Hausvater Project: The Father as Mentor to His Sons – Ten Topics for Man-to-Man Discussion

As many readers may be aware, I have been a long-time advocate of Classical Education. Indeed, several essays and innumerable comments on these pages broach the topic of Education in a way that (a) identifies the errors of today's post-Modern learning theories (like Social Constructivism), as I was trained in them at one of the nation's top ten Colleges of Education (according to the NEA) back in the 1990's; (b) differentiates them from the errors of Progressive pedagogies that were introduced by John Dewey and which dominated most of the 20^th Century; and (c) as an alternative, promotes the ideologies and methods of The Great Tradition – an ideology of education which is:

–– an ancient form of learning that develops within a student the Artes Liberalis, or the arts of the free man, and, seating him before the greatest figures produced by Western Civilization where he imbibes their accomplishments in their own idiom, equips him intellectually with the creative genius by which many of history's most difficult problems were solved and the greatest advances achieved;
–– a form of learning which was rediscovered during the time of the Renaissance, and was systematized by Luther, Melanchthon, Sturm and others, as the general system of education for the German people, in order that the Reformation – a doctrinal reformation – would continue, and which was eventually adopted everywhere in Europe and in early colonial America;
–– and the form of education by which Western Civilization had been passed on to successive generations, to which each generation added its own accomplishments, and by which Western Civilization advanced.

The Great Tradition, known today as Classical Education, was the system of education that was crushed by the Educational Revolution of John Dewey, the utopian Industrialists who financed him desiring instead a labor pool of workers that were trained (not necessarily educated) in the Artes Servilis, or the arts of the slave. Those essays can be found by following the link, Classical Education, which is also a search label for this blog.

Many readers will also be aware of the fact that I have been an enthusiastic advocate of the Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education (CCLE). Having been a member of this organization for nearly ten years, and having attended its annual Conferences nearly every year, I remain convinced that the true brain-trust in Lutheran education is to be found among them. I know of nowhere else where a genuinely Lutheran ideology of education, that isn't mashed up and ruined with post-Modern drivel, is even attempted, nor of any truly compelling source of Lutheran educational ideology today, outside of the work of this organization, outside of the truly exciting rediscovery of The Great Tradition and efforts to reimplement it, in which the CCLE is engaged.

What many readers may not know is that, as parents of seven children, my wife and I have been committed Home Educators for well over a decade. My wife herself a graduate of home school, we were in agreement even before marriage – even while I was a graduate student studying Education at a public university – that we would educate our children in the home, and, already having adopted it in theory, that we would follow the ideology of Classical Education. Our life together from the beginning had this objective in view. Thus today, in addition to being a full time homemaker and wife, between the two of us Elizabeth being the true intellect, she is also Head Mistress of our “home-based educational program” (as we are obliged to refer to it in the State of Wisconsin), and lives the life she had dreamed of as a girl, and for which she prepared herself in college.

Sunday after Church A Recent Photo

Her full time vocations as mother, wife and educator, being altogether as prodigious as they are (especially with seven children), we have very selectively sought supplemental assistance in the latter of these, especially for our older children whose subjects grow more demanding with each passing year.

We have been very pleased with the educational services of Wittenberg Academy, in this regard. This online school was started by Justin and Jocelyn Benson several years ago as an overtly Lutheran source of Classical Education, and today, after several years of hard work, they can boast (although I think they may be too humble to boast...) of having a highly qualified staff of teachers delivering an impressive array of course offerings, to those desiring supplemental coursework for their children (whether Home Educators like us, or otherwise), as well as to those who've enrolled their children in Wittenberg's fulltime high school degree program.

Even though I had been acquainted with the Bensons through our mutual association with the CCLE over the years, and with our children's involvement in Wittenberg Academy, I was still rather surprised to be asked by them to lead a discussion group last April, at their first annual Wittenberg Academy Family Retreat. We had been registered for some time already, were planning to attend, and were looking forward to taking in Dr. Ryan MacPherson's three-part presentation on Vocation, entitled Discovering Your Vocations in the Family, Church, and Society. We had met Dr. MacPherson and his wife several years ago, and though having only infrequently corresponded with him via email since then, we have always been interested in his work, and eager to read and hear what he has to say. A Professor of American History at Bethany Lutheran College, Dr. MacPherson is also President of the Hausvater Project – an organization that "seeks to equip Christian men and women for distinctive and complementary vocations in family, church, and society, by fostering research and education in light of Holy Scripture as proclaimed by the Lutheran Confessions." It was under the auspices of the Hausvater Project that he delivered the plenary sessions at the Family Retreat.

