Him.
The daily life of the Christian is the Christian educators, our narrative is one
background against which all Christian that must be firmly rooted in the Gospel
education takes place. W hile it can be message of Jesus Christ and the assurance
tempting to view Christian education as that we receive through His atoning work
training for the afterlife alone, there is on the cross. We are the forgiven children
much that God is calling us to do in our of God who yet sin. While we must never
daily vocations that needs reinforcement minimize our sin and rebellion against God

and His will, we must also never minimize

the loving disposition of God toward his
creation in Christ. Too often our narratives
present a picture of the Christian that is
bifurcated. Taking a page from the doctrine
of Christs divinity we act as if the Christian
is 100 percent sinner and 100 percent saint.
We must resist the temptation to tell our
narrative in such a way that it leaves the
learners uncertain of their identity before
God and the forgiveness that Christ has
won for them. The universal grace of God
in Jesus Christ needs to be the center of our
narrative. The Gospel must predominate
in the hearts and the lives of the learner.
Learners who are uncertain of their gracebased identity will frequently be burdened
with doubt regarding Gods attitude toward
them and will be tempted to view the
Christian life as an opportunity to merit
Gods grace through works of various kinds.
If the narrative is not clear, the learners will
be formed in a way that is inconsistent with
their identity and contrary to the biblical
narrative of Christs gracious work.
In order to keep the narrative clear,
one must have a clear understanding of
the nature of Christianity. The nature of
Christianity is gracethe grace of a loving
God for His creation in Christ. Our sins are
forgiven. Death and the devil are overcome.
Life with Jesus in the new creation is assured.
What is the goal of Christian education? The
goal of Christian education is deceptively
simple. It is to help Gods children embrace
their identity in Christ and live daily life
faithfully before Him.

Rev. Dr. Anthony A. Cook

Issues

Associate Professor of Practical Theology

Director of Curriculum Development
and Design, and Director of Continuing
Education, Concordia Seminary
St. Louis, Missouri
cooka@csl.edu

Parable Preaching:
Preaching Like The Master
We live in a story-telling culture. A culture
that tells big stories on the big screen. Woody
and Buzz. Harry Potter. Superheroes, too
numerous to mention. The Hunger Games.
Stories. Stories. Stories. Will anyone ever
get serious? Why wont they listen to serious
things, like the truth of Gods Word? Why
do people perk up when we include some
inane story in our sermons and then
slump back down again, minds wandering
to the nfl, when we get back to the precious
word of God? Where are their priorities?
Woe is me!
Why is our culture not only enamored
with stories, but also fixated on the belief
that there is no absolute truth? Why does
this generation believe that truth is simply in
the eye of the beholder, that truth is nothing
more than a construct, proven, as it turns
out, nothing more than a story or personal
experience? Woe is me!
We have the Word of God in all of its truth
and purity one would expect that the
Church today would resemble the Church
of the book of Acts. Yet we see something
very differentthere is not a person among
us who does not grieve our steady decline in
membership, who does not mourn the steady
drumbeat of one congregation after the next
being moved to not calling status and then
finally closing its doors. Woe is me! Woe is
the Church! What shall we do???
Is it possible that one reason for our
decline is that we are not communicating the
Good News of Jesus as clearly as we would
like? Is it possible that we are somehow
getting in the way of what the Holy Spirit
desires to do? After all, He desires that all
are saved and come to the knowledge of the
[Absolute] Truth. Are there more effective
ways to communicate the Gospel in all
its fullness to our culture, to our storytelling culture?
Allow me to share a story with you. Way
back in seminary I remember being taught
about the exploits of some early lcms

missionaries. They sought to bring the Good

News of Jesus to Native Americans. In their
passion to reach these lost children of God,
they began by instructing the Indians in
German. Then, when that task was complete,
they imparted the precious word of God, in
its original German language, of course,
to all those who had learned German. We
all admired the missionary zeal of our
forefathers and we all took note of how
our Church had learned a great lesson from
their mistake. Today, zealous missionaries
learn the language of the people rather
than making the people learn the language
of the missionaries.
Are we, in our preaching, forcing people
to learn German before they can hear the
Good News of Jesus? What is the language
of the people to whom we are preaching?
Check this out: our Savior and Mentor,
Jesus, also lived in a story-telling culture.
Yes, the Master Preacher lived in a culture
much like our own. Now Jesus could have
chosen to use the language and style of C.F.W.
Walther and Franz Pieper to teach and
preach among the Jews of the 1st Century. But
how many hearts in that generation would
have been gripped by such a preaching style?
How many of that story-telling generation
would have been convicted of their sin?
How many would have rejoiced to hear that
Gospel of forgiveness? How many would
have been sanctified by the Spirit? Given
Jesus assessment of the situation, He chose
instead to use the language of the people.
He chose to preach this way: A farmer went
out to sow A man had two sons ... A
man planted a vineyard ... Consider the
lilies of the field ...
Most of us would be able not only to finish
those stories of Jesus but also to accurately
summarize the point that Jesus was making
about the kingdom of God. Why? Because
the stories resonate with our hearts. The
stories grip uswe are also part of a storytelling culture! These stories are easy to

remember, easy to recall, easy to apply.

In fact, to paraphrase Scripture, their
applications are new every morning.
To be concise, and the editors have asked
me to be nothing but concise, it is high
time we consider preaching like the Master.
From time to time, and perhaps even more
often than that, let us consider not using
Spiderman as an illustration of some text.
Let us use Spiderman as Jesus used the lilies
of the field; let us use Spiderman as THE
text. Tell the Story! Captivate minds and
hearts! Use the stories to lead people into
a firm belief in Jesus, who is the Way, the
Truth, and the Life!
Consider Peter Parker, who was bitten
by a spider, and with that spider-bite, was
changed, was made new, and was called to go
forth in spider-power to change the world.
Does that not preach??? After telling that
story, could we not preach powerfully about
how baptism changes our lives? Could we
not use story-telling to convince people of
the (Absolute) Truth?
Consider Buzz Lightyear, Space Ranger!
Space Ranger, that is, until that day when
he discovered that he was NOT a space
ranger. He was only a toy. What??? Only
a toy??? Hardly! In fact, he was Andys
Toy! And with the realization of whose he
was he found new life! Does that not
preach??? After telling that story, could
we not preach powerfully about Isaiah 43:1
and the importance of bearing the name
Christian in our everyday lives?
Parable Preaching. Some Sundays we
will want to preach a text, and find an
illustration to match. But other Sundays we
can learn from the Master Preacher; we can
use Parable Preaching to reach out to this
generation. Given what we know about our
generation, it is likely that Gods Holy Spirit
will communicate in a mighty way through
this new way of preaching, a new way which
is really as old as the Master Himself.

Rev. Jeff Scheich

Spring 2015

Pastor, Christ Lutheran Church

Lincoln, Nebraska
jscheich@christlutheranchurch.org

Editors Note:
Check out http://room211.org/classics/
for some examples of Parable Preaching by the author.

editorials

Who Cares?
When I was growing up, my parents and I would they conform their lives to Christ?
Even if kids know every story in the Bible
would battle consistently. It was a battle that
started in elementary school and continued and have memorized the catechism, it does
all the way through high school, always over not matter if they do not care; knowledge
the same topic. I imagine many of you fought alone will not conform them to Christ. It
this battle as well; maybe you fight it now as will not change anything if we do not also
teach them to value those things. I have
parents: the battle over grades.
This battle was not because my parents known more than a few people who know
were disappointed in my intelligence; they a lot about the Bible and yet they do not
were disappointed that I did not try. They conform to Christ.
Let me now get to the real core of what
knew I could do better, and every now and
then I was foolish enough to get As and prove I am saying: I believe that the church has
them right. The problem was not a lack of forgottenor at least severely downplayed
time on my part or even a lack of effort, but peoples feelings and desires. If we want
a lack of appreciation. I just did not careI to reach the coming generations, or the
did better in Latin than I did in English, existing generations, we need to approach
and I assure you that I have a better grasp people as creatures that not only think, but
of English. I did better in Latin because the also feel and desire. We need to be holistic
teacher made me care. I might not be able to in our proclaiming and teaching.
I am not trying to attack anyones ministry.
tell you what Wuthering Heights is about, but I
can tell you that Cato the Elder ended a good I think we accidentally walked into this
many of his speeches with Carthago delenda est problem and did so over a long period of
time. Along with the rest of Western culture,
(Carthage must be destroyed).
Now why do I say any of this? Because I we have allowed ourselves to fall into
teach confirmation, and it took me a while Enlightenment/modernist views concerning
to realize the first thing I need to teach kids our humanity. As James K. A. Smith said,
is to care. I know that church workers the Many Christian schools, colleges, and
world over bemoan the biblical illiteracy in universitiesparticularly in the Protestant
the church. Kids dont know their Bibles traditionhave taken on board a picture
anymore! Let me be clear on thisI agree. It of the human person that owes more to
is a problem, a prevalent problem. However, modernity and the Enlightenment than
I grow ever more convinced that it is not our it does to the holistic, biblical vision of
biggest problem. The problem is primarily human persons. In particular, Christian
a lack of care. Kids do not value or desire education has absorbed a philosophical
life in the church above the other things in anthropology that sees human persons as
their lives. If kids show little concern for life primarily thinking things.1 We, the church,
in the church, the Bible, or what it means give undue preference to cognition at the
to follow Christ, why would they desire to expense of affect and desire. We treat people
learn about it? And more importantly, why more like mere thinking machines than

humans with feelings and desires. Our view

of humanity treats people like Spock, who
wishes to be free from emotion, instead of
his passionate captain, Kirk.
I believe that you do not have to look
far to see the ways your church or school
deals primarily in cognition and neglects
affect and desire. Think about that lament
concerning biblical literacy mentioned
earlier. Do you hear similar laments
about kids no longer desiring to love their
neighbor? What does your church hold up
as a bar for confirmation? Is it that they
show a desire to be conformed to Christ in
His life and death or that their attendance
is high enough and they have reached the
minimum level of memory work? What are
the goals of your lesson plans? That the
learner would be able to explain justification
or grow in an appreciation of justification?
The problem is not that students do not care
about confirmation; the problem is that we
have not taught them to care.
While the church has neglected to shape
the care of children and adults, culture has
not. Take a walk through any mall and notice
the saints formed in plastic or printed in
billboards. Watch a car commercial. You
learn nothing about the car or clothing,
but get a glimpse of the life that comes with
those things. The ads teach us to desire
these products. If only I had that car. If
only I had those jeans. Rarely do we say,
If only I had loved my neighbor the way
Christ wants me to. If only I acted more
like the saints who persevere in the face
of martyrdom. If you think I am wrong,
then look at the research showing that the
majority of students being confirmed this

Issues

End Notes:
year will not remain in the church.2 They 1. Smith, James K. A. Desiring the
Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and
are not leaving due to a lack of knowledge
Cultural Formation. Grand Rapids:
about Jesus. I think they leave because they
have not been taught to care about Christ or
Baker Academics, 2009, 31
His church. What is more terrifying is the
church knows why students should care, yet 2.5 Reasons Millennials Stay Connected
we fail to communicate it to them.
to Church. - Barna Group. Accessed
The reason we fail to teach, as Smith
November 12, 2014.https://www.barna.
argues, is that we have fallen into a view
org/barna-update/millennials/635-5of humanity that does not treat humans
reasons-millennials-stay-connectedas creatures that think and feel. We need
to-church#.VGOQQ5PF9RQ.
to reclaim a view of humanity that sees
our fellow creatures in a holistic way and 3. Smith, 37
attempts to shape not only cognition, but
affect as well.3 We need to take hold of our 4. Bloom, Benja m i n S., Dav id R.
first article belief that God created me and
Krathwohl, and Bertram B. Masai.
all creatures; that He has given me my body
Taxonomy of Educational Objectives:
and soul, eyes, ears, and all my limbs, my
Book 2 Affective Domain. New York:
reason, and all my senses, and still preserves
Longmans : McKay, 1956.
them. With this list, found in Luthers
Small Catechism, Luther is saying that God 5 For more info on reclaiming a view
made everything. Everything. That means
of humanity that treats humans as
that God made us as whole persons who both
thinking and feeling creatures, I would
think and feel. Therefore, it is important
encourage you to read Desiring the Kingdom
for us to make sure that our worship, lesson
by James K. A. Smith.
plans, Bible studies, prayers, conversations,
and anything else that we do show concern
for the cognitive and affective domains. It
is time to go back to Blooms taxonomy and
start crafting more than just cognitive goals.4
The church needs to stop trying to be like
Spock, who evaluates each situation with the
coldness of a computer, and try to be like
Kirk, a man who has a passion that drives
him to explore the reaches of the galaxy and
risk life and limb for his fellow travelers.5

Rev. Matt Wait

Spring 2015

Pastor, Messiah Lutheran Church

Lakeville, Minnesota
wait.matthew1@gmail.com

I was born in the mid-20th century. My

grandsons were born in the 21st century. Putting
that into print reminds me once again that I
grew up in a very different world than that of my
grandsons. Yes, there are many similarities as
children move through various developmental
levels, but some of the differences between now
and then make a world of difference in the faith
lives of children today. This article first seeks
to explore some of the challenges that children
face in their world and then examines how we
as educators can make some changes in the ways
in which we share our faith.

