Non-Lutheran Materials
Irene Flynn
Hi all,
I had a delightful conversation with Margie Back today at Sierra Pacific Synod Resource Center. Sounds like she is doing a wonderful job! She is an interim director, and even though I tried to persuade her, she won’t be able to join us at our gathering in October.
We did have quite a conversation about non-Lutheran materials in our resource centers and what is our standard…..I dug out my old files and found Chip Borgstadt’s “The use of non-Lutheran Material in Lutheran Education Programs,” and Ted Schroeder’s “Looking at Resources through Lutheran Lenses.” There is so much material there!
So my question to you is, why do I have John Ortberg, Tony Campolo, Tim Keller, Adam Hamilton, Jim Wallis in my Center? They are non-Lutheran, but I can’t seem to put my finger on why these are here and not Beth Moore and Joyce Meyer or others like Lifeway resources?
I do believe that since I am housed in a synod office, that people that borrow our things assume that everything has been approved by the Bishop and are fine theologically. That’s why I try to be careful. But what are those standards?
Can you all help? Is there a check list or something?
Irene Flynn
Communications and Resources
Florida-Bahamas Synod, ELCA
Ire...@FBSynod.org
Neubauer, Kay
Hi Irene,
What a great conversation. A few “quick checks” I used for Sunday school resources when I was working as a DCE and on the SD Synod Learning Ministries Team. I can’t wait to hear from the rest of you!
Who is the Publisher? What does their website say about their beliefs and/or denominational affiliation?
Look At The Scope and Sequence
Stories about women of faith should be spread throughout the scope and sequence. If stories about women are only found in the summer quarter, and your area doesn’t have summer Sunday school how will children hear the stories of women of faith?
Read the Lesson Titles and Lesson Focus Statements. Do they raise the little Lutheran hairs on the back of my neck? If so, I investigate further. I know this sounds silly, but really… if the lesson focus statement makes me uncomfortable the lesson will too!
Print Resources
Images show both male and female clergy persons. It is important that children who may never see both genders in the pulpit be able to see clergy of both genders in print. How else can they imagine themselves answering God’s call to pastoral ministry?
Images show a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, ages, and abilities. God’s love is for all people.
Age Appropriate Life Application- I look both for the presence of life application and what that application is. The life application portion of a lesson is often where you see differences in theology emerge.
Look closely at the 2nd grade resources. This is the age that decision based curricula start talking about making a decision for Christ.
What translation of the Bible is used? If it is King James I pause and look deeper. I have no data to support this, but I have found that whenever KJV is the only translation quoted the theology does not fit in the Lutheran Church.
Kay Neubauer
Manager, Customer Education
Augsburg Fortress/sparkhouse Publishers
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Irene Flynn
Kay,
This is a great help! I also depend on the hairs on the back of my neck…..hard to put in words! J
--Irene
Ellen Johanson
So helpful, Kay. Thanks a lot for this information.
Ellen