Seal of the Wittenberg Academy

What was requested of me, however, was that I compose a list of ten questions concerning the vocation of fatherhood and the unique challenges faced by concientious Christian fathers in our own post-Modern era, along with a bullet-pointed summary of an approximately 15 minute introduction that would preceed the 45 minute discussion that I would lead and moderate. The questions, along with the bullet-pointed summary, was to fit on a single sheet of paper, and would be handed out to those in attendance (and I made sure that only one single sheet was necessary, as long as the printer was capable of half-inch margins and could print on both sides of the paper!). In addition to the obvious challenges of rearing sons and preparing them for a lifetime of Christian adulthood (of holding on to their faith in a world that desperately seeks to rob them of it; of avoiding the pitfalls of sexual immorality and of seeking, instead, his own "lifelong helpmeet"; etc.), the specific context of the issues addressed in these questions was that of family entrepreneurialism and of re-introducing the father's role as mentor in this regard – which I interpreted as the role of equipping his sons with a trade, of training them for a life of entrepreneurialism, and modeling for them Christian business practices. In addition to the handout, I composed an approximately eight-page essay as background to those questions focusing on marraige and entrepreneurialism, invoking Natural Law to establish the relationship of the Natural Family to Property Ownership and entrepreneurialism, its importance to the continuance of political Liberty and American Society, and the vital role of a Liberal Arts education to this end. Far too long to read in only 15 minutes, I read only excerpts before proceeding to the discussion. Afterwards, Dr. MacPherson asked if he might have a copy of the essay to go along with the handout, consolidate them, and publish the result on the website of the Hausvater Project. Somewhat flattered, I obliged; and in July he posted his adaptation of those two works on the Hausvater Project, under the title, The Father as Mentor to His Sons: 10 Topics for Man-to-Man Discussion. I think Dr. MacPherson did a fine job of consolidating the handout and the essay, into the single concise article he produced for the Hausvater Project; and given that today is Labor Day here in the United States, and that the thoughts expressed in that brief work closely pertain to the Vocation of Fatherhood, and address the post-Modern challenges faced by today's Christian fathers, I thought it would be appropriate to preface it here on Intrepid Lutherans, and share a link to the article that he posted. For those interested in reading it, I also include, below, the Topic Headings he gave to each question:

The Father as Mentor to His Sons: 10 Topics for Man-to-Man Discussion
by Douglas Lindee

1. Fatherhood and Society
2. The Priority of Mentoring
3. Home Catechesis
4. Roles of Fathers and Mothers
5. Modeling a Christian Marriage
6. Recognizing Genuine Beauty
7. Industriousness
8. Diligence
9. Entrepreneurship
10. Generosity

The Gospel motivates fidelity to doctrine in practice: Brief words on the use of distinguishing clerical attire

Way back in September of 2010, I published a brief essay entitled, "How, then, shall we be attired?" or "Why I Wear a Tie to Church". It began with a statement in the introductory paragraph suggesting that there is a foundation in what people are convinced as a matter of Christian Conscience is True for how they act; suggesting, that is, that Christian doctrine may actually be the foundation of Christian practice rather than being completely disassociated from it: "There's a reason why people have reserved some of their finest clothing for Sunday, referring to it as their 'Sunday Best,' and I think there are good reasons for Christians to continue doing so. What we do is a reflection of what we hold to be True."

From this point my brief essay proceeded by describing some of the important Truths of Christian doctrine which confessional Lutherans, who recognize the significance of historical belief and practice, consider the ongoing realities of incarnational and sacramental doctrine, and suggesting that these realities, if they are actually regarded as such rather than merely claimed as such, are sufficient to motivate practice that is consistent with them. Namely, we believe that Jesus Christ is actually present in the Divine Service, and is there actively serving us. If we not only claim that this is true, but actually believe it is true, then we are apt to engage in practice that is consistent with actually believing it, rather than merely saying it. This includes our choice of attire, as I continued in that little essay. At no point was Law used as a basis for suggesting that certain attire may be more appropriate than certain other attire; instead, it pointed to the significance of the Gospel as motivation for the desire to represent with fidelity what we confess to believe. Indeed, it concludes with the strong suggestion that such practice is not only consistent with important Christian realities, but is evangelical as well: "The reality is, in Western Society, the Christian's 'Sunday Best' is his 'religious garb' – it openly communicates his Christian religion and his observance of it to those who see him, and opens doors of communication where inconspicuous dress would fail to do so."

