# LCMS Convention Proceedings_St. Louis Missouri_1950_S253
# Machine transcription, uncorrected — CHI Digital Archive (demonstration)

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296 PARISH EDUCATION

have expressed the fear that if non-public schools “should

so numerous and so permanent as to constitute an institutionalizeg
rival to the common public schools,” they will be a “threat to the
democratic process.” In deciding against “widespread encourage.
ment of parochial schools,” the International Council has gaig.
“It would constitute a serious threat to public education ang
democracy.”

This criticism is predicated on the assumption that only public
schools are qualified to teach and to train’for the democratic way
of life. We believe that religiously motivated schools, which teach
loyalty to our form of government and to the democratic ideal, are
at least as.well qualified for the task as are the schools which haye
no strictly religious motivation. People who are led to saving faith
in God, who are taught to love and obey God’s commandments, to
respect and aid their fellow men, even their enemies, to recognize
civil government as a divine institution, will be the strongest sup.
port of rather than a serious threat to the democratic way of life.

We are firmly convinced of the necessity of Christian schools,
and we know that these schools will in no wise harm the public
school system but will be a blessing to that system and to the
country. Three years ago we set as our goal the enrollment of
fifty per cent of our children in Lutheran elementary schools. We
shall try to attain our goal because we believe the well-being of
our Church depends on the children’s receiving a complete educa-
tion, that is, a Christian education.

In maintaining a system of schools we are also helping to
maintain Protestantism in America. It was the Protestant influence
that gave us our great American institutions. It is Protestantism
that has carried forward the banner of civil and religious freedom.
We -should encourage all Protestant denominations to promote
Christian schools, in which the Gospel of Jesus Christ is brought
to the children.

The Romanists are determined to make America Catholic,
and their power is expanding with great rapidity. Non-Catholics
have resorted to political weapons in the effort to stop the growth
of Romanism. The most that Protestants and Other Americans
United can hope to accomplish in this manner is to prevent the
Roman Catholic Church from procuring tax moneys or from in-
troducing Roman Catholic instruction in the public schools. As
long as they ignore one of the chief factors that is contributing
most to the progress of Romanism, the Catholics will continue to
increase their influence. That factor is the parochial school.

Lutheran schools have helped to make our Church a strong
Church. Catholic schools keep Catholics with their Church
A large percentage of Protestants fall away from their Church

sib
educational agencies for tests. Th
as outlined by them is threefold:

PARISH EDUCATION 297

in early adolescence. Why? Because they receive only thirty hours
of religious instruction a year on Sunday morning and not enough
additional instruction to train them for intelligent and permanent
church membership. Protestant children receive some religious
or Christian instruction; they do not receive a well-rounded Chris-
tian education, and they will not receive a Christian education until
they are enrolled in Christian schools. While Protestant churches
neglect the Christian education of the young and endeavor to
regain adults who should never have been lost to the Church. the
Catholic Church continues to grow because it has a vast system of

ial schools. As long as the Catholic Church maintains its
schools, it will continue to increase its membership despite the
political weapons used to arrest its growth.

Liberal Protestants make an idol of the public school, and they
are bound to oppose the Christian school movement. But it is to
be hoped that the majority of conservative Protestants see the
handwriting on the wall and will in growing numbers be planning
an adequate program of Christian education for their children
We can successfully combat Romanism only by making many
strong and loyal Protestant Christians, who know why they are
Christians and why they are evangelical or Protestant. This means
increased attention to Christian education by whatever means it
may be offered. There are essentially two alternatives open to
them in the implementation of this suggestion: (1) the support
of an effective program of released-time instruction; (2) the
founding of full-time Christian schools. The most effective wa
of providing it is through full-time Christian schools. .

Special Assignments and Activities of the Board for Parish

E .
Tests and Measurements ducation

The synodical convention of 1947 authori

; zed the Board f
Parish Education to establish a Lutheran Educational Measure
ments Bureau. After careful consideration of the needs and costs
ne organization and function of such a program, the Board decided ,
at the problem involved the need for careful exploration, For:

purpose the Board appointed the following committee on Tests

om Then ents! Dr. H. J. Boettcher, Prof. W. O. Kraeft.

- Theodo: . i
eine re telzer, Mr. Elmer Pflieger, and Mr. A. L. Miller,
ane Committee did considerable exploratory work on the pos-

ties of meeting the distinctive needs of Lutheran schools and
e scope of the committee’s work

1. To develop tests on aspects of Christian growth.

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