Overheard in the Public Square...

...well, sort of a "square." It was definitely in public though! Today, as I do a couple times a week, I was reading for an hour or two over at the coffee house just off campus, Kaldi's. Kaldi's is your typical hipster style coffee shop, but man oh man do they have some good coffee! And they also have some really nice people working there, and a ton of customers.

Today as I was reading for Confessions II, a large group settled in behind me as I was sitting on a stool looking out the window to the street with Concordia Seminary's campus in the background. I'm not sure what this group was all about, usually groups will come in to meet about class projects or something since the area is also home to Fontbonne University and Washington University. But as they settled in my ears perked up because one of the girls asked what that place was across the street. The reply was, "Concordia. Concordia Seminary." End of conversation. That did not bother me as much as it does now until I heard another exchange a little bit later on.

Their conversation turned to a situation where one of the older women with them mentioned the popular Christian band/ministry Hillsong United. The woman found their "recruiting" tactics and soliciting of funds a bit offensive. Unfortunately since I'm really there to read and not eavesdrop on people's conversations I tend to miss how these things start. But then it went into a full table conversation about Christians and their evangelism methods. There were things said like, "I don't think you should actively recruit for your religion," and that Christians are "cult-like." As if that wasn't rough enough to hear one of the guys told a story about a friend who went from not a Christian to converting to Christianity. Upon his conversion he cut off all communication with former friends because they were "sinners." But he didn't stop there, he also broke up with his girlfriend.

Laughter ensued. Laughter. Christians are irrelevant.

The book I was reading for Confessions II was on Luther's Catechisms as a way for teaching even in a 21st century context. I'm buying into the idea because Kolb, who teaches the course, and Arand, who wrote the book, are the type of guys who get it. But this still poses a tough challenge.

How do we catechize a culture in which Christian's (1) portray a negative image of themselves? and (2) are laughed off, seen as out of touch, and irrelevant?

This is a huge problem. Christians themselves have by and large created the stumbling blocks. It could very well be argued that this is mostly the fault of American Evangelicalism and not evangelical and catholic Lutheran Christians. But LUTHERANS are largely irrelevant to society. "What's that place?" Yeah, maybe it was an innocent question, but it speaks to a larger issue. Why don't people know who we are? Lutherans have to give a faithfully confessional witness in the public square. No more secrets.

(Note: I was overzealous about posting the Commandments, I will return to that at some point in the near future)

"What's that place?" I want people to know.