Appealing to the Gospel, Rev. Michael Berg (WELS) suggested much the same thing in his excellent paper, The Beauty of the Western Rite, which he delivered at the 2012 Conference of Intrepid Lutherans: Church and Continuity – see pages 11, 26, 36 and 54, for example, or hear his comments @~5'45" to ~7'35", @~10'45" to ~11'50", @~38'10" to ~42' or @~44'35" to ~54' in the video we posted of his presentation. Who is actually present in the Divine Service, and how does that motivate the order of our practice? Rev. Berg offers a very compelling case.

Likewise, Rev. Anthony Voltattorni (LCMS), in a November 6, 2012 interview on Issues, Etc., makes a compelling and motivating case for the use of traditional clerical garb instead of the non-distinguishing casual wear that continues to grow in popularity as pastors grow more and more disconnected from their office, and take on the role of representing contemporary culture before the congregation rather than Christ.

Why Does a Pastor Wear a Clerical Collar? – Rev. Anthony Voltattorni (LCMS), 11/6/12

 

In this 30 minute interview, Rev. Voltattorni centers his discussion on the evangelical significance of Office of the Holy Ministry. He makes the point that according to this Lutheran teaching, the pastor does not represent the culture before the congregation during the Sunday morning Divine Service or through the week as he carries out the functions of his Office. On the contrary, the pastor represents Christ. The evangelical significance of this teaching is compelling enough to motivate the conscientious Lutheran pastor in his public practice, such that he strives to carry it out in an unambiguous and consistently representative way. The purpose of casual garb, observes Rev. Voltattorni, is to fulfill the former (and wrong) understanding of his role – that of representing the culture before the congregation – by drawing attention to himself as a representative of mankind. In contrast, the purpose of clerical garb is to fulfill the latter – of unambiguously representing Christ by adopting the attire recognized worldwide as peculiar to his Office – by reminding not only the congregation of this fact, but himself as well, helping him submit to his Office and refrain from frivolity and offense. Rev. Voltattorni proceeds by pointing out that distinctive clerical garb does draw attention to it's wearer, in agreement with one of the primary criticisms of its use. Yet, he continues, casual wear attracts attention as well – it does not make the wearer inconspicuous, it only makes his Office inconspicuous. Distinctive clerical garb, on the other hand, draws attention to its wearer as one who occupies the Office to which Christ appointed him through His congregation, and as one who is always eager to represent Christ and share his Message everywhere he goes. Moreover, concludes Rev. Voltattorni, by publicly distinguishing himself in this way, instead of remaining inconspicuous when in public, the pastor is not only announcing his desire to share the Good News of Salvation through Faith in the promises of Christ, he is also boldly inviting persecution from those who hate Christ and His messengers.

It is an informative and compelling little interview, and, of course, Rev. Voltattorni expresses himself far better than I have summarized him here. We recommend that our readers listen to and consider what Rev. Voltattorni has to say.

"How, then, shall we be attired?" or "Why I Wear a Tie to Church"

I'm glad that Tammy Jochman broached the topic of growing informality among those attending the Divine Service, yesterday, in a series of comments following our last blog post, What's Missing in Groeschel's Sermons? – A brief review of Craig Groeschel, Part 2. As Rev. Rydecki suggested, she made many fine points. This is a trend which I also have noticed, even going back to the early 1990's, prior even to joining confessional Lutheranism, and it irked me then as it does now. There's a reason why people have reserved some of their finest clothing for Sunday, referring to it as their "Sunday Best," and I think there are good reasons for Christians to continue doing so. What we do is a reflection of what we hold to be True.

What is going on in the Divine Service?
Thesis II of C.F.W. Walther's The Evangelical Lutheran Church: The True Visible Church of God on Earth states: While the one holy Christian church as a spiritual temple cannot be seen, but only believed, there are nevertheless infallible outward marks by which its presence can be known. These marks are the unadulterated preaching of the divine Word and the uncorrupted administration of the holy sacraments. It is with the Una Sancta that the true visible Church wishes to be identified, and it does this not by merely saying so, but by giving evidence of it in practice – by exhibiting the Marks of the Church in meticulous fidelity to true doctrine and administration of the sacraments. That is, the visible Church, if it wishes to be true to its designation as a Church of God, strives to give every evidence that it is the One True Church on Earth, or the Church Militant.

"Church" in this True sense, is that which the Divine Service manifests. It's not a mere meeting of people, nor is man's act of worship on display. Worship, rather, is what the Church, the Bride of Christ, does before Her Lord in joyful response to His service toward Her. In the Divine Service, the truth is displayed that the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant, together as Una Sancta, worships in unity the One True God as He serves Her with His words and with His body. Indeed, She is called into Worship that He may so serve Her.