Faith Challenges of Children Today

Single Parent Households. In a report
published by the United States Census Bureau,
Vespa, Lewis, and Kreider (2013) state,
Between 1970 and 2012, the share of households
that were married couples with children under
18 halved from 40 percent to 20 percent
(p. 1). The structure of these families varies. In
todays world children are raised in homes in
which parents are divorced or never married
or one parent has died. Sometimes extended
family members are available to assist in the
childrearing, but more and more children

Rebecca Peters, Ed.D.,

is Professor of Education at
Concordia University Irvine.
becky.peters@cui.edu

today live apart from their grandparents and

other relatives. While the majority of single
parent households are run by mothers, the
number of fathers who shoulder the majority
of their childrens custody is growing. In some
divorced situations the divorce is amicable
with parents who work with a united front in
their childrearing values and tactics. However,
when the divorce is a bitter one, children can
experience what may be called bipolar parenting
with parents who have opposing beliefs about
how to raise a child. The ramifications of this
type of experience can be extremely confusing
and stressful for children. No wonder some of
our children seem to have no concept of what
is acceptable and what is not in the way they
behave in school and relate to other children.
Explosion of Technology. When I was
a child, technology seemed to be limited to
navigating a TV (with seven different channels
to choose from) and setting a clock radio. Times
have changed. My ten-year-old grandson can
list multiple examples of ways technology
has impacted his life. Schools that avoid
technology are becoming as rare as the oneroom schoolhouse. Dan Costa (2007), author
of a brief article in a technology magazine,
warns parents against allowing their children
too much screen time. Ironic, isnt it? Bill
Gates is said to have allowed his ten-year-old
just 45 minutes of screen time a week night and
90 minutes on the weekend. After all, some
studies show that an abundance of screen time

Issues

Good News to Children

Spring 2015

for young children results in adhd (Weiss,

Baer, Allan, Saran, & Schibuk, 2011). Too
much screen time can influence some of the
issues below.
Violence. Bullying is nothing new. What
is a newer phenomenon is cyberbullying. In a
recent study by the Massachusetts Aggression
Reduction Center (Englander, 2012), owning a
smart phone in elementary school is a risk factor
for being cyberbullied or being a cyberbully.
Children most at risk of being a victim or
perpetrator of cyber violence are those who
actively play online games or participate in
Facebook or similar websites. Although federal
guidelines recommend that children younger
than 13 should not be allowed on Facebook, in
2012, 49 percent of elementary students were
involved with social media websites. Most bullies
know their victims from school. Training
students how to deal with cyberbullying can be
effective in preventing continued experiences
of it; cyberbullying education is an essential
tool for parents and schools today.
Violence extends beyond what is found on
social media; it can also erupt from content
found on non-interactive websites. There are
numerous examples of school violence that
make national news. No schools are totally
safe from this threat. While the vast majority
of students will never experience a violent
attack first hand, school lock-down drills are
getting to be as common as fire drills were for
previous generations. Students are aware that
violence happens at schools, and they need
to be prepared for it. The good news is that
schools do have procedures in place to keep
their students as safe as possible, but not every
offence can be predicted.
Data for small scale campus violence in
elementary schools is somewhat anecdotal; it
is more challenging to be sure exactly what
elementary school violence looks like. A decade
ago USA Today (January 12, 2003) reported that
violence in elementary schools is increasing.
Today eight percent of elementary teachers and
three percent of secondary teachers report being
attacked by a student, and violence between
students remains a concern as well (Indicators of
Crime and School Safety: 2013).

Kids Being Kids. Since David Elkind wrote

his well-known book The Hurried Child in 1981,
there has been much discussion on pushing
children into being adult too soon. While
not everyone agrees with Elkind, his theories
havent disappeared and many teachers would
most likely agree that much has changed with
expectations of children over the past 30 years.
Children are exposed to many adult topics
that they would not have seen in the media a
few decades ago. Even shows on the Disney
channel aimed at eight to twelve-year-olds
relate to dating and typical teen experiences.
One has to be intentional to avoid the sexual
suggestiveness found in the media today. Parent
choices for positive family values portrayed in
TV shows are minimal. Commercials cross the
border of good taste and often lead to childrens
questions as to the meaning of terminology
and the uses of various products. Even news
broadcasts can lead to questions about sex that
would probably never have occurred without
the child viewing a particular story with a
sexually graphic description. (Editors note:
See the articles on Millennials and Gen X in
this edition of Issues for insights about how and
why media content has changed.) This has
an effect. Elementary children are exhibiting
sexual behavior at younger ages today. Kaeser
(n.d.) states that We are ... raising a generation
of super-sexualized young people (paragraph
2). Children are bombarded with sexual images
on television, social media, electronic games,
and even billboards. This often leads to sexual
confusion. Children have always been curious
about sex; however, children today have a sexual
distortion in which a God-pleasing view of sex
is seldom found. They act out what they see.
This can lead to bullying in which children
sexually intimidate their peers and even to
sexual behaviors against others.
Alvin Rosenfeld (2004), American child and
adolescent psychologist, claims that parenting
is now Americas most competitive adult sport
(p. 1). Children play organized sports at younger
and younger ages. Some parents believe that
the earlier start in sports, the better chance
their off-spring have when they get to a level
in which participation is determined by ability.

Our Response

10

Faith challenges have faced every generation.

However, we as adults and educators do not
always figure out the current challenges for
children until they have navigated into their
adolescent years or beyond. Knowing what
children are dealing with is foundational to
finding solutions. Every community has its
particular issues, but just because a particular
problem has not yet hit the area, doesnt mean it
wont. We cannot wait until we are overwhelmed
by particular problems. Caring congregational
leaders are called to anticipate and be ready to
act for times the world seems to crash down
on children.

Baptism: Becoming Part of Gods Family.

In a world where distances between extended
family members is growing and the number
of children living in two-parent heterosexual
homes is decreasing, the concept of family
is becoming more muddled. What greater
comfort is there than to know that being part
of Gods family is forever. God chooses each
of us specifically because of His love for us (1
John 3:1-3). He never moves out or gives up on
a person. Regardless of where weve been or
what weve done, His love is enduring beyond
measure. He doesnt change (Hebrews 13:8).
Like the perfect parent (which is an oxymoron),
God directs us with the exactly right blend of
Law and Gospel which He utilizes with loving
precision. It is essential that children know
that God chose them before time began to be
His own (Ephesians 1:3-10). Remembering
this is especially important for those children
who experience complexity in their family
situations. The baptism of children is cause for
celebration. Incorporating children in these
celebrations helps them realize the importance
of their own baptisms.
Creeds and Children. Children learn
through stories, and our creeds tell the story
of what we believe. Knowing the story is
essential to any understanding. Creeds range
from the simple, Jesus is Lord, to the more
complex Apostles Creed which is appropriate
for older children. While this is not the place
for an extended discussion of the merits and
drawbacks of memory work, telling the story
of who we believe in and why we believe is
critical. Faith has to have an object which in the
Christian church is Jesus Christ. The creeds
are much more than a memorized statement
said in unison by the congregation; the creeds
frame our story and name our faith.
Sharing the Good News. Sharing the
Gospel is best done through not just words
but actions as well. To do this effectively, we
need to be in caring relationships with those
we teach. This means time is taken to get to
know students (whether they are found in the
classroom or the neighborhood) and learn
their interests, fears, and joys. They need to
know that they are physically, emotionally, and
spiritually safe in our presence which means

Issues

With the models of Tiger Woods on the golf

course at three years of age or the young
Williams sisters hitting a tennis ball over the
net, some adults imagine that their child can
meet similar achievement and fame. Even for
those who acknowledge that their child probably
wont play competitively after college, the goal
is to make their off-spring the very best they
can be. Parents have dreams for their children,
but sometimes these desires get in the way of
the childs physical and emotional needs.
For some parents, putting kids in an
organized sport is a way to fill their childs
time. Boredom is seen as the ultimate enemy
of childhood. Boredom for extended periods
of time is not beneficial, but some boredom
can lead to developing creativity and thinking
out of the box. Children are often at their most
creative when they design games and fantasies
in which to involve themselves. The role of
play in childhood (and beyond) is important.
Unstructured play provides benefits that are not
found in structured play, which is often adultdriven. Benefits of this type of play include
developing the imagination, physical dexterity,
and cognitive and emotional growth through
brain development. Unstructured play builds
childrens confidence and resiliency as they
learn to play with others, positively handle
decision-making and conflict, and learn what
drives their interests. When caring adults join
in play that is child-driven, the relationship
between adult and child is strengthened
(Ginsburg, 2007).

Spring 2015

we share our interests, fears, and joys as well.

