“It is never too late to learn…” I’m sure we have all heard this phrase. Doing a quick internet search revealed that it has been attributed to several in history. Seneca the Younger said it this way, “It is never too late to learn what is always necessary to know.” Jeanette Winterson said, “It is never too late to learn to love. But it is frightening.” It is never too late to learn or to change” is a version quoted in the operetta The Student Prince. Malcom Forbes went bare bones with, “It is never too late to learn.” This is the one that I am familiar with.
At 58, I still enjoy learning. I have taken many online courses over the years – the Specific Ministry Pastor program was a hybrid online course through Fort Wayne Seminary. For a less intensive route, I would highly recommend Hillsdale College as a source. The have a good selection of free online courses available that cover a wide range of topics. If you pass the short lecture quizzes and final, you can print out a completion certificate for your files. They also include study guides to download and book recommendations, if you want to go deeper, though the course lectures are comprehensive enough to pass the test without the book. I have been very pleased with the eight I have taken so far.
As our youth head back to school in a couple of days, our attention turns to Rally Day, Confirmation, and the start of the new Sunday School year. I don’t have to tell you how important it is to teach our children and youth the truth of the Bible. And how very frustrating it can be. Society is different. Parents are different. Children are different. We are very blessed at Grace to have many parents that still insist on the proper religious training for their children. But it is not that way in the world. And that is reflected in our children’s friends and classmates. Our kids interact almost daily with others who don’t hold the same values as we do, who don’t have the same beliefs as we do. I’m not only talking denomination here, but religion in general. Non-Christian religions are on the rise and are being incorporated into our every day lives at an alarming rate, whether it be paganism, science, sports, or individualism.
Rally Day, Sunday August 25th, is a reminder for us about how important a good Biblical foundation is, not just for the kids but for all of us. This is a call for everyone to be better informed, better educated. And I don’t mean watching more TikTok or browsing YouTube video prophets. Be intentional and selective about what you feed your mind and about what your kids and grandkids watch on their screens. The “screening” of the kids version of YouTube is not enough. What much of the censors deem appropriate for kids really is not.
According to the American Bible Society’s 2022 report, only 39% of American adults identified as “Bible users,” defined as those who read or listen to the Bible outside of church at least three to four times per year. Only 6 percent of American adults hold to a Christian worldview, evangelical pollster George Barna tells us. Many struggle with basic biblical facts, familiar even to atheists in days gone by. For example, the Barna Research Group reported in recent years that only 60 percent of American adults can name even five of the 10 Commandments; 12 percent believe Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife; and 50 percent believe Sodom and Gomorrah were married. (Pathway) Additionally, Barna Group research indicates that while 81% of U.S. adults claim to be knowledgeable about the Bible, less than half can name the first five books of the Bible. Furthermore, many Americans struggle with basic biblical facts, such as knowing the difference between Saul in the New Testament and King Saul in the Old Testament (Christian Post).
A solid Biblical foundation, instilled while we are young, is the weapon to combat these numbers. Read the Bible yourself, and to your kids and grandkids, so they don’t add to the statistic. Find a trusted source of Biblical teaching, pure in doctrine, pure in truth. You can always trust any LCMS resources to be just that. As Seneca the Younger said, “It is never too late to learn what is always necessary to know.” And attend and celebrate Rally Day as the kickoff to a renewed effort to be in the Word, for us and for the next generation.
Pastor Al
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