Everything I Learned About Theology I Didn't Get From Sunday School

Some people grew up in homes where there was a deep awareness and teaching of biblical values, and early in life they learned to look at the world from that point of view. Some, like myself, had parents who attended church fairly regularly, celebrated Easter and Christmas joyfully, generally accepted Christian values, resented any suggestion that they might not really be true believers, but did not know how to think or act biblically. Others lived in homes where paganism reigned and only became believers later in life. Perhaps some of you still don’t know what to believe.

Except for those who attended Christian schools where biblical concepts were consciously taught, an overwhelming majority of us had an almost entirely secular, or even anti-Christian elementary, secondary and university education. Non-Christian presuppositions underlay all subject matter, class discussions and even playground experiences.

Unfortunately, this is also true of some schools who advertise themselves as Christian, but in fact operate with one foot in the Christian camp and one foot in the non-Christian camp. This often leads to stringent rules, cultural traditions and behavior that have little to do with authentic Christianity, sometimes humorously categorized as “I don’t drink, I don’t chew, and I don’t go out with girls that do.” Because these kinds of schools and churches lack philosophical consistency, they create confusion, hostility and frustration, leaving many young people angry, bored and burned out . . . *******************************************************************
Copyright © 2003 Robert Mansfield