I recently came across a copy of some denominational paperwork I filled out several years ago called my S.E.T., for Self-Evaluation Tool. This tool, which is completed by every pastor in our denomination, consists of roughly three dozen questions about personal practices and opinions regarding ministry. SETs are primarily used by call committees and district officials. It had been a while since I had even looked at it. Even when I was asked to update it last December, it fell by the wayside for several months since I’m not looking to move or take a call anytime in the foreseeable future.
It was interesting to me to read the things I had self-reported shortly before I moved to Carson City. They were kind of like a snapshot into my life at the time. However, one thing that stood out was how I stated my desire to be involved in the ministry of a Lutheran school, and how God has since answered that prayer for my family and me.
One of the things I love about Lutheran schools and Bethlehem Lutheran School, in particular, is that we teach theology in ways that are wholly practical. One of the earliest Lutheran theologians, Abraham Calov, wrote, “Faith always involves action. Theology always involves practical activity.” Since the past century, Lutheran dogmaticians have refused to consider or call theology a “science,” as we do with fields like natural science or social science. Their clear reason for doing so is that calling theology a science would put faith on the same level as knowledge. That would mean that Christian doctrine would be judged according to natural, human reason. But, as St. Paul pointed out in 1 Corinthians 2:14, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” Christ never tells his disciples to prove the Gospel, only to proclaim it.
That’s what we do in Lutheran schools, but not just in religion class. Physical sciences and mathematics help students to recognize and proclaim God’s order in creation and use their own abilities to solve problems. History and social studies teach the differences between responsible stewards who act out of love to serve others and those who manipulate and exploit others for their own selfish gain. Citizenship is also taught in Lutheran schools, along with the idea that God is the king of both the sacred and secular realms. Students learn how God works differently in each, so they know when to no longer passively accept secular authority, and when and how to work within God’s secular and sacred kingdoms to battle the evils of the world. Lutheran schools also teach about the vocation of the family, about marriage, and parenthood.
Literature classes help students understand principles that unlock stories and reveal who God made us to be and how people show God’s love for their neighbors in different situations. Handwriting and spelling teach basic skills that help us to communicate with each other. Music and the arts show students how to express their creativity and recognize and appreciate God’s gift of beauty in the world. Health and physical education classes instruct how to take care of our bodies through exercise, medicine, and nutrition. Even discipline and punishment, when practiced in Lutheran schools, give an opportunity to teach about sin and forgiveness.
Lutheran schools should never teach in a legalistic way as if following a set of rules or commandments could make a Christian family or a Christian business. Non-Christians are also a part of God’s earthly kingdom, and God works through them also to bring His gifts to His creation. Each member of the community is appreciated for their different contributions to the community, as Paul writes about in 1 Corinthians 12 when he describes the body of Christ. Lutheran schools stress this interdependence, remembering and reminding each other that God is constantly at work serving them through parents, teachers, classmates, cooks, janitors, volunteers, and administrators, just as God is at work through each member of His church.
The purpose of education is not to create subservient, wage-driven slaves or conformist drones. Lutheran education teaches students to fulfill their God-given callings in all dimensions. These invaluable lessons extend throughout their lives. As they have been loved and served by Christ, they fulfill their callings to love and serve their neighbor.