We demonstrate by actions that Jesus is our
protection. Kids today are usually well aware
that there is a lot of bad news in this world. The
Good News is something to be celebrated and
shared with others. The Good News trumps
our current violence eternally!
With the ever-changing new technologies, we
need to keep up with trends that will help us
tell the story in ways students can understand.
Churches should look at investments in
educational technology as mission investments
and learn to be creative in blending their use
of technologies and childrens activities that
promote engagement. We need to challenge
ourselves to ask new questions and investigate
strategies that connect children with their
Savior. What might Mary Magdalene have
tweeted on Easter morning? What would
Doubting Thomass Facebook posts reveal over
the course of the week following Easter Sunday?
The Role of the Church. Perhaps now
more than ever the Church needs to look
intentionally for ways to support parents in
their efforts to teach the faith in their homes.
With so many single parent families, parents
time is often crunched between work, kids
activities, homework time, shopping, quick
meals, and dropping from exhaustion once the
kids are asleep; consider how much more hectic
this is for single parents. Christian parents
today know the need to be the primary faith
teacher of their children, but too often this
becomes a burden rather than a joy.
The local church strives to know the needs
of its parents in order to build scaffolding on
which to assist them. While support groups for
single parents are great, they often become one
more thing to cross off of a To Do list. Christian
parents want their children to be faithful, but
they often have no knowledge of exactly what
this entails in the home. Churches need to
partner with all their parents to encourage and
equip them to take an intentional role in the
faith formation of their children. This task is
not intended to be handled by parents alone;
the church stands alongside parents to support
them. Making materials available for parents,
generating a list of other adults who can be
faith mentors and role models for children, and

matching parents with older prayer partners

are but a few possibilities to consider.
Consider the needs of our children and the
issues that face them. Does your congregation
offer a kids support group for those dealing
with divorced parents? What new ministries
and services does your church offer that did
not exist 20 years ago? How can unstructured
play be used in your ministry?
A Growing Resource. Given tight budgets,
investing dollars in childrens programs or
assistance for parents who are struggling is
usually not the highest priority. However,
perhaps God has given todays church a unique
resource. According to a report from a large
insurance corporation, there are approximately
65 million grandparents in the United States
(Metlife, 2011). Currently, about one in every
four adults in the U.S. is a grandparent; by
2020, its expected that number will rise to one
in three being a grandparent. Grandparents
are spending more on child-related purchases
than in the past. We also know that while
many grandparents either live with or parent
their grandchildren, growing numbers of
grandparents do not live in close proximity
to their grandchildren. For those who seldom
have face-to-face contact, this distance can be
a source of sorrow. Perhaps God is opening the
door to seeing this challenge as an opportunity.
Churches can utilize the resources and time
of grandparents (and those of grandparent
age who have no grandchildren of their own)
to better the lives of children, even those to
whom they are not directly related. A course
in distance grandparenting may become both
a support group for this demographic as they
strive to discover ways to impact the faith life of
their distant grandchildren and an opportunity

11

References

Concluding Thoughts
Children today face many of the same challenges
that their grandparents did, but the challenges
have escalated. I vaguely remember crawling
under my desk in elementary school to duck
and cover for nuclear attack. Children
today witness violent attacks on TV and in
their own schools and neighborhoods. The
majority of my classmates lived in traditional
two-parent homes; today that is no longer
the norm. Technology has not only changed
how children learn in beneficial ways, but it
also offers dangers and temptations. I was a
true kid possibly longer than some of my
peers, but hurried I was not. There were few
after-school activities, and they just werent
feasible for most families with five kids and
one car. Many middle-class families today are
two-car families, considered a necessity for
shuttling children. Worry over their children
inadvertently encountering pornography was
not a concern of my parents. Organized sports?
Only for my brother, and that within reason.
We had lots of unstructured play time. All five
of us went to college and three of us went on
to advanced degrees, so Im guessing that free
time did not hamper our aspirations.
Yes, some things have changed over the years.
What hasnt changed is that each child needs to
hear that age-old message that God is love and
wants every individual to be His son or daughter.
We are called to a life of faithfulness for today
and in leading future generations. Finding
avenues to do so is not an option.
12

Costa, D. (April 24, 2007). Turn it off, kids! PC

Magazine, 26 (9) 5. doi: http://ezproxy.cui.edu/
login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.asp
x?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=24630537&site=eh
ost-live
Englander, E. (2012, November 6). Cyberbullying
among 11,700 elementary school students, 20102012. Presented at the International
Bullying Prevention Association Annual
Conference, Kansas City, Missouri. Retrieved
from http://webhost.bridgew.edu/marc/
ElementaryCyberbullyingReport.pdf
Ginsburg, K. R. (2007). The importance of play
in promoting healthy child development and
maintaining strong parent-child bonds. Pediatrics,
119. 182-191. doi: 10.1542/peds.2006-2697
Kaeser, F. (n.d.). Towards a better understanding of
childrens sexual behavior. Retrieved from The Child
Study Center website: http://www.aboutourkids.
org/articles/towards_better_understanding_
children039s_sexual_behavior#
MetLife. (July, 2011). The MetLife Report on American
Grandparents: New Insights for a New Generation of
Grandparents. Retrieved from https://www.metlife.
com/assets/cao/mmi/publications/studies/2011/
mmi-american-grandparents.pdf
National Center for Educational Statistics.
(2014, June). Indicators of school crime and safety: 2013.
Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/programs/
crimeindicators/crimeindicators2013/key.asp
Rosenfeld, A. (2004). Harvard, soccer, & overscheduled families. Youth Studies Australia, 23 (1),
15-18. doi: http://ezproxy.cui.edu/login?url=http://
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=
a9h&AN=12405317&site=ehost-live
Toppo, G. (2003, January 12). School violence
hits lower grades. USA Today, retrieved from http://
usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2003-0112-school-violence-usat_x.htm
Vespa, J., Lewis, Jamie M., & Kreider, R. M.
(2013). Americas Families and Living Arrangements: 2012:
Population Characteristics. Retrieved from http://www.
census.gov/prod/2013pubs/p20-570.pdf
Weiss, M. D., Baer, S., Allan, B. A., Saran, K.,
Schibuk, H. (2011, December). The screens
culture: Impact on ADHD. ADHD: Attention
Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders, v. 3 327-334.
doi: 10.1007/s12402-011-0065-z

Issues

to become involved in the lives of children who

would benefit from an adopted Granny or
Grandpa. Grandparents who are not directly
involved in raising grandchildren often have
the time that hurried parents dont have. While
grandparents of preschool and elementaryaged children tend to be still employed, they
are often looking for another way to give
back and be an influence to others. Although
this age demographic is often considered the
financial givers in the congregation, they need
to be seen beyond the monetary contributions
they can make.

Scratching the Millennial Itch

Spring 2015

Ask a Gen Xer or a Baby Boomer what he thinks

of a Millenniala person born between 1984
and 2002and the response is usually the same:
Coddled by their parents. Slow to adulthood.
Avoiders of conflict. At ease with racial, ethnic
and sexual diversity. Quick to cut ties with the
Church after leaving home.
The response from the Millennial isnt much
better: Yeah. So?
We get that youre the Generation X and that
were the Millennial, says Kaitlin Jandereski,
student at Central Michigan University, nonplussed. What you say to us might not always
register in our brains.
The divide between the generations can be
wide and deep. But with a bit of effort, the
curious adult, especially one within the Church,
can discover that the Millennial demographic
isnt as easily pigeonholed as he might think.
At its core, Millennials are a generation of
question-askers. They reject their Boomer
parents fascination w ith novelty and
reinvention, says Issues, Etc. radio host Rev.
Todd Wilken, who discusses similar topics on
the Christ-Centered, Cross-Focused show. In
a culture thats forfeited the ancient and true,
the foundational and lasting, they long for
but are unable to findsomething substantive,

Adriane Heins is the managing

editor of The Lutheran Witness and The
Journal of Lutheran Mission and editor of
LCMS Catechetical Information.
Adriane.Heins@lcms.org

meaty, that which they can sink their teeth

into. In short, they are searching for a sturdy
theological foundation, a churchly history.
Todays youth are often searching for
answers to the foundational questions of life
and truth that those in the generations that have
gone before them have long taken for granted,
the Rev. Marcus Zill, director of lcms u, The
Lutheran ChurchMissouri Synods campus
ministry arm, says simply.

Who Are We?

What questions are Millennials asking? Big
ones, and Zill has heard them all. Is there a
place for objective truth in a world where all
truths are being deconstructed and spirituality
is viewed by most as being completely inward
and subjective? he recounts. How can I trust
Gods Word and know that it is true when there
are so many other well-intentioned religious
people who are not Christian, but who believe
that their beliefs are equally true? How can
I confess the truth of Gods Word and not
come off as judgmental in a world in which
tolerance is the supreme virtue?
A ll the queries funnel down to one
issuean identity crisisand a generation of
young people asking the ultimate question,
Who are we?
T he c u lt u r e h a s a n a n s w e r, but it
isnt satisfying.
In fact, if its taught him one thing,
Millennial Joe Muench, a student at Concordia
University, St. Paul, says, its that: We must not

13

The Anchor of Christ

Our professors are talking to us about our
upcoming tests. Our coaches are talking to
us about running that extra mile, Jandereski
explains. Our doctors are talking to us about
eating the green stuff. But nobodyand I mean
nobodyis talking to us about the one true God.
This places The Lutheran ChurchMissouri
Synod specifically and the Church in general
in a prime position to care forand answer the
questions asked byyoung people. Why?
Because amid the chaos and confusion, the
lack of information and the overwhelming
amount of it, there is good news for the
searching Millennial (not to mention his
parents, grandparents and friends). Christ
has a way of transcending all things, including
our sin-filled stereotypes, explains the Rev.
Bart Day, executive director of The Lutheran
ChurchMissouri Synods Office of National
Mission, which oversees youth ministry and
lcms u. Millennials, like all of us, need Christ.
Indeed, In a world of constant change,
endless trends and gimmicks, fleeting hopes
and eventual hard realities, the Millennial itch
for something deeper is scratched by the ancient
confessions in ways no new media propaganda
can, explains the Rev. Jonathan Fisk, creator of
Worldview Everlasting, a Lutheran series of YouTube
videos, radio clips and brief Q and As that
14 address significant Millennial-esque theological

questions in a faithfully winsome way. It may

not be my fathers entertainment industry, but
its still Adams world in which Jesus Christ is
the same: yesterday, today and forever.
Millennials are looking for, and respond
favorably to, a faith that has substance, a
real Jesus, Day says. Not a faddish Christ
who buckles at every hint of cultural, social,
economic and political headwind.
Theyve got plenty of that already: fashion,
media, music, relationships. Its why they need
God in the flesh, he says, God as one of them,
God in the sinful world alongside of them,
bringing real life and salvation.
And Millennials resonate to timelessness,
to the quest for truth. That Gospel, that
preaching, that confession, that absolution
undying because He is not dead, spoken the
same by generation after generationthat is
not only something money cant buy, but its
something that we both already have and know
the earth is literally dying to hear, Fisk says.

Parents Spiritual Connectedness

Knowing the question has been askedWho
am I?and answeredA young man or
woman died and risen for by the very Son of
Godemboldens the Church to speak words
of comfort and truth to the Millennial.
And those words are exactly what they
need. W hat helps me grow in my faith
[are] ... the discussions, explains Gunnar
Campbell, a high school student from Tuscola,
Illinois, noting that theological conversations
with young people are often overlooked
in the Church.
From discussions with my brothers and
sisters in Christ, I have gained not only a
wider scope of knowledge but an enhanced
understanding and comprehension of what it
is to be Christian, he says.
The result: It has strengthened my faith
and made me confident in what I believe and
declare. And that in turn, he believes, fuels a
desire within me to constantly learn and grow
in the faith.
Recent studies1 also show that one group,
more than any other, is primed to start those
discussions, practically determining the
extent to which Millennials will be receptive

Issues

let anyone else tell us who we are. We find our

true identity only by looking inside ourselves.
The media, his peers, older generations ... all
have taught him that he deserves only the best,
so Letting someone else dictate who we are and
what we believe about ourselves may harm our
self-esteem, he quips, and it certainly wont let
us reach our full potential as the most awesome
individual ever that we all are!
T he resu lt is conf usionwhen t he
answer cant be foundand then undue
pressure, leaving Millennials caught in the
place between not trusting the constructs
developed by Boomers and not wanting to
repeat their mistakes, notes Zill, while not
having an adequate foundation to build new
structures themselves.
Its a frustrating, lonely place to be.

to hearing more aboutor remaining a part

ofthe Church.
The spiritual connectedness of the parent is
the top indicator for the connectedness of young
people, explains the Rev. Mark Kiessling,
interim director of lcms Youth Ministry.
Research bears this out across the spectrum
of Christian denominations. Children of
Christian parents observe, practice and learn
the importance of faith in earthly life, pointing
them to the promise of eternal life.
In fact, The connection is nearly
deterministic, said the University of Notre
Dame Sociologist Christian Smith, lead
researcher for the study ... No other conceivable
causal influence ... comes remotely close to
matching the influence of parents on the
religious faith and practices of youth ... Parents
just dominate.2
And the Millennials agree. This is where
pastors and parents have a great opportunity to
deliver the Good News of Jesus Christ, Muench
says. In the face of a culture that demands
perfection and that often forces people to put
forward a false front of greatness for the public
to admire, Christians find comfort in the fact
that our identity does not lie within ourselves
... our true identity is found outside of ourselves
and in Christ and His righteousness.