We Christians are highly privileged to enter into this other-worldly reality. Not only are the Christians in our congregation present, but so are all the saints on earth, as are all the saints and angels in Heaven. All the saints from across time and space are assembled. Our catholicity is an expression of this fact. Liturgical forms founded in the practices of the Old Testament Church have come to us through the ages, modified, not as personal preference dictated, but as corporate wisdom indicated – in order to preserve and reinforce sound teaching. A hymnody spanning the millenia of the New Testament Church has come to us from a breadth of Christian experience and cultural influence that simply cannot be reproduced within the confines of any contemporary era. The catholicity of historic liturgy and hymnody teach and remind us of the reality of the One True Church in a way that sectarian contemporary forms simply cannot.

Arrayed in Robes of Righteousness, and in our "Sunday Best"
So, how are the saints attired? Is any special clothing necessary to gain entrance to the wedding feast? Isaiah 61:10 speaks of being arrayed in special "garments of salvation," in "robes of righteousness," and Zechariah 3:4 indicates that such is a "change of raiment" – not something common, but special. In the parable of the Marraige of the King's Son in Matthew 21:11-14, the King singles out the guest who was not properly attired, who was thus bound and cast out "into outer darkness..." When the Prodigal Son was welcomed back by his father, Luke 15:22 indicates that it was the best robe which was selected for him to wear. In Revelation 6 and 7, we see vivid pictures of the saints in Heaven wearing gleaming white robes, and this is the impression we get from the many fantastic accounts of angels appearing before men in glory, along with the account of the Transfiguration. Of course, it isn't the saints who, in these references or any other, array themselves in such fine garments, but Christ Himself who gives these garments to us – the best and most priceless of garments, the gleaming white robes of His righteousness.

The Christian's choice to don his "Sunday Best" reflects the reality of his own status before God as saint – that he has been attired in His best – and displays his recognition that in the Divine Service he is actually in the company of the Church's saints. It also reflects the reality that he is actually present before Divine Royalty – that he is assembled with all the saints before the King and Creator of the Universe. Picture this: when the King or the President or some person that one regards as important, announces that he is coming to one's house for a visit, whether that person is among the poorest or the richest he puts forth the effort to appear properly, cleaning his home and grooming and attiring himself with the best that he has. The more important the visitor is, the more effort is put into preparing one's appearance. It is understood that the result isn't an objective matter of "price tag," that unless a person spends a minimum amount then he isn't showing the respect for his important visitor that he says he holds. Rather, motivated by joy and gratitude for the presence and priceless Gifts of his Divine Visitor, it is a subjective matter of the relative best that an individual responds with, representative of his means and station in life. Only an arrogant person would deliberately "dress down" when these realities occupy his mind. But do such thoughts really occupy the mind of the contemporary Christian at all anymore?

Waning importance of doctrine of the Church leads to nonchalance in practice
That we are losing the broader concept of "Church" is nearly impossible to deny. We may confess it, but in practice we are losing it, and along with that loss, the force of our confession regarding it. As we have noted in previous blog posts (see Lay Ministry: A Continuing Legacy of Pietism and C.F.W. Walther on the Layman's Role in the Congregation's Ministry) Pietism changed the Marks of the Church from 'the gospel rightly proclaimed and the sacrament rightly administered' to 'where people are living correctly,' and divided the church into groups according to subjective standards of outward behavior. Under Pietism, the Marks of the Church, Word and Sacrament, were reduced from the Means of God's work, to the measure of man's work – right living and outward behaviour. Divine Service, a reference to God's service to us, became Worship Service, man's service to God. Since the early 18^th Century, the entire focus of the popular Christian concept of Church has slowly shifted from "what we believe" to "what we see," from "what God does" to "what man does," from "what has occurred and who is gathered from across time and location," to "what is occurring and who is gathered in the immediate presence the worshiper." There is no King really present, He's far away. The Christian is not really joining the saints in the Invisible Church, who'd ever think that? – maybe one day in Heaven, but not now. Right now we have service to render. We have to give glory to God. And we have to evangelize. And it seems most efficient to do both at the same time. So, we report to Worship Service on Sunday mornings, dressed in our dungarees, ready for work.

Of course, that was last decade. More recently, even the Law has disappeared from the contemporary Evangelical's concept of Church, leaving only man, his preferences and his comfort as primary factors in his expectations of the Sunday morning "experience." The Emergent Church movement has pressed this notion further, to the point of eliminating visible Church almost entirely – Christian's don't do the "church thing" anymore, they just be Church. And these ideas are becoming dominant among contemporary Lutherans, as well. When we borrow our practices from the heterodox, it impacts our doctrine.