I am responding to the October letter in which the writer discussed the reasons for the moral decline in our country. (See the section “God’s Design for Marriage” in the Letters department of the October Lutheran Witness.)
I agree that the Church can do more to impact the culture around us. As the writer correctly asserts, our youth today are exposed to the negative side of our culture through the media and public education. However, I find it ironic when he says, “Our responsibility in this decline is the result of our retreat from culture. We retreated from the … public to parochial schools.”
I agree that we need to engage our culture in every way we can. We need to stand up for the truth of Jesus and our Christian values, but the best place to do so is in our Lutheran schools. Supporting Lutheran schools isn’t a retreat from culture but an attack against Satan by immersing our children in an orthodox Christian milieu.
My church is blessed with a school ministry that trains, equips, and prepares our children for the realities of the world around them. It is through our church and school that our children are led to be a positive witness to the society and culture they encounter.
Also, our school witnesses the truth of Jesus to many children and families outside the Christian faith. Let us do more to bolster our Lutheran schools for the formation and growth of faith in our children so that they will have a positive influence on our culture.
Rev. Andrew Gruenhagen
St. Michael Lutheran Church and School
Wayne, Mich.
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