Spring 2015

Opportunity and Responsibility

The substantial role of the parents in fostering
a life of personal devotion, faith and piety,
however, doesnt mean the rest of the Church
is off the hook when it comes to hearing and
being heard by Millennials. Congregations
have a wonderful opportunity and responsibility
to serve as the family, born of God, not the
will of man,3 says Kiessling. As brothers and
sisters in Christ, congregations can create
hospitable environments for young people and
their families to grow in their understanding
of Gods Word and Jesus love for us.
Jandereski agrees. Talk to us, she says
on behalf of her Millennial peers. Not just
the, My, how youve grown! same old, same
old either. But really talk to us about things
that matter, such as Jesus. I know its scary to
approach a college student with his or her arm
hooked up to an IV of strong roast coffee in the

midst of midterm week, but we desperately want

you to talk with us about our faith.
Millennials wantand certainly needthe
reassurance of the answer to their Who am
I? question, and reminding them of their
Baptismof the way in which Christ uses His
Word and water to rescue from sin, death and
the devilgives form and shape to the answer
for which theyre looking.
Its why Millennials want the anchor of
Christ and Him crucified that is found and
lived in the life-giving waters of Holy Baptism,
Day explains. The baptized life in Christ is
the identity that transcends all generational
categories. Millennials need Baptism because
they need Jesus. They need a baptismal life that
can endure and have meaning ... Through daily
contrition and repentance, their life in Christ
is renewed and strengthened as they grow in
faith toward him and in fervent love toward
one another.
And while it may not always be easy, Adults
of all ages can go out of their way to show
care for young people, Kiessling encourages.
Know their names, pray for them and tell them
[you] did so, support youth activities inside
and outside of church, let young people know
they are missed when not at church and show
understanding of challenges of growing up
Christian in todays world. Doing so, he believes,
will both show and tell a Millennials local
congregation as a place of grace, forgiveness,
and life-promoting relationships.

15

Youve Given Us Everything

Opinions between Gen Xers, Baby Boomers
and Millennials will still differ. Differences
regarding conflict, diversity and adulthood
will linger. But involved parents and a caring
congregationwilling to answer the difficult
questions of meaning and life with the answer
of Christ and His giftswill go a long way in
coming alongside a generation spiraling deeper
into questions the culture refuses to answer.
Stop the pattern, begs Jandereski. Break
open a Bible just to simply talk about the Word
of Christ and being a Christian. Show us that
its imperative to remain steadfast, bold and
true in the Word of Christ.
Because if the Church is brave enough to
do so, she just may find that the Millennials
are more mature than one might think, more
prepared to speak to their faith than even they
expected. The great thing [about the Gospel]
is that it is a free gift, Muench says. It is
something far greater than all the wonderful
earthly things this society tells us we deserve.
The righteousness of Christ is given freely by
grace and undeservedly, he notes, so that no
matter how one feels about ones self, identity
with Christ is right there to take hold of and
grasp as ones own.
By giving us the downright anguished Law
that shreds us apart sin by sin and the bloody
drenched theology of the cross, youve given
us everything, Jandereski says. Youve let us
hear the Word of God. Thats all anyone could
ever ask.

End Notes
1. See the National Study of Youth and Religion.
2. David Briggs. Association of Religion Data
Archives. Parents No. 1 influence helping teens
remain religiously active as young adults. http://
bit.ly/1tD59Oi Accessed Nov. 23, 2014.

16

Issues

3. John 1:13.

Good News to Generation X

Spring 2015

Jesus sent out the Twelve and said to them, I

am sending you out like sheep among wolves.
Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as
innocent as doves. (Matthew 10:16 niv). This
passage speaks to the nature of the disciples
being bearers of the good news of our salvation
in Jesus Christthe point being that temptation,
persecution, and vulnerability will come upon
those who are engaged in the mission of Jesus.
Therefore shrewdness, wisdom or cunning
are called for.
Yet there is an additional emphasis. One who
is sent with the good news is to use the wisdom
of the Scriptures as well as Gods First Article
gifts to be wise or cunning or shrewd not only
in what you share but how you share it. What
we share does not change. Gods mission is
clear. He has been relentless to save the world
since the fall and the promise of a Savior in
Genesis 3. God says that He loves the world
and wills all to be saved through Jesus Christ
(John 3:16 and 1 Timothy 2:4). Miraculously
He chooses to use sinful people to deliver this
salvation through the means of grace. There
is no Plan B.

Scott Gress, M.Div.,

is Coaching Consultant to the
Florida-Georgia District of
The Lutheran ChurchMissouri
Synod, and Director of Coaching,
Transforming Churches Network.
scottgress@me.com

So in light of Gods love and in honor of

Gods will, how we share this Good News
requires us to be shrewdly aware of the receiver
and how one is perceived and received in the
interpersonal exchange. One representing
Christ ought never be one who is manipulative
but rather sensitive to the other in the love
of Christ. One is to be wise in avoiding the
traps and pitfalls of communication so that
Law and Gospel may rightly be applied in
communicating the Good News. The audience
for this communication to whom we deliver the
Good News is the world but it also includes
Generation X.
Generation Xers were born between the early
1960s and the early 1980s, depending on whose
timeline you use, and they have a number of
interesting characterizations.
Professor Christine Henseler summarizes
Gen X as a generation whose worldview
is based on change, on the need to combat
corruption, dictatorships, abuse, aids, a
generation in search of human dignity and
individual freedom, the need for stability, love,
tolerance, and human rights for all.1 Judy
Isaksen adds that, compared with previous
generations, Generation X represents a more
apparently heterogeneous generation, openly
acknowledging and embracing social diversity
in terms of such characteristics as race, class,
religion, ethnicity, culture, language, gender
identity, and sexual orientation.2
One of my non-lcms colleagues, a Christian
leader who is solidly within this generation,

17

Self Awareness and Self Management

As we go about the task of bringing the Good
News to Generation X, one would be well
advised to recognize that generalizations can
be dangerous. Some in Generation X may not
represent the characteristics of the generation
as a whole. Therefore assumptions about people
can be wrong, and the wise as a serpent
approach takes each encounter and relationship
one by one. We will be sensitive in dialogue with
the otherin humility consider others better
than yourselves (Philippians 2:3)seeking to
love them deeply (Romans 13:8; 1 Peter 1:22;
1John 4:17).
Doing this requires one to be self-aware,
which involves our own deep inner work. What
do I really believe? What does God really think
of me? What do I really think of others? Do I
view them through Gods eyes or in some other
way? Do I lose myself in Christ (Galatians 2:20),
and am I able to lose myself in serving others?
Or is there something else going on? Is my
self-esteem riding on this conversation? What
about this person is related to myself? What
is going on inside of me as I seek to engage
in dialogue with others? What is my real
motivation to engage people with the Gospel
of Jesus? Those Gen Xers who encounter us
will likely excuse our weaknesses but will detect
our incongruences or inauthentic behavior very
quickly. Not surprisingly then, how much we
are self-aware and how we self-manage goes
to our credibility or integrity. This in the end
can only come from who we are in Christ as
His baptized believers, which shapes our hearts
and our relationships with Generation Xers.

Potential Pitfalls
There are many potential pitfalls in speaking
with anyone about faith or religion. If someone
is aligned with the characteristics of Gen X,
then there is much to disagree with theologically
and biblically. One could exhaust the time
confronting them with facts and truths from the
Scriptures, and one would likely be justified and
correct in all that was said. Yet if merely telling
them truth ends the relationship and closes
their ears to further dialogue, then one who
is wise as a serpent will consider other ways.

Issues

defines his generation as one that grew up

bombarded with multimedia, advertising and
television. He speaks of how this exposure
to life and consumerism brought a sense of
skepticism about products and services and
therefore an aversion to being told something or
sold something for fear of being manipulated.3
When interviewing a close friend and nonChristian Gen Xer, I was told that through
television and technology, Gen Xers see the
whole world as a place to explore. That would
include not only its cultures and foods but also its
religions. That means, she said, that Gen Xers
are adventurers and explorers who try things
out and experiment, including narcissism, selffulfillment, and self-gratification. In terms of
religion, she added that Gen Xers are typically
very turned off toward those who think they
know it all or have all the answers. They are
much more open to those who espouse deep
spirituality rather than loyalty to religious
dogma. While certainly not indicative of all
Gen Xers, her experience took her to Catholic
grade school for three years during which she
was baptized at a school chapel. She said she
hated it. In exploring how it happened she said
it was because of the imposing influence of her
grandmother.4
These interviews and statements are
confirmed by Tom Beaudoins book, Virtual Faith.
From his research four themes underpin Gen
Xs theology:
1. All institutions are suspectespecially
organized religionhypocrisy (so they take
religion into their own hands)
2. Personal experience is everything
3. Suffering is spiritual
4. Ambiguity is a central element of faiththey
embrace doubt5
If the above characteristics of Gen Xers are
even partially true, it is easy to see how a
typical Gen Xer might be turned off toward
organized religion or any religious view that
touts exclusivity. Certainly the scandal of
particularity or the doctrine that Gods love
is extended to the world in Christ alone is
offensive. Yet having Gods promises we are
not without hope, and we pray we would be
shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves. So,
18 what does this mean?

Rather than merely provide correction, the goal

is to be a tool in Gods hand to transform their
hearts and minds that they also be in Christ
Jesus (cf. Acts 9:15, 2 Corinthians 4:7). Far
from avoiding the law, which can harden their
hearts, it is being wise to seek a way to be fully
heard and understood (Acts 17:22ff.).
Another pitfall is that if this generation
is suspicious of advertising and sensitive to
acceptance and diversity, then they will resent
being treated as a spiritual consumer. To Gen
Xers, its not about the music or the product
but the authenticity. Its not about who is
right and who is wrong but who is real. If we
approach outreach to 21st century America
by treating people as consumers of spiritual
goods and serviceswhich smacks of marketing
or packagingthen what are they to conclude
but that the Church is the same as everything
else? That may not be our intent, but that
may be how we are perceived. If for Gen Xers
institutions are suspect, their curiosity to
explore Christianity may very well have a short
life. In fact they may write off any potential
relationship with us shortly after we exchange
names because they may lump us in with other
previous experiences and exchanges.
This is not to say that we have to compromise
what we believe or even give tacit approval of
what Gen Xers say they believe or think. Yet it
is important that first the relationship be in a
place where a true exchange of ideas can occur
and where both sides can be heard.

Spring 2015

Another Approach
As we grew up we were told what to do. We went
to school and were told what to do and what to
study. We went to work and were told when and
how to work. We went to church and were also
told what was right and wrong and were told
the truths of Gods Word. We live in a telling
society. Telling is such a common experience
that when we became parents and teachers and
church workers, telling became the default
mode of communicating and helping people.
That is not a bad thing. Telling is often the
only way new information is received. We go
to authorities for their expertise in the law and
taxes and plumbing and car repair and we are
gladly told. We even pay for it! Yet if telling

someone what is right and wrong and true or

not true shuts down the dialogue or alienates
someone or cuts the relationship short before
the message is fully heard, then what alternative
do we have? It might seem there are few. If
someone does not know his or her sin and
does not know the love of God in Jesus Christ,
then it seems obvious in a telling culture that
telling someone is the logical choice. Yet God
sometimes communicates in other styles with
us sinners who are often slow to hear.
Right after the fall into sin, God seeks Adam
and Eve in the garden and calls, Where are
you? (Genesis 3:9). God says to Cain, Why
are you angry? and Where is your brother
Abel? (Genesis 4:6, 9). Certainly God knew
the answers to these questions, but God asks
these questions for the hearers benefit rather
than to simply gain information or make a point.
These questions serve a higher purpose: to raise
awareness in Adam and Cain about what has
happened so they understand the seriousness of
what they have done. Such probing fits within
the broader category of preaching the Law so
that the hearer can come to an awareness of
his sin and guilt.
Jesus often used questions as a rhetorical
device to teach and engage those hearing Him.
In Luke 10 Jesus answered a question with a
question: On one occasion an expert in the
Law stood up to test Jesus. Teacher, he asked,
what must I do to inherit eternal life? What
is written in the Law? he replied. How do you
read it? in Luke 9 Jesus was praying in private
and his disciples were with Him. He asked them
the question, Who do the crowds say that I
am? Then Jesus had a follow-up question after
their answers. But what about you? Who do
you say I am? This was a means to teach and
also a means to get people to think. It was not
manipulative, but rather it was a helpful way to
guide them through the thinking process and
to own their answers.
Educators recognize this as the Socratic
method, an ancient and common teaching
practice. The philosopher Socrates engaged
in dialogue and took the position of student
while putting the other person in the position
of teacher by asking them questions. In this
way, Socrates got them thinking and exploring.

