# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1944_S487
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

\

Report of Board for Higher Education : 487

ary provide the opportunity for paralleling the liberal arts
ements in other Protestant circles. :

ed. curriculum excels those of most other Protestant church
3... In our opinion the difference in length of one year existing
en our liberal arts training and theirs is offset to a large degree |
tegration of our own courses from beginning high school
ugh Seminary. There is then little enough reason for urging an
ension of our own work because of the prevailing standard of a
lor’s degree in other Protestant bodies.

oone familiar. with our system will claim that we have made
use of the opportunities provided by the present organization of
ears of preparatory school work and an additional pretheological
in St. Louis. In spite of the excellencies of the synodically
pted ‘curriculum, the institutions in many instances have not yet
uced it. The actual outcomes of the training leave much to be
sired, it is admitted.

e following sections of this report will discuss the weaknesses
etail and will suggest methods for improvement. At this time
‘merely point out the following as major deficiencies: there is ali
frequent failure to use every means to establish the proper atti-
les in the students; too many incompetent and lazy students are
d. along; instruction is often ineffective; standards of admission
‘promotion are frequently too flabby; college men are spoon-fed;
ailure to develop an interest in reading and an awareness of the
ontemporary scene is rather widespread.
Tt will be noted that none of the weaknesses can be corrected by
mere lengthening of the course required for the pretheological
aining. If some members of Synod feel—and rightly so—that our
are e-seminary education is not satisfactory, it cannot be assumed that
his is due to our failure to provide a complete four-year liberal arts
@ducation. It, therefore, seems sound policy to defer any judgment:
as to the adequacies of the present seven-year pretheological training
iintil we have’ brought it to full effectiveness. It appears to us that
& e remedy for inadequacies consists, not in an extension of the
a courses at this time, but in thoroughgoing readjustments and im-
provements within the existing. framework. If, then, the training
s'found still to be inadequate, Synod may proceed to lengthen the
course. That, however, should be the second step, not the first.

‘D. Recent Trends in American Education

“ “Conformity in external organization to the American system of
’ requiring a four-year liberal arts basis for pre-seminary work, further-
more, is not adequate reason for the creating of a senior arts college.
It has been pointed out in the preceding paragraphs that even if