My two-cents worth derives from having moved from Canada at sixteen to Grand Rapids in the mid 1960's and a comment by a youth leader of another denomination.
His comment was that the youth group of which he was leader supported the other institutions of the denomination, namely the church and the family/parents from which the young people came. (unlike what he saw occurring in some denominations--he did not mention names but for me it unmistakebly fit the CRC, given my own experiences)
When we moved to G.R. my mother, who grew up in the home of one of the more prominent CRC preachers of the era as well as being a pastor's wife, and knew "church" about as well as anyone, commented on this almost forty years ago. That it seemed to be very fashionable to undercut what today we would call brand loyalty especially by those who were in charge of educating young people. They seemed to do it to try to advance their own agenda and emphasize their own importance (of observation and analysis).
I remain convinced she was right, especially from my own experience of a daughter who was identified by her fourth grade teacher as "very spiritual" and who is extremely unlikely to return to the CRC despite thirteen years of Christian education, Sunday school, and catechism. I have concluded that much of that was about questionning the rock from which she was hewn.
Posted in: Like a Mighty Turtle...
Bill Wald:
well stated.
Posted in: re:kindle re:flection
My two-cents worth derives from having moved from Canada at sixteen to Grand Rapids in the mid 1960's and a comment by a youth leader of another denomination.
His comment was that the youth group of which he was leader supported the other institutions of the denomination, namely the church and the family/parents from which the young people came. (unlike what he saw occurring in some denominations--he did not mention names but for me it unmistakebly fit the CRC, given my own experiences)
When we moved to G.R. my mother, who grew up in the home of one of the more prominent CRC preachers of the era as well as being a pastor's wife, and knew "church" about as well as anyone, commented on this almost forty years ago. That it seemed to be very fashionable to undercut what today we would call brand loyalty especially by those who were in charge of educating young people. They seemed to do it to try to advance their own agenda and emphasize their own importance (of observation and analysis).
I remain convinced she was right, especially from my own experience of a daughter who was identified by her fourth grade teacher as "very spiritual" and who is extremely unlikely to return to the CRC despite thirteen years of Christian education, Sunday school, and catechism. I have concluded that much of that was about questionning the rock from which she was hewn.