19

20

orthodox content about Jesus largely because the

Gen Xer regards the proclaimer as a know-itall who has something to sell. Thus they reject
the proclaimer and neglect the Savior, having
never really wrestled with sin and grace.
Another option is to go in with a coach
approach, asking the sort of Socratic questions
we find in the Gospels and Pauls letters. Ask
them about themselves. Ask them about their
hopes and dreams, their background and their
experience with spirituality and religion. Ask
them what they believe. Consider yourself an
interviewer seeking to get to know them on
a deeper level. Be curious and be interested.
Often they will ask you what you believe, and you
can answerand, I would suggest,succinctly
and joyfully.
A similar dialogue continues with the Gen
Xer whose imposing grandmother insisted she
be baptized as a first grader at her Catholic
school. As we continue to talk, she has shared
about her fear of God and of hell, which would
have probably never happened with another
approach. Eventually she asked me what I
believed. She persisted in asking me until I gave
a short few statements. I admitted my falling
short of Gods standards of perfection but that
through Christ, who was my stand-in on the
cross, I was completely forgiven, not due to
my own goodness but because of what Jesus
has done for me and for all people. Her reply?
I dont believe that. I was sad, but with this
relationship the dialogue continues and now
I know where the starting line is for her. We
continue to talk regularly, and taking a coach
approach is affirming for her while she also
knows that is not what I believe. Is that not
what God wants from us? To bear witness to
what we believe about Him and His Son Jesus
Christ, while persisting in relationships in spite
of where they are or what they believe?
In a relationship with another, different
Gen Xer where this coach approach was used,
thankfully another outcome occurred. By Gods
graceand interestingly also with the influence
of her grandmothershe came to the place where
she confessed that this Good News in Jesus
Christ was also for her. Praise God!
Issues

In this subordinate role, Socrates was affirming

the student, and so they were more open to
dialogue and would more readily engage.
T h is mode of ask i ng quest ions as
demonstrated by God and found in Socrates is
different from the telling mode so familiar
to us and our society. And Socratic questioning
is in keeping with a newer helping skill called
coaching. We typically regard coaching as
it relates to sports coaches, voice coaches, or
other types of skills coaches. Yet coaching as
a helping skill has important differences. It is
my specialty or niche as I serve congregations,
pastors and others.
We often tend to approach issues and decisions
from a single perspective. As a helping skill,
coaching poses questions to help people reflect
on life choices in ways they have not considered.
Along the way the coachee experiences new
or renewed awareness or discoveries and then,
based upon those new insights and additional
questions from the coach, makes intentional
decisions or choices. These insights can occur
when another person comes along side and asks
some different questions from the questions the
coachee has been askingand this can prompt
a new perspective and additional insights. This
ah-ha experience is common in the classroom
for students as they wrestle with a new concept,
and it can be the same with those wrestling
with their sin, the truths of the Bible, and the
promised Savior Jesus.
Coming along side someone as a coach with
a coach approach can be a helpful way to
engage someone as a thinking partner. In this
way one helps them explore what they truly
believe, even to the point of knowing their sin
and sinful nature and their need for a Savior in
Jesus Christ. Please do not misunderstand: this
is not like a lawyer or interrogator manipulating
the conversation. It is a genuine dialogue of
interest, curiosity and questions, a dialogue
that avoids the default mode of telling.
Lets contrast these modes for the Gen
Xer. In the one scenario, the witness to Jesus
Christ correctly proclaims scriptural facts about
Gods Law and Gospel as the truth it is. Yet the
Gen Xer dismisses this proclamation and its

Now What? Some Questions to Ponder

1. Who in your personal web of relationships
is a Gen Xer? How might or might not they
represent the typical Gen Xer?
2. How clear and congruent are you within
yourself about what you believe, why you
believe it, and how you behave and interact
with people as a result?
3. How can you shift from telling to more
asking and coaching?
4. What kind of questions can you ask that
communicate your genuine care, interest,
and curiosity as opposed to looking like an
interrogator?
5. What service activities is your school or
church doing for others where you could
invite Gen Xers to participate even as nonmembers (or non-Christians) and in so doing
capitalize on the philanthropic nature of Gen
Xers? How can you introduce them to other
Christians and engage in more dialogue
during those activities?
Our society in so many ways mirrors the
characteristics of Gen Xers: embracing
diversity in beliefs, tolerance toward other
views, skepticism of religion, and even being
critical of Christianity.6 With this in mind, how
might you grow in being wise as a serpent and
innocent as a dove?

End Notes
1. Henseler, C. (2013). Generation X goes global: Mapping
a youth culture in motion. New York: Routledge.
2. Isaksen, Judy L. (2002). Generation X. St. James
Encyclopedia of Pop Culture.
3. C. Hall, personal communication, Sept 26, 2014.
4. A. Gray, personal communication, Nov 4, 2014.
5. Beaudoin, T. (1998). Virtual faith: The irreverent spiritual
quest of generation X. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Spring 2015

6. Kinnaman, D., & Lyons, G. (2007). Unchristian:

What a new generation really thinks about Christianityand
why it matters. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books.

21

Good News to the Generations

The Baby Boomers

22

Daniel P. Czaplewski, Ed.D., M.Div.,

is Pastor at Mt. Calvary Lutheran
Church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
pastorc@mtcalvary-mke.org

30-year-olds in Boomer America as there

were when the generation just prior to the
Baby Boom (those born 1929-1945) turned
30 (Carlson, 2009). The Boomers were also a
significantly larger group than the generation
that immediately followed them (those born
1965-1982). Carlson points out that part of what
distinguishes generations from one another is
their size, and generation size rode a roller
coaster during the 20th century (p. 3). Marx
(2014) describes the ebb and flow of generations
in America as a real life version of As the
World Turns (p. 22).
To be transparent, this author is a Boomer
born in 1956; the median birth year for the
Baby Boomers is 1955 (Carlson, 2009). It is easy
to present the unique foibles, faults, and follies
of the Boomers in an autobiographical fashion.
Fortunately, the Boomers have been extensively
studied, analyzed, and critiqued through the
lenses of sociology, demography, and, perhaps
most pervasively, market research. By analyzing
the literature on the Boomers, the author
intends to outline the unique opportunities for
the Gospel, the assets the Boomers provide for
communicating the Gospel, and the resistance
to the Gospel distinctive to the Baby Boom
generation in order to assist churches and
Christian schools in bringing the Good News
to this generation.

A Generation Goes ShoppingGet

Yours Today!
One of the characteristics that sets the Boomers
apart is they are a generation of consumers.
Roof (1993) notes, Boomers were born in
a time of considerable affluence and almost

Issues

For every generation sin is sin and grace is grace.

The Gospel message applies to the deepest need
of humanity in every age. It is equally clear
that our presentation of the Gospel can be
adequately flexible to adapt to the unique needs
of each hearer. St. Paul tailored his message
to the unique environment of 1 st century
Athens (Acts 17:16-34), and he asserted to the
Corinthian church: I have become all things
to all people, that by all means I might save
some (1 Corinthians 9:22). Pauls rationale
for being so adaptable was not to change the
Gospel; rather it was to further the Gospel: I
do it all for the sake of the gospel that I may
share with them its blessings (1 Corinthians
9:23). Each generation presents new challenges
and opportunities for the Gospel.
The Baby Boom generation is so named
because a spike in the birth rate immediately
following World War II and a significant
decline in birth rate in 1965 defines it. When
GIs returned from fighting World War II, they
came home to wives and sweethearts who then
started having babies in record numbers. From
1946 until 1964, approximately 76 million
babies were born in the United States (Hicks
and Hicks, 1999).
Boomers may have been the children of the
greatest generation, but they were, by simple
arithmetic, the largest generation up to that
point in American history. To put this into
perspective, there were almost twice as many

limitless expectations (p. 42). They did not

endure depravations of the Great Depression
or rationing of basic commodities during World
War II like their parents and grandparents had.
The Boomers could have it all; at least they were
told they should have it all.
When Boomers watched tv as children and
teens (something their parents hadnt done
as children and their grandparents could
never have imagined), they were the targets
of considerable marketing expertise. Whether
Boomers watched commercials for hula-hoops
or the latest k-tell record (not cd or mp3, but
vinyl record), the message was clear: dont
wait, get yours today! The Boomers were
conditioned to be a generation of consumers
who didnt need to wait for anything.
The consumer mind-set of Boomers made
them customers of everything, and this
characteristic has been a source of much
anxiety within Christian churches, particularly
those affiliated with mainline denominations.
Evangelical Christians, often with no
discernable denominational ties, took what
Douthat (2012) calls a more entrepreneurial
approach, to ministry that was built on the
premise more money, more ministry (p.
107). As grown Boomers go shopping for
churches, they judge their options based on
specific criteria. Some believers are looking
for a day care center, concessions stands, an
upbeat sermon and a kick-ass choirhence the
megachurch explosion (Douthat, p. 198). If
Baby Boomers could get theirs today when it
came to hula-hoops and records, they seemed
very willing to shop for a church that would
give them what they wanted.

Spring 2015

A Generation Goes to BedThe Sexual

Revolution
One can hardly talk about the Baby Boom
generation without considering the sexual
revolution begun in the 1960s. If Boomers
werent going to wait to get a hula-hoop at age
eight, then at age 18 they certainly werent
going to wait until marriage to engage in
sexual relations.
Boomers were the most educated generation
up to that point; twice as many of the Boomers
went to college as their parents and three times

as many as their grandparents (Roof, 1993, p.

51). All those 18-22 year olds in colleges far away
from their parentsand the sexual constraints
of an older generationcreated a perfect storm
for what became know as the New Morality
(Hicks & Hicks, 1999).
The sexual revolution was also sanctioned by
international scientific opinion. It was broadly
believed in the 1960s that the repressive sexual
mores of traditional Christianity posed a threat
to humanity. Christian teaching on sexuality
was made a scapegoat attacked by scientists
and statesmen as one of the many fuses lighting
the supposed population bomb (Douthat,
2012, p. 73). Once unintended procreation was
taken out of the equation of human sexuality,
a generation was ready to go to bed with just
about anyone.
The shift in sexual behavior was emblematic
of a significant change in fundamental values
that was captured in the somewhat overused
phrase of the 1960s and 1970s: generation
gap. Hicks and Hicks (1999) note There was,
in fact, a gap between the values, attitudes, and
actions of Baby Boomers and those of their
parents (p. 248).

