Philosophy:Sunday school answer
"Sunday school answer" is a pejorative[1] used within Evangelical Christianity[2] to refer to an answer as being the kind of answer one might give to a child.[1] The phrase derives its name from the concept that certain answers are likely to be an appropriate answer to a question asked in a Sunday school even if one has not heard the question.[3] These answers include Jesus, sin, and the cross.[4]
For example, if a Sunday school teacher were to ask the question, "Now class, what is brown and furry and collects nuts for the winter?", a student might respond, "It sure sounds like a squirrel, but... is it Jesus?"[5] The term "Sunday school answer" is commonly used to criticize someone for attempting to answer a complex question with an answer that is simplistic, that has not been thought out well, or that is not connected with reality.[6] It can also be used to criticize someone for boastfully trying to call attention to their knowledge of the Bible.[7]
According to James W. Fowler's stages of faith development, people who are in Stage 4, the "Individuative-Reflective" stage, find such answers an impediment to addressing new questions that they wish to ask.[8]
In her book Love Letters to Miscarried Moms, Samantha Evans argues that answers dismissed as Sunday school answers "for being obvious, corny and surface-level answers... are most often the right answers".[9]
Some Christian educators raise the concern that kids are getting too much Sunday School, eventually leading to spiritual burnout.[10]
National Basketball Association player Jeremy Lin said in a 2013 interview that, although he "knew the Sunday school answers" while he was growing up, it was not until he became a high school freshman and joined a youth group where he experienced "radical love" that he felt like he wanted to commit to Christianity.[11]
In Mormonism
"Sunday school answer" is also used in the culture of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) to refer to trite answers that one might provide to a question posed during the church's Sunday School classes. Such answers include "reading the scriptures, praying daily, serving ... family and others, and attending the temple and ... Sunday meetings".[12] Church members sometimes argue that if the Sunday School answers are truly implemented in one's life, they are the answers to life's challenges.[12][13][14]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sanders (2009), p. 41.
- ↑ Wax (2013), p. 24.
- ↑ Moore (2006), p. 80.
- ↑ Lawrence (2010), p. 38.
- ↑ Weibel (2007), p. 28.
- ↑ Hunt (1997), p. 47.
- ↑ Putman (2010), p. 142.
- ↑ Galindo (2004), p. 103.
- ↑ Evans (2011), p. 37.
- ↑ "Too Much Church! 5 Dangers Facing Over-Churched Children" (in en-US). 2010-07-20. https://ministry-to-children.com/angers-for-over-churched-kids/.
- ↑ Murashko, Alex (October 2, 2013). "Interview: Jeremy Lin on Embracing 'Linsanity' Spotlight, Where God Wants Him to Be". The Christian Post. http://www.christianpost.com/news/interview-jeremy-lin-on-embracing-linsanity-spotlight-where-god-wants-him-to-be-105723/. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Emma Addams, "Sunday School Answers", Liahona, October 2012.
- ↑ Kate Manning, "BYU–Idaho Students Told to Let Their Light Shine", churchofjesuschrist.org, 22 June 2015.
- ↑ R. Bruce Money, "The Lord’s Country and Kingdom–Your Passport", speeches.byu.edu, 22 July 2014.
Bibliography
- Evans, Samantha (2011). Love Letters to Miscarried Moms. Thomas Nelson. ISBN 1449710034.
- Galindo, Israel (2004). The Hidden Lives of Congregations: Discerning Church Dynamics. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 1566996562.
- Hunt, Josh (1997). You Can Double Your Class in Two Years or Less. Group Publishing. ISBN 0764420194. https://archive.org/details/youcandoubleyour0000hunt.
- Lawrence, Michael (2010). Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church: A Guide for Ministry. Good News Publishers. ISBN 1433524635.
- Moore, Richard G. (2006). 12 Keys to Developing Spiritual Maturity: Achieving Our Divine Potential. Cedar Fort, Inc.. ISBN 1555179428.
- Putman, David (2010). Detox for the Overly Religious. B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 1433669641.
- Sanders, Brian (2009). Life After Church: God's Call to Disillusioned Christians. InterVarsity Press. ISBN 0830876162.
- Wax, Trevin (2013). Gospel-Centered Teaching: Showing Christ in All the Scripture. B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 1433681722.
- Weibel, Suzy (2007). Secret Diary Unlocked Companion Guide: My Struggle to Like Me. Moody Publishers. ISBN 1575674459.
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