Lutheran Veneer?

I regularly hear educators, who I would think might know better, talk about Lutheran doctrine as a veneer, a coating that can somehow be applied to material that would otherwise be objectionable in terms of theological content to make it Lutheran. Does that work? Or does that merely disguise heresy?

My first supervisor in the editorial business, Rev. Dr. Earl Gaulke, once asked me how much I would want to dilute a poisonous substance before I would be willing to ingest it. Would coating it with chocolate be good enough? Of course not! If I knew it was poison, I would discard it and start fresh, right?

The key teachings of Lutheran doctrine are fundamentally different than those of other major Christian education publishers. They refuse to teach about the Sacraments, which are chief among our Means of Grace, because not enough customers want to buy that kind of material. They fail to correctly discern and teach Law and Gospel. They confuse good works and works righteousness.

Yes, there are attractive features in many non-Lutheran materials. ("So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate." Genesis 3:6) But sadly, applying a Lutheran veneer is not enough.

God strengthen you to teach His children His Word!

It's Good to Be Lutheran!

There is a reason why your church identifies itself as Lutheran.

There is a reason you've decided to be a part of that congregation.

For many, though I suppose not for all, that reason is the distinctive flavor of the theology taught in a

Lutheran church: right distinction between Law and Gospel, emphasis on vocation, and adherence to a theology of the cross.

How can you be sure that those things are taught consistently in your Sunday School?

• Careful selection of teachers who know Lutheran doctrine and are "apt to teach" is a great start.
• Regular and frequent training for Sunday School teachers would be helpful.
• Choosing a solid Lutheran curriculum for use in all classes is an important first step.

I do not claim to be unbiased, far from it. But it strikes me as foolish, dangerous even, to place even the finest non-Lutheran (that is, un-Lutheran) material into the hands of teachers and students in your Sunday School. In the best case, assuming that your teachers are highly skilled, able to edit out the material contrary to the Lutheran faith and edit in the essence of Lutheran Christian teachings, and willing to take time to do so each week, the material that goes home with the student is not likely to support what your church professes. In worst case, you will be training both students and teachers in things that are contrary to the Lutheran Confessions.

Thanks for teaching God's children His Word!

Go with the Generic? Or the Real Thing!

Perhaps my biggest frustration as a curriculum editor is the apparent willingness of some Christian education leaders to go with substitute curricula, "off brand" materials published by non-Lutheran companies. Seth Godin got me thinking last week about why and when we are willing to go with substitutes, or not.

Mr. Godin's point is that we are generally ready to accept substitutes when we perceive little added value in "the real thing"; bottled water and generic canned vegetables, for example. We are perfectly willing to pay a little less, or a lot less, for the substitute. But for some things---such as first-run movies or "designer label" clothing---saving money is not the point. We are willing to pay for the real thing. We recognize the value and are willing to pay for it.

So, what about your Sunday School curriculum? In this case, I'd like to think that "the real thing" is a curriculum that clearly present the Gospel and teaches the Lutheran distinctives of Word and Sacrament, Christian vocation, and life under the cross.

There are lots of substitutes in the Sunday School curriculum world. Whether you are willing to choose them or not depends on whether you know what distinguishes them from, and how much you value, the real thing.

God bless you as you teach His children The Real Thing.

"Lutheran Filters"?

I read occasionally, always when people recommend Christian education resources that are not Lutheran, that the user be sure to use his or her "Lutheran filter."

I could not agree more! But I suspect that I use my Lutheran filter quite differently than some might understand by that term.

A "Lutheran filter" is almost certainly not effective in the same way that a water filter that might be that is intended to trap particulates, microbes, and other harmful elements making water drinkable. ("Yes, that water was contaminated with cyanide, but it's okay now; I used my water filter"?) Lutheranism is not just the absence of heretical teaching. It is also the presence of specific life-giving doctrines (the Gospel, God's Word and Sacraments, the essential teaching of God's love, the concept of Christian vocation, and much more).

A "Lutheran filter" might be better seen as a visual tool that allows one to see clearly what is really taught in heterodox material so that it can be avoided completely. ("Ah, now I see the poison; I don't think I'll drink that water, filtered or not.")

If a resource was written to teach that a sovereign God demands perfect obedience and gives us His Bible to teach us how to become more like Jesus, what hope is there of correcting it? So what if it is a fun lesson? The kids you teach will really enjoy this activity?

Please, use your "Lutheran filter"!

God bless you as you teach His children His Word!

CPH: Just Another Option?

All too often, I encounter the notion among colleagues, customers, synodical college students and professors, and congregations that Concordia Publishing House is just another resource provider, one option among many. They don't seem to realize that there are several things that make CPH special!