T he G eneration Gap G oes to

ChurchThe High Water Mark for
Denominations
Ch r ist ia n c hurc hes, pa r t icu la rly
denominational churches, reached their high
water mark in terms of size and market share
during the years of the Baby Boom or shortly
thereafter. Douthat points out that the churchgoing rate in 1940 was around 40 percent while
by the late 1950s it was nearly 50 percent (p.
21). At the same time, church membership was
growing at a rate nearly twice that of population
growth (p. 22). Surveys indicate that 95 percent
of the Boomers participated in traditional
religious services during their childhood
years (Southerland, Poloma, & Pendleton,
2003, p. 319).
The influx of the largest generation ever in
American history had an impact on churches.
In the case of the Lutheran ChurchMissouri
Synod, the advent of the professional Director
of Christian Education (dce) coincides with

23

A Generation Goes out the Back Door

Membership in The Lutheran Church
Missouri Synod (lcms) peaked in 1970 at
2,788,536 and then declined 478,301 over
the next 40 years. This is not unique to the
lcms or the United States; van der Merwe,
Grobler, Strasheim, and Orton (2012) assert
that the decline of involvement in Christian
churches is a worldwide phenomenon. Many
factors influenced the decline in the lcms, and
it was paralleled in other U.S. denominations.
Douthat (2012) notes one significant influence
on this decline:

24

A Lutheran might remain a Lutheran

when moving from his urban birthplace
to a nearby suburb, but would he stick to
his confession when he moved again, and
yet again, shedding the ties of family and
community along the way? The answer,

often, was no; our hypothetical Protestant

was more likely to find himself drawn to
nondenominational churches and do-ityourself religion (p. 80).
Another factor that eroded denominational
loyalties was the increased number of
marriages between people of different
religious backgrounds. Even when one spouse
remained involved in his or her own faith
tradition, activity in church life was diminished
(Douthat, 2012).
That the Boomers left the churches of their
youth, if only for a time, is not surprising. Roof
(1993) observes dropping out of organized
religion during the young adult years, at least
for a transitory period in a persons life, is a
deeply embedded cultural pattern in America
(p. 56). What was unprecedented among the
Baby Boomers is that when some of them
dropped out in their 20s, they pursued serious
metaphysical quests on their own in the hope of
finding a more fulfilling way of believing and
living (p. 79). Roofs research finds that those
who pursued these do-it-yourself religious
journeys see themselves today as spiritual, but
not religious.
Roof (1993) shows that many Boomers
concluded that religious services they attended
as children involved an inherent hypocrisy and
irrelevance. They felt, in some ways, driven
from the Church because it is too abstract and
disconnected from the everyday world where
they lived (p. 78).
The judgment of some Boomers on
Christianity in general and individual
Christian congregations in particular may have
an autobiographical element. More than 40
years ago Strommen, Brekke, Underwager, and
Johnson (1972) produced research indicating
a negative evaluation of ones congregation is
closely linked to an anxiety over ones faith (p.
291). It follows that the criticism of Christians
going through the motions may be rooted in
the critics own ambivalence about his or her
own faith.
This article only scratches the surface of what
is known about the Baby Boom generation. The
practical question that churches and those who
love them need to ask is, What are we going to
do about it? The good news is there is hope.

Issues

the Baby Boom. Despite discussions and

experiments with the position of dce going
back to the early 20th century, it wasnt until
1959 that the Synod in convention authorized
the position as a category of professional church
worker. Another resolution by Synod in 1962
gave the responsibility for training future dces
to its two teacher training schools. Between
1969 and 1978, just as hordes of Baby Boomers
were entering Sunday school and church youth
groups, the number of dces expanded rapidly
(Keyne, 1995).
Churches in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s
had an unprecedented number of children
attending Sunday school, they were confirming
record classes of young people, and they had
burgeoning youth groups. Professional dces
were a way for lcms churches to reach a new
generation. Simultaneously, in the broader
Christian church, Organizations like Campus
Crusade for Christ and Inter-Varsity Christian
Fellowship (ivcf) capitalized on the mood of
the times, making use of sixties music and art,
organizing Bible study and explorer groups,
and by casting faith in terms that students could
relate to (Roof, 1993, p. 103).
The statistical decline of Christian churches
following the Baby Boom calls into question
the long-term effectiveness of these efforts by
parishes and para-church ministries.

Future HopeMulti-Generational
Communities
Douthat (2012) offers a critique of Christianity
in America that takes a broad view of history.
He concludes that, throughout the history of the
Church, an age of crisis was swiftly followed by
an era of renewal, in which forces threatening
the faith either receded or were discredited
and Christianity itself revived (p. 278). It
is this authors opinion that the revival of
Christianitys ability to positively influence
individuals in their daily lives will come from
local communities of faith. Douthat observes:
You couldnt spend your whole life in
Campus Crusade for Christ, or raise
your daughter to be a Promise Keeper,
or count on groups like the Moral Majority
or Christian Coalition to sustain your
belief system beyond the next election
cycle. For that kind of staying power you
needed a confessional tradition, a church,
an institution capable of outlasting its
charismatic founders (p. 140).
One hopeful approach to reaching the Baby
Boomer generation is with a multi-generational
approach. In discussing how this can look in
an educational setting, Marx (2014) proposes
deliberately orchestrating multi-generational
teams, planning sessions, cross-generational
mentoring, and other activities [which] can
build relationships and even add to our
wisdom (p. 45).
Cross-generational relationships can build
vitality in local congregations and Christian
schools. These relationships, however, dont
happen spontaneously. They need to be
intentionally fostered and facilitated.

Spring 2015

Future HopePassing the Torch

Starting in 2011 Boomers began reaching the
age of 65, and for the next 20 years about 10,000
of them a day will be reaching that milestone
(Marx, 2014, p. 29). Though the evidence is
somewhat tentative, Boomers, it appears, will
not have the same kind of retirement that their
parents and grandparents had. This presents
a challenge and an opportunity for churches
and Christian schools.
Calo (2008) indicates a danger in these
coming retirements: organizations run the
risk of losing great stores of knowledge from

the impending retirement of large numbers

of baby boomers (p. 405). Calo distinguishes
two types of knowledge that are transferred
within organizations. Explicit knowledge is
what experts in a field have, and new experts
are being made every day. Explicit knowledge
is easily preserved and transferred within
an organization. Tacit knowledge, however,
is easily lost. Tacit knowledge is informal
and uncodified, and it exists in the head
of employees and in the experiences of the
organization (p. 410).
Another emerging change in retirement
patterns is many Boomers continue to work fulltime past traditional retirement age and others
continue to work part-time in retirement (Carr
& Kail, 2012). In addition, there are indicators
Boomers are more inclined to volunteer after
retirement. The transition of the Boomers
into retirement will lead to more volunteers
for organizations because simple demographic
changes will greatly increase the total number
of elderly volunteers as the boomers grow older
(Einolf, 2009, p. 196).
Part-time workers and volunteers afford
churches and Christian schools tremendous
assets that can aid in the transfer of the explicit
and tacit knowledge Boomers have accumulated.
This applies to both lay and professional leaders
in churches and Christian schools. Capturing
the resources that part-time and volunteer staff
can bring to churches and Christian schools
will require flexibility and humility from
leaders who may not be Boomers. Particularly
in the face of decline in many churches, parttime and volunteer staff may be a viable option
available to meet staffing needs.

Future HopeChristians As Outsiders

The Boomers lived through the rise and fall of
Christian influence on American culture. As
children they went to churches with pews full
of families, Sunday school classes frustrated by
the lack of space, and youth groups brimming
with teenagers sporting the same long hair
and garish clothing. They witnessed what
Sutherland, Poloma, and Pendelton (2003) call
the massification of churches. It may be that
the Boomers contributed to this massification
more than they are given credit.

25

26

Christian schools remain a bright spot in

terms of how the Gospel touches the broader
culture. They connect with new generations
in ways that churches often struggle to attain.
Christian schools may experience some hostility
directed toward their values, but parents who
enroll their children in Christian schools
are free to leave these voluntary associations
if they find the environment too restrictive.
Meanwhile, as the Boomers leave full-time work
and leadership, they have much to offer these
ministries. Douthat (2012) observes:
There may come a moment when the loss
of Christianitys cultural preeminence
enables believers to recapture some of [its]
original radicalism. Maybe it is already
here, if only Christians could find a
way to shed the baggage of a vanished
Christendom and speak the language of
this age (p. 279).
If any generation is prepared to function well as
radicals, it is the Baby Boomers. They created
youth culture, fired the opening salvos of the
sexual revolution, and broke with almost every
convention of their parents. The Boomers are
natural radicals, and they bring enormous
amounts of tacit knowledge to current positions
of Christianity as counter-cultural.
The challenge for Boomers is to rise above
the consumerism and narcissism cultivated in
their psyches to embrace the radical, countercultural, outsider Christianity of 21st Century
America. This is no time for nostalgic pining for
the Church of another era. The revolutionary
claims of the Gospel drive Christians forward
to engage the broader culture with the claims
of the Gospel.
Baby Boomers may very well be the last
generation with broad, firsthand knowledge
of Church. Many have left the faith, but they
know what it involved, so the Gospel is not
as foreign to their experience. At the same
time, the Boomers still active in Church are
familiar with radical devotion to countercultural causes. Churches of the 21st Century
will find the radicalism of the Boomers in step
with the times.

Issues

The Boomers were insiders in their

churches, and the size of this generation may
explain why so many mainline congregations
reached their high points as the last of the Baby
Boom generation came of age. Baby Boomers
were baptized in our churches, filled our Sunday
school classes to overflowing, were confirmed in
record numbers, and swelled our youth groups.
As this generation approaches retirement, they
no longer participate in the churches of their
youth. To put it bluntly, we lost them. If we want
them back, we cannot change the message of
the Gospel, but we must adapt its presentation.
When adult (dare we say older adult) Boomers
return to the churches of their youth, they
typically have no trouble finding a place to sit
and they see programs for children and youth
that are shadows of their former magnitude. In
many cases, the return to the congregations of
their youth is not even possible because they
have ceased operation.
The sexual revolution begun in the 1960s has
continued to vistas that could never have been
anticipated. The new morality has yet to settle
into a new normal 50 years after it emerged.
Traditional Christian views on human sexuality
are no longer seen as igniting a population
bomb. They have been pushed so far to the
margins that they have little or no influence
on the larger society. The Churchs influence
on the broader culture has greatly diminished
over the past 65 years. Baby Boomers in their
youth saw the Church function as an insider
within the larger culture and now see it as an
outsider, apart from the mainstream.

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paid work. The Gerontologist (53)1, pp. 92-101.
4. Douthat, R. (2012). Bad religion; How we became
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spiritual journeys of the Baby Boom generation.
San Francisco: Harper.
11. Strommen, M. P., Brekke, M. L., Underwager,
R. C., & Johnson, A. L. (1972). A study of
generations; Report of a two-year study of 5,000
Lutherans between the ages of 15-65: Their
beliefs, values, attitudes, behavior. Minneapolis:
Augsburg.

Spring 2015

12. Sutherland, J., Poloma, M. M., & Pendleton, B.

F. (2003). Religion, spirituality, and alternative
health practices: The baby boomer and cold
war cohorts. Journal of Religion and Health,
42, pp. 315-338.

27

Whats the Good News for Older Adults?

28

Rev. Kenneth Holdorf

is Director of Senior Adult
Ministry at Prince of Peace
Lutheran Church in
Carrollton, Texas.
ken.holdorf@princeofpeace.org

S Spiritual
Spiritual refers to all of the Good News for
older adults in the area of their Spiritual Life.
Here is a summary of the Good News (God
News) for older adults:
Older adults are created by God in a high
position in His created order.
Older adults are created by God for a purpose.
Older adults have the forgiveness of
sins through the sacrifice of Gods Son,
Jesus Christ.
Older adults are as important and significant
as any other human being of any age.
Older adults are blessed by God through
His Holy Spirit with special gifts to serve in
His Kingdom.
Older adults are given a living hope through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead.
Older adults are precious agents of God who
are to leave a legacy of faith, hope and love.
(Texts to consider: Isaiah 46:4; John 3:4;
2 Corinthians 4:16; 2 Peter 1:5-11.)
We might summarize the letter S by saying
that the Good News is: God never discounts
older adults as less valuable or less significant
in His love and care for them as long as they
have breath.

