Category Archives: Religious Instruction

Empowering Parents as Family Spiritual Leaders

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A Role of Growing Importance for WELS Teachers

Written by Brad Gurgel

The number of Americans who don’t practice any form of religion in their homes is growing rapidly. Today, a staggering one-third of all U.S. adults under age 30 consider themselves religiously unaffiliated (Pew Research, 2020). Premier Christianity magazine reported that only 13% of adults ages 18-35 who identify as Christian read Scripture individually or with their families at least a few days per week (Hailes, 2019).

An ever-increasing number of children from these biblically disconnected homes are showing up in Lutheran school classrooms. Many parents today fully outsource any religious instruction for their children to church leaders or Christian teachers.

It’s tempting to react to this societal shift by offering more programs where children can hear the Word of God and to find solace in such thoughts as, “Well, at least they are getting the gospel message when they are with us at school.” Continue reading →

Roles of Men and Women: Separating “Can” From “Should” (and Why It Matters)

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Written by Dr. Kristi Meyer

Can I eat popcorn and ice cream for dinner? Sure (and I’m slightly ashamed to admit that I’ve done so recently). Should I eat popcorn and ice cream for dinner? Clearly not. It’s not a balanced meal, and the nutritional value is terrible.

We have no problem separating “can I?” and “should I?” in meal planning. But what about when it comes to women fulfilling leadership roles in our churches and schools? What about women serving as Lutheran elementary school principals or ushers or church board members? Can a woman serve in each of these roles? Should she? Here, we’re often much more reticent to make a distinction between “can” and “should.”

Differentiating Between Principle and Application
In order to determine whether we’re in a “can” or a “should” situation, we need to clearly understand the difference between biblical principles and applications. Biblical principles are timeless, foundational teachings that transcend culture, time, and place.

Applications, on the other hand, are specific ways these principles play out in our lives. Unlike principles, applications can and sometimes do change, both from biblical times to now and from one contemporary situation to another.

When it comes to roles of men and women, the biblical principle in view is that of headship. God created men to fill the role of head, and he created women to fulfill the role of helper. In the apostle Paul’s writings about these roles, he often switches back and forth between principle and application. Differentiating between the two can be challenging, but doing so is crucial when examining and evaluating individual situations. Continue reading →

Creating a School Culture That Celebrates Our Faith

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Written by Dr. Susan Decker

It’s the beginning of another school year, and as the students settle into their new routines, I find myself thinking about how much academic and emotional growth they will experience over the year. But what about their spiritual growth as children of God? A student’s walk of faith is the most important part of life’s journey, yet you won’t find a question about their spiritual growth in between the multiple choice and short-answer questions on an exam.

How can we foster a love for God’s Word in our school culture? How can we help our students develop an authentic, personal connection with their faith that goes beyond memorization of Bible verses and regurgitating the expected catechism answers? Continue reading →

A COVID-19 Response: Why We Should Be Teaching Evolution

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Written by Professor Dan Fenske

It was mid-March 2020 at Martin Luther College. I’m sure that the time frame needs no elaboration. Students had just left for Spring Break, and the campus was not yet locked down. Two student workers approached me with a simple question: “Professor, if we Christians don’t accept Evolution (when referring to the Theory of Evolution, I will indicate that by capitalizing Evolution), then where did this virus come from?” Many thoughts flooded through my head, but my priority was to address the honest question held by two troubled students.

After 30 minutes of discussion with these two students, I better understood their thought process. They were (mistakenly) thinking that since Christians reject Evolution, we must also reject data or observations that are used to support Evolution. Therefore, Christians reject the concept of genetic mutations.  So, how can a novel virus emerge if there is no genetic mutation? Continue reading →

Headship and Submission: Timeless Principles, Challenging Applications

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Written by Dr. Kristi Meyer

“Laura summoned all her courage and said, ‘Almanzo, I must ask you something. Do you want me to promise to obey you?. . . Even if I tried, I do not think I could obey anybody against my better judgment.’“

Growing up, I couldn’t get enough of Laura Ingalls Wilder. I loved her strength, courage, and independence—an independence that refused to say “obey” in her wedding vows. But does her attitude align with God’s Word? And how can we communicate the nuanced and potentially offensive subject of the roles of men and women to the next generation of WELS members? Continue reading →

Teaching Bible Lessons to Our Preschoolers

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Written by Bonnie Homan

This article was written in May 1995. Does it still apply today?

Last summer, Professor Beverlee Haar came to Jordan Lutheran School for a course in early childhood education. This was an intensive workshop in two-and-a-half days. I felt like my head was spinning from all the invaluable information we received. The greatest and newest piece of information for me was about telling Bible stories. It was completely different than the way I had been teaching Bible stories for the last 20 years. Continue reading →

The Shema – Hear and Carefully Obey

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Written by Kenneth Kremer

We live in a godless age. Historians have dubbed it The Post-Christian Era. Believe it or not, we have been living in a secular culture for a half-century. Who knew?

Some of us are still having a hard time accepting this fact. Others have accepted it, but have no clue how to deal with it. A few lash out in anger and frustration, without knowing who the enemy is. But on the whole, most people have assimilated this radical shift in norms without a lot of fuss. They have moved on, living with a new set of ethical standards that have redefined the moral life in godless ways.   Continue reading →

Creation Apologetics in the Science Classroom

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Written by Jenny Retzlaff

I love teaching physics! I love sharing the incredible order in God’s creation, the laws that govern the universe, and the amazing discoveries and innovations that come from the study of this gift. I absolutely love it! However, there was one topic that left me more anxious than excited: creation apologetics. Continue reading →

Being a Lutheran Teacher Is Awesome!

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Written by Dr. John Meyer

Every teacher is special. Through them, children and young people develop full and productive lives. But Lutheran teachers are more, and being one is an awesome privilege and a tremendous responsibility.

An Awesome Privilege
Lutheran teachers are called. That’s not just a fancy way of saying hired. A call comes from God through a group of believers in Christ (Acts 1) to people whom he has appointed and gifted for ministry (Ephesians 4:11-13). Their contract is with God, and so the call is divine (Gerlach, 1977; Mueller, 1988). Since Lutheran teachers do not seek their positions by putting out résumés (Romans 10:15; Hebrews 5:4), they are confident that God himself has appointed them to serve where they are (Fehlauer, 1968; Gerlach, n.d.; Mueller, 1988). Continue reading →

Make the Most of Your Short-Term Mission Trip

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Written by Rev. John Boeder

“I needed this trip. Gotta go to Greek first hour and the wind hurts my face. Then you go to New York and see all those people who want to hear about Jesus. This trip charges the batteries.” [1]

Academic life on a college campus can be a grind. Ministry can seem so far away. A short-term mission (STM) like the one mentioned by the student above can provide a necessary motivational boost. Based on student reflections, this STM did more than charge the participants’ batteries. Planning for ministry helped students see the need for flexibility and team work. Going door to door opened student eyes to the desperate need for the gospel. Doing ministry helped students see what gifts they had, the gifts others had, and how those gifts mixed to produce a successful mission project. Continue reading →