Newsletter

Each month Matthew sends a newsletter to churches that support him so I thought I would post it here - it briefly talks about his classes and St. Louis and it has a little of me in there too!

March 2010 - The Warmbiers in St. Louis - Matthew Warmbier
So begins a new trimester! I am taking two more classes this trimester than I was last time, so I have a much more busy school life. But, it is ok. This is what I am here for and I enjoy it. This semester I am studying homiletics (how to preach), the second of two classes about the Lutheran Confessions, a class on the first three Gospels, a class on the book of Revelation, a class studying pastoral theology in Luther’s writings, and a class where we look at and discuss the readings for the following Sunday. It is a lot of work, but the classes are very good and the professors are all very enjoyable.


Halle is continuing her work with St. Mark’s and is really enjoying it. She is also taking a class offered for free to the seminary wives on C.S. Lewis, one of her all time favorite authors. She has just finished up her application to a master’s program for teaching, so we are waiting anxiously for that. Keep her in our prayers. We all hope that she gets accepted and can spend her working years doing something she really enjoys in service of others.

Focus on a Class
My class on preaching so far has been a wonderful class. I am taking it with Dr. Meyer, who is the college president. I figured that it would be wise to take whatever classes he offers, since he teaches only once a semester (since he is so busy doing president stuff normally). It is good. I have an enormous amount of respect for him since he teaches. Many college presidents do not teach and have a minimal relationship with the students and faculty. Since Dr. Meyer teaches, he keeps the students and the teachers first in his mind when he makes decisions as the President. If any of you remember, he was the Lutheran Hour speaker for a number of years, so he knows how to speak publically.


Anyway, in the class we just finished up a discussion on literacy. It is amazing – my generation and those younger generations are actually choosing to be less literate than their parents’ generation. TV, computers, texting and the like have caused kids to leave reading behind. As a result, their brains are developing differently than previous generations who read books and listened to the radio. They are increasingly incapable of understanding more difficult complex logic and abstract thought. The result is a generation that puts off propositional logic in favor of stories. Their brains are actually wired to think in stories and word pictures rather than with solid ideas. The cure? Read your child/grandchild a book before bed! Until then, we must continue to teach them the stories of the faith.