E Enlightenment
Enlightenment is associated with the receiving
and giving of intellectual insight and wisdom.
The Good News is: God has created human
beings with the tremendous gift of the mind.
The human brain is capable of learning

Issues

The question is, Whats the Good News for

older adults? and the answer is, Theres
plenty of Good News for older adults. That
answer, however, does not deny or disregard
the issues and challenges of older adults: health
and financial issues; loneliness; depression; loss
of friends, spouses, work and mobility; safety
and security concerns; worries about family;
declining moral values; ageism expressed in
our culture; death and dying issues; and finding
value and significance in their lives.
The Good News for older adults has been
around for a long time and will continue into
the future. From a Christian perspective there
is much reason to celebrate older age and to
discover that there is, indeed, Good News for
older adults.
In order to provide a summary of Good News
for older adults, lets use an acrostic approach
to the word SeniorsS. E. N. I. O. R. S. Im
using the word Seniors rather than older
adults since I believe Seniors provides a better
acrostic in summarizing all of the Good News
for older adults. Bible passages are referenced
to indicate that the Good News for older adults
comes from Gods Word. Theres plenty of Good
News which we need to discover, develop, and
put into practice. So whats the Good News
for Seniors?

throughout the years of older adult life. That

Good News means that older adults can continue
to learn, grow, adapt, and accomplish many
things through various means of enlightenment
and growth. Research indicates that the brain
can retain and store a lot of information
which we call long-term memory. Short-term
memory does not disappear in older adults; it
may slow down a little. The brain of the older
adult does not stop thinking and has an ability
to remember growth experiences and teach
them to others. Here are several ways older
adults engage in Enlightenment throughout
their aging process: reading, playing board
and card games, attending workshops and
seminars, attending academic classes, taking
educational trips, working crossword puzzles,
and continuing to pursue the development of a
persons passions and purposes for living
(Texts to consider: Job 12:12; Acts 2:17;
Ephesians 3:14-21; Colossians 1:9-14.)
We might summarize the letter E with
the Good News (God News) that God has
gifted human beings with minds that can be
used as wise disciples to continue to learn and
teach others

Spring 2015

N Nutrition
For nutrition and health, the Good News
is that in most countries of the world life
expectancy continues to rise. Our God is not
just interested in us living more years on this
earth, but He is greatly interested in us living
in a right relationship with Him now and on
into eternity. The Good News is that God
provides humans with nutritional resources
for the body that enable people to live healthier
lives to enhance ways and means to be more
effective servants of the Lord while here on
earth. So, God would guide and direct us to a
wellness of living by providing nutritional foods,
medicines, healthcare-givers, various support
groups, exercise needs, and making changes to
adapt to the aging process. As a result, we see
God at work in older adult lives through these
types of healthy community support:
The family
Assisted Living and retirement facilities
Support groups
Exercise at home or at fitness centers
Stephen Ministry and Parish Nurse Directors
Monitoring the use of medicines
A mindset of receiving care

Regular health checkups

Living with a healthy sense of purpose
and significance
Safety issues related to reducing falls
(Texts to consider: 3 John 1:2-4; 1 Corinthians
6:19-20.)
We could summarize by saying that God has
created human beings as a special part of His
creation, has made provisions for our bodily
needs, and provides ways and means for us to
take care of our bodies as reflections of His
creation and as vehicles to serve others.

I Intergenerational
In intergenerational ministry there is plenty
of Good News for older adults because God
has not disconnected older adults from the
total community of believers. Gods design
is to have the Body of Christ made up of all
ages which have significant parts to play in
the total ministry of the Christian Church.
Scripture provides many references to
intergenerational relationships, contacts, and
roles to carry out. There is to be no separation
of ages. Thats why healthy congregations
provide a ministry that includes different
generations worshiping together, playing
together, studying and learning together, eating
together, talking together, praying together and
serving together, and offering grandparenting
seminars. Congregations should be models of
intergenerational ministries. Older adults are
to receive the Good News from God and leave
a legacy of faith, hope and love.
(Texts to consider: Deuteronomy 32:7; Psalm
148:12-13; 2 Timothy 1:5.)
We could summarize by saying that the Good
News (God news) for older adults is that God has
a significant plan for their partnership in the
life and ministry of the Christian community
we call the Church.

O Outreach
Outreach flows from the previous letter, I
Intergenerational Ministry. The Good News
is that God has designed all believers of all
ages to be involved in the outreach ministry
of making disciples. The Great Commission
includes participation by older adults. The
Good News for older adults is that Gods Holy
Spirit is poured out on all fleshpeople of all
ages, including older adults. Older adults have
unique opportunities to carry out the outreach

29

R Recreation and Fellowship

The Good News is God does not want the R
to stand for retired. God provides a wide
variety of ways for older adults to experience a
greater degree of health and wellness through
recreation and fellowship. Here is a brief list
of opportunities for recreation and fellowship
that serve as Gods blessings: hobbies, support
groups, short day trips, longer travel trips, eatouts with others, community senior centers,
game days/nights, reunions, a variety of clubs,
community events, and the list goes on.
(Texts to consider: Hebrews 10:24-25; 2
Corinthians 12:4-29.)
We can summarize this letter R by realizing
that recreation and fellowship are blessings
from God in providing older adults with a sense
of support, significance, purpose, joy, and a
celebration of wellness of body, mind, and spirit

S Service

30

The Good News is that being a servant

is a fundamental attribute of God as He
demonstrated His serving attitude by sending
His Son Jesus to be a servant. Jesus came to this
earth not to be served but to be a servant. The
Good News is that God calls people to believe
in Jesus as their Savior from sin and death
and calls them to be servants to others. This
servant role is a lifelong calling. The various
ways that older adults serve the Lord may change
throughout the aging process, but the role of
servant remains the same regardless of age.
There is a need to encourage, train, and provide
older adults with opportunities to continue
their serving ministry as a lifelong process.
The Good News is that God creates a serving
heart in the believer, provides the motivation
through the power of the Holy Spirit as Jesus

dwells in the life of the believer, and provides

a life of purpose, significance and meaning as
the believer lives in joyful service
(Texts to consider: Psalm 92:14-15; Titus
2:2-3; Philippians 4:4-9; Matthew 20:24-28.)

The acronym S.E.N.I.O.R.S. begins

with S and ends with S.
The life of older adults begins with the
Spirit of the living Lord Jesus Christ, the
Sacrificial Savior.
The life of older adults is Sustained
throughout life as a Servant of the Lord.
And the life of older adults ends here
on earth with the last Sigh of breath as
God ushers them into the Security of
eternal Salvation.
Thats Good News from beginning to end.
Thats Good News (God News) for older adults!

Concluding thoughts
Id like to end this article after having listed all
of the Good News (God News) for older adults.
But I want to add a couple of thoughts. First,
Gods Good News for older adults will continue
in the future, and second, the number of older
adults will continue to grow in the future.
Those are two statements that are true and
sure. But there are some issues for Christian
education that provide us with some very
important challenges:
How will the older adults become aware and
hear the Good News from God?
How w ill the Churchcolleges and
universities, seminaries, professors,
congregations, pastors, teachers, lay leaders,
educators, and additional staff positions
provide all of the necessary training for
older adults to be equipped to carry out
their God-given calling as older adults? And
will the older adults put the Good News
that God has for them into practice in their
daily living, in their congregations, and in
their communities?
And so we pray that the Christian Church
carries out the abcs of the Good News for
older adults:
Awareness of the Good News that God
provides for older adults.
Believes that Good News with all your heart,
mind, and soul.
Commits to putting the Good News (God
News) for older adults into practice.

Issues

ministry in their families, in the relationships

with friends, co-workers, neighbors, and in
their daily contacts with other people. A healthy
congregation will find practical ways for older
adults to be trained and equipped for outreach,
affirm their significance, and recognize how
God is at work in their lives.
(Texts to consider: Psalm 71:18; Psalm 71:59; Matthew 28:18-20.)
We can summarize the O by saying that God
calls older adults to share their faith in Jesus in
words and actions as they are used by the power
of the Holy Spirit to draw people to Gods saving
grace in the death and resurrection of Jesus

book reviews

Hanson, Amy. Baby Boomers and

Beyond: Tapping the Ministry
Talents and Passions of Adults
Over Fifty. Jossey-Bass, 2010.
Let no one look down on you for your
being an older adult, but rather in speech,
conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself
an example of those who believe (1 Timothy
4:12, modified).
Amy Hanson suggests that Paul might
in this way counsel the church today to
reconsider its ministry to and with Baby
Boomers. Her brief yet comprehensive
book is part of the Jossey-Bass Leadership
Series and is for senior pastors, leaders,
and primary inf luencers in the church
who desire to be equipped for the biggest
demographic reality shaping our culture.
It presents a realistic approach to a BabyBoomer ministry that includes useful how-to
and discussion along with thoughtful analysis
informed by but not lost in data and research.
In nine readable chapters, Hanson moves
among three key topics: understanding
the over-50 crowd, preparing leaders for
ministry with older adults, and lots of
practical ideas for doing that ministry.
Hanson points out that the cultural
perspective on older adults has changed at
least three times in the last century, from
shorter life spans and growing old quickly,
to post-W W II leisure retirement, to now
what she calls the leading-edge Boomers
characterized by a more cyclical retirement of
moving in and out of employment, interests,
education, leisure, and service. This pattern,
along with the growing demographic of
Boomers, presents the church with new
opportunities for ministry to and from this
generation. Or, in her words, creating a
new story for the new old.
Among its discussions of myths and facts
about the Boomer generation, the book
dispels the assumption that older means
religious. W hile that may have been a
reasonable approximation for the builder
generation of post-war older adults, the
Boomers who came of age in the 1960s and

into the 70s may or may not be religiously

oriented and are not especially inclined
toward institutional religion. Hanson does
well in exploring this mixed characterization
and includes a chapter on their receptiveness
to the Gospel. Three factors will facilitate
outreach: Help dealing with lifes changes,
a search for purpose, and a desire for
meaningful relationships can powerfully
work together in drawing older adults to
Christs saving grace (p. 151).
Without being pedantic, Hanson offers
guidance for those who work with this age
group, both when discipling within the
church and through outreach. She alerts
us to the euphemistic treadmill of labels,
reminding us that Boomers dont respond
well to being identified as senior citizens
(the 1930s), golden agers (the 1950s), or
retirees (the 1960s). And theyre certainly
not elderly. At a deeper level, the book
examines this time of life not as a stage but as
a set of overlapping phases that are not fixed,
often overlap, and may be cyclic. We may find
those over the age of 50 in transitions such as
pre-retirement and anticipating important
changes in family, employment, and health.
Or we may find them attempting or feeling
expected to pursue rest and relaxation
after experiencing such changes. Hanson
suggests that an important opportunity
for our ministry is the reorientation phase
when those who have made such changes are
now reconsidering what their future should
really look like. Here is the time to help them
understand their present life, abilities, and
opportunities in terms of responding to
Gods gifts and using them to serve others.
And, according to Hanson, the linchpin
of effective ministry with Boomers is
servicenot service to them but inducting
them into Christ-like service. Doing this
requires more than a spiritual gifts inventory

