| Author | Message | ||
| Heretic Registered user Username: Heretic Post Number: 6 Registered: 2-2005 |
This past week was the the annual Education Sabbath at our local church. To give emphasis to the occasion the Conference Education Secretary came up to give the "sermon" and really rubbed me the wrong way, I guess. The first 5 or 10 minutes was all about the "Adventist Edge". This "Edge" was presented in Power Point format where all of the areas were listed that separates SDA's and makes them better than all other religions, ie mission work, educational instutitions, medical institutions, the Spirit of Prophecy, health message, etc. Because the school choir was singing during the service there were a good number of non-SDA parents in attendance. It seemed to me that if I was one of those non-SDA parents I'd be thinking, "These guys really think a lot of themselves, don't they?" I don't believe a lot of SDA's even realize how they come off to other people and how alienating their message can be to those unfamiliar with the church or it's culture. The sad part is that a few months ago, before I began taking a good, hard look at the SDA church and it's doctrines, I probably wouldn't have noticed this at all but may have been nodding in agreement with the others. But what bothered me more than the introduction was the body of the remainder of the presentation. The crux of it was basically how important it was to take a 3-pronged approach to keeping your kids in the church: Church - Home - School and how if one of the pieces is missing the percentage of those kids leaving the church skyrockets. So then the message came across loud and clear: Send your kids to Adventist schools not to help them know Jesus better but to keep them locked into Adventism (thus future tithepayers, etc.). I know there are people on this forum who have been educators in SDA schools, have been on school boards, or have had children in the system. I'm curious as to your take on this issue. Do you think this is the pervading view of educational administrators in the SDA school system? Has this been your experience? I know several elementary and secondary teachers who really do seem to have a heart for God. I suppse it's possible that they don't see this philosophy explicitly stated by the conference so it may not even register. | ||
| Pheeki Registered user Username: Pheeki Post Number: 497 Registered: 1-2003 |
It is of paramount importance. My in-laws are on the school board at their local church...you must understand, I live in the metroplex of a large city with a ton of towns around it and most of these towns have SDA churches...all with differing philosophies. Some liberal, some ultra-Ellen, you get the picture. Instead of everyone combining resources and playing nice together, each little church wants their own school (so they can run it as the board sees fit!). There are about 9 schools within a 20 mile radius (all SDA). Well the school in question had dwindled to 29 students and when it came time to rehire, the board couldn't bare to let anyone go...so they rehired all the teachers and put the church in huge debt. Apparently, you have to pay the conference 40 thousand a teacher per year...I never knew this! Now, why don't they combine resources? If they merged those 9 schools, imagine the resources and savings to the tithers! I tell you, it doesn't make good business sense...but if your idea is to promote your own agendas...you must remain separate. Silly. BTW: My other in-laws have never put their kids in SDA schools because the school's standards are so much lower than the standards (read Ellen here) my in-laws teach at home. | ||
| Heretic Registered user Username: Heretic Post Number: 8 Registered: 2-2005 |
Oops!This is my first time posting a new thread and I put it in the wrong place. I moved it over to the main page, so replies should go there now. Sorry guys. Heretic |