• CPH is the publisher of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. We are the only publishing house incorporated by the synod, managed by a board of director elected by the synod, for the specific benefit of the synod's congregations and members.
• CPH is the only publisher that guarantees its products will be faithful to the Scriptures and Lutheran Confessions. Our materials teach what Lutherans need to know. They are rooted in the Means of Grace, God's Word and sacraments. They are certified by independent doctrinal review. They are recommended by our synod's president.
• CPH is the only publisher that contributes to the synod. For several years a portion of our net income has been given to the synod.
• CPH is nationally recognized for exceptional service and business practices. We are a Missouri Quality Award winner (2009) and Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Aware winner (2011). We have a state of the art distribution center and process most order in less than 24 hours. We have an award-winning customer service center.
• CPH is a full-service resource provider. Offering envelopes, Sunday bulletins, ecclesiastical arts and supplies, church management software, curricula, music, Bibles and Bible studies, commentaries and scholarly works, children's books, and more!

We are committed to becoming the place you look first for products and resources. Just another option? Far from it! What will it take to convince you?

God's blessings as you teach His children His Word in 2015!

Quality versus Cost

It is unanimous! Everyone would like our Sunday School material to be less costly. That includes us here at the publishing house.

I work for a nonprofit organization. We don't pay dividends to shareholders or big bonuses to upper management. For nearly all our products, we charge a price that returns to the publishing house only enough to sustain our ministry at a level that fulfills our vision: to be the "publisher and provider of choice for products and services that are faithful to the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions." We want to be good enough so that you, and others, come to us first.

So what does it mean when a congregation says, "We can no longer afford to purchase your Sunday School material?" Our prices have not skyrocketed. The economy is relatively stable. But, I'm sure that many congregations, probably all congregations, struggle to allocate limited financial resources to a limitless number of ministry possibilities.

How then do congregations respond to tight finances? Probably the same way a family does.

• They buy the best quality (in personnel, equipment, and materials) that they can afford, but they don't overspend.
• They prioritize to get those things that they value most and do not purchase those things they don't really want or need.

So, I find myself wondering: what if our Sunday School material were of lower quality and cost?

• Is there a lower quality, lower price, at which more congregations would buy our material?
• Or would even fewer congregations buy our material if it were cheaper, lower in price and quality?

God bless you as you wrestle with cost and quality as you teach God's children His Word!

Bad Language?

Thanks to my friend, Ed Grube, for this helpful reminder (and clever title) to our colleagues on the Parish Educators Network of the Lutheran Education Association. Ed's weekly tips are available only to LEA members (LEA.org), but his reminder is a good one; it reads in part:

"If you’re using resources from various Christian publishers, you need to look out for bad language. One example is the inclusion of phrases like 'invite Jesus into your heart.' This may reflect 'decision theology,' popular in some circles but definitely not reflective of biblical Lutheran doctrine. . . . Don’t assume volunteer teachers will discern such things; help them to grow."

Bad language has its root in bad theology, at least when viewed from a Lutheran perspective. Decision theology, for example, flows from a flawed understanding of our fall into sin; it rejects the total depravity of mankind (see Romans 7:18). Instead it suggests that we only "fell partway," that we have, in and of ourselves, some ability to contribute to our salvation, to "work our way back toward God." This contradicts our Lutheran convictions of salvation "by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone." It's the child's mantra, "I can do it myself." It rejects our reliance on God.

Is it just a problem of language, though? No! If it were, we could fix a decision theology lesson by editing a few words or adding a couple of Lutheran sentences. The problem is not just with the language, but with the theological basis, with the heart and core of the lesson.

The bad language is a warning that the central premise and the resulting Bible discussion and lesson activities come from a unLutheran unstanding of Scripture. A little clean-up or even minor surgery may not be enough to save this lesson; major surgery or a whole-body transplant is required.

God bless you as you teach His children His Word.

The Problem with Non-Lutheran Material

I'm sad at how frequently I hear leaders in Christian education---directors of Christian education, pastors, even synodical and district folks---freely admit to using or recommending non-Lutheran Sunday School material. Their admission is usually coupled with the assurance that they "correct the theology" in the material before allowing it to be used.

I wonder what that "correcting" looks like? Do they write a document pointing out the theological errors and suggesting ways the teacher could include the Gospel and teaching about God's Word and Sacraments? Do they hand-write clear Gospel statements onto each of the student leaflets? Do they use a black marker to cross out each activity that teaches moralism or points students to a source other than God's son as the answer for sin and the power for Christian living? Do they conduct training sessions with each of the teachers to show what is specifically wrong with the material? Do they re-write the teacher guide material so that the heterodox material is not available for the teacher to use?

I know from twenty-plus years of experience how difficult the task of correcting theology in curriculum material can be. I suspect that the assurances I hear about such correction is more wish than reality.

My advice? Don’t put non-Lutheran material into the hands of your volunteers and, for heaven’s sake, don’t send it home with children. You know the proverb that says, "One picture is more powerful than a thousand words." Non-Lutheran printed material (the picture) placed in the hands of teachers, children, and families will speak more loudly than any “theological correction” (the words) you give verbally or in other written material. It will actually teach them bad theology both in the classroom and afterward as the material finds its way into the home.

God bless you as you teach His Word, His clear Law-and-Gospel Word, to His children!