(although she does include such tools) and

loading people into task slots. Among many
recommendations: exploring areas where
theyve always had an interest; providing
a variety of exposures to opportunities
from short term missions to jail ministry;
assembling groups of three to work with a
spiritual director to help guide their aims
and efforts; and creating unpaid but formal
or semi-formal positions or offices that echo
their work or professional experience, thus
concretizing the role.
The book is written in the style and tone
of American evangelicalism. It does not use
the Reformation language of vocation or
priesthood of all believers. Its spirituality
is informed by Henry Blackabys Experiencing
God (p. 95), not by Adolph Koberles The Quest
for Holiness. The reader who allows Hanson
this frame of reference will find much of
biblical value and useful application. The
writing is not academic but is written instead
to assist a wide range of readers. Along with
helpful research references, the book is built
around examples, stories, and personal
accountsrelevant and often prompting
ideas for the reader.
One critique is that the book is plainly
middle class. One 200-page book cannot
address everything about its topic, and
Hanson has focused on the churches she has
worked with, mainly suburban congregations
that are community or non-denominational
churches. Her treatment of employment,
finances, and opportunities considers the
over-50 but not the under-50-thousanda-year population. Perhaps this additional
area of ministry might be addressed in a later
book about drawing her target group into
the ministry she expresses so well.
Meanwhile, interested readers here can
further review Amy Hansons worthwhile
efforts at her website, http://amyhanson.org

Spring 2015

Dr. Russ Moulds

Professor of Psychology
Concordia University, Nebraska
Russell.Moulds@cune.edu

31

book reviews

32

Douthat, a columnist for the New York Times

and a Roman Catholic of the Great Tradition
(see below), offers an analysis of religion in
the United States from the post-World Wars
boom years of Christianity, through the
rapid collapse of the influence of mainline
churches in the 60s and 70s (the locust
years as Douthat labels them), and then into
the current maze and muddle of Christianity
redefined by every conceivable spirit of
the age. Its an ambitious project, but one
that is carried out very well and in a very
readable fashion.
Douthats thesis is that one of the geniuses
of Christianity according to the Great
Tradition (that is, Christianity understood
through the canonical books of the Bible
understood through the ecumenical creeds
of the early church) is its commitment not
only to the truths of divine revelation but
also its commitment to mystery and paradox.
Christian teaching holds on to both poles
of God as other (Creator) and God as
immanent with his creation, of humanity
as fallen and as the crown of Gods work, of
God as just and merciful, as holy and gracious,
of Jesus as divine and human, as mighty and
humble, as Lord and friend of sinners, of
salvation by grace through faith alone and that
faith is never alone but active in works, etc.
Heresy, in contrast, holds to one pole
of a paradox while effectively rejecting
the other, leading to Unitarianism,
synergism, perfectionism, moralism, etc.
Where heresy sought to resolve the surface
contradictions of Christian proclamation,
the Great Tradition preserved both sides of
the paradox in a synthesis that allowed God
to hold all things together in Christ Jesus.
Douthat seeks to help the reader understand
where we are in the contemporary religious
scene. He argues that the current problem
is not a deficit of religion (as some on the
Christian right would suggest) nor an
excess of religion (as some from the secular
camp would propose), but the problem is
bad religion, the slow-motion collapse of
traditional Christianity and the rise of a
variety of destructive pseudo-Christianities
in its place (p. 3). His proposed solution
is for the church to be aware of how we got
to where we are and then present genuine
Christianity in terms of its biblical and
creedal content along with an effective and
meaningful presence in society.
Chapters 1 and 2 trace the history of the
churchs boom and bust in the 50s and 60s.
Douthat does a good job of describing the
intellectual vigor of Reinhold Niebuhrs

neo-orthodoxy that enabled a vital presence

for Christianity in the academy, in culture,
and politics in the vacuum that followed
the collapse of modernist optimism about
humanity. He recounts the huge influence
culturally and morally of the church through
Bishop Fulton Sheen and Billy Graham,
among others. Douthat then traces the rapid
secularization of the age, the causes of which
were both external (political polarization,
sexual revolution, rise of technology) and
internal (the approach of elite seminaries
and divinity schools to make Christianity
relevant to a modern age, such as Harvey
Coxs The Secular City).
Chapters 3 and 4 cover two responses
to that rapid change. One response is
to accommodate to the changing age.
On t he intel lectua l side of t hing s,
accommodationism in the church downplayed or even eliminated the role of the
mysterious, the divine, the miraculous
because it felt such things were no longer
meaningful to a secular, materialistic
view of reality. In terms of morals and
practice, accommodationists revised church
teaching to be morally flexible (especially
in the realm of sexuality), to be more
pluralistic, to accept a modern approach
toward materialistic definitions of what
is good and what success life means.
In the mainline denominations Douthat
shows how this approach proved disastrous
as the foundation for the faith was whittled
away to nothing, giving people no reason
to adhere to a set of teachings virtually
indistinguishable from the culture at large.
From a non-denominational perspective,
Douthat demonstrates how accommodating
to the Zeitgeist has resulted in approaches
to Christianity that are so influenced by
prosperity and the therapeutic as to have
very little connection to Christianitys
creedal past.
A second response is resistance, a sort
of Christ against culture approach that
easily morphs to a fundamentalism or a
judgmentalism that can exist only within its
own echo-chamber and is unable to engage
the world around it in meaningful ways.
Douthat shows how such an approach was
adopted by some strands of Evangelicalism
and Roman Catholicism (especially following
Vatican II).
Chapters 5, 6, 7, and 8 each take up
descriptions of bad religion. Chapter 5
critiques the approach of redefining Jesus to
make him more palatable to the post-modern
world. Douthat takes the reader through the

various quests for the real Jesus, as well as the

conspiracy theory approach to explain how
the real Jesus was masked by the orthodox
church Jesus (Bart Ehrman and Dan Brown).
These approaches to Jesus abandon the divine
nature in favor of humanizing Jesus, but in
the end they turn Jesus into at best a moral
model and not a Redeemer.
Chapter 6 critiques the prosperity Gospel
approach of Joel Osteen and others, where
Jesus seems less like a savior than like a
college buddy with really good stock tips (p.
189). In this approach, the good of the gifts
of creation is exalted to such a degree that
the deceit and snare of wealth (a pervasive
theme in Scripture) is relegated to a concern
only for the hyper-rich.
Chapter 7 critiques the God Within,
seeing God as so immanent that His voice
is merged with each persons inner voice.
In the popular approaches of Elizabeth
Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love) and Oprah Winfrey,
the voice of God Within is always affirming,
never challenging, ever accepting you and
your desires exactly the way you are. Such an
approach clings so steadfastly to the good
of the human creature that it ignores the
impact of the fall into sin. It is enormously
seductive as a way for people to claim to be
spiritual but not religious (with religious
representing claims upon a person from
without, such as those pesky self-limiting
Commandments).
Chapter 8 critiques various approaches to
nationalism as a substitute for Christianity,
a phenomenon that can find expression both
from the left and the right of the political
spectrum. The heresy here is merging the
claims of Christianity to ones own nation or
political theory. Douthat ably shows how in
our day a certain messianism can be found
when one sees a current party or candidate
as the solution to a fallen world, and when
the other party or candidate wins, then a
certain apocalypticism comes to the fore,
that the end of the age is upon us as a result
of the ballot box or the latest poll results,
Gods lordship notwithstanding.
While Bad Religion could be seen as onesidedly negative and pessimistic, it is not.
As Douthat recounts modern heresies,
they serve also to highlight the much more
fruitful and engaging teachings of the
Great Tradition of biblical and creedal
Christianity, how the truth claims therein
address a much fuller range of experiences
of the human condition, and thus provide
for the Church an opportunity to engage
with the world in more substantial waysif

Issues

Douthat, Ross. Bad Religion: How

We Became a Nation of Heretics.
Simon & Schuster, 2012.

Spring 2015

the contemporary Church is willing to do so

instead of falling into accommodationism
on the one hand or isolation/resistance on
the other.
Douthat is well-read and adept at making
Born In the Church But Not Born
connections between an external occurrence
Again. Lesley A. Francisco.
of a phenomenon and finding its roots
in a particular theological framework or
St. Paul Press, 2014.
construct. The book is a whos who of
players in religious discourse over the What do you do when youre churched but not what should be a dominant message of Good
last six or seven decades (Niebuhr, Sheen, changed? Perhaps thats the question of many News, salvation, Gospel and grace. In one
Graham, Cox, James Pike, Elaine Pagels, faith-searching Americans. Its the question breath she speaks against the specifics of
Ehrman, John Paul II, Joseph Razinger, of pastors kid, now pastorally trained Lesley church doctrine and church teaching, yet
Gilbert, Oprah, Glenn Beck, Joel Osteen, Francisco in her first published work, Born with the next she espouses her own views
in her conveyance of what you must do to
In the Church But Not Born Again.
T.D. Jakes, and others).
Franciscos style is simple, straight forward, be saved, namely, say this prayer and ask
This book would be an excellent volume
for every pastor, principal, dce, and board/ and thus attractive as she delivers her Jesus into your heart. What she intends to
committee chair to read as they take up the personal faith journey defined by searching be a focus on pure freedom in Christ, she
task of seeking to engage their communities and discovery. For many who struggle in turns into a sermon or an introductory
with the truth claims of Christianity. trying to reconcile a desire to believe with the pamphlet to her church (denomination) of
Douthat does a fine job in showing how apparent routine and regulation of standard, preference. As the reader continues through
easy it is to let go of one or more poles in organized religion, her reflections will be the text, Franciscos language actually turns
multiple paradoxes of Christian teaching refreshing, positive, and affirming of the more churchy than expected for a book that
in an attempt to be relevant, successful, simple Gospel truth found in Christ and speaks against the religious system.
As promised, and with a good array of
sustainable, etc. Douthat is too smart to Him alone. She consistently reminds her
offer a one size fits all approach to how readers that we need more Gospel, instead of Scripture, Francisco directly confronts the
the church should carry out its ministry instruction on human limitation, emphasis religious matrix, lies, and manipulation
(p. 277), but his overview of bad religion on tradition or ritual, or pointing to a list that are often the perceived definition of
does serve as a caution to every church of dos and donts. Gospel is good news, organized spirituality. Fanatical Christians
leader to keep a grip on both poles of every and good news is in Jesus. She delivers her would do well do heed her call to emphasize
paradoxical element in creedal Christianity message in what might best be (ironically) Christ and the Gospel. Yet, while a reader
may commend her efforts, one should not
lest we become a caricature of the Gospel defined as a typical evangelism tool.
While many will appreciate her bold, condone her trivialization and automatic
and of ourselves.
Heres a taste of Douthat to whet the frank take on traditional church spirituality, dismissal of traditions or teachings that
appetite: The way orthodoxy synthesizes Francisco falls short in the same area she actually have a basis in Scripture. Some
the New Testaments complexities has succeeds. Her disjointed treatise on a typical established misuse of tradition need not
forced churchgoers of every prejudice lack of personalized faith held by many necessarily entail an across-the-board
and persuasion to confront a side of Jesus Christians appears more a reminiscing rejection of tradition. While we can be
that cuts against their own assumptions. A on a childhood of parental absence due thankful she finally met [Jesus] after all
rationalist has to confront the supernatural to a committed but over-worked ministry. these years, its honestly sad that a nonChrist, and a pure mystic the worldly, A focus on (and constant reiteration of) realization of Jesus presence implies that
eat-drink-and-be-merry Jesus, with his religious pitfalls overshadows the beauty of He wasnt actually there all along.
wedding feasts and fish fries. A Reaganite
Andrew B. Ratcliffe
conservative has to confront the Jesus
Pastor,
St.
John Lutheran Church
who railed against the rich; a post-sexual
Seward, Nebraska
revolution liberal, the Jesus who forbade
Andrew.Ratcliffe@stjohnseward.org
divorce. There is something to please almost
everyone in the orthodox approach to the
gospels, but something to challenge them
as well (p. 178).
Toward the end of doing religion well in
the fullness of Gospel ministry, Bad Religion
helps us to identify the heretical among us
and understand how it can come about even
in our attempts to serve God.

Rev. Dr. Charles Blanco

Associate Professor of Theology

Concordia University, Nebraska
Charles.Blanco@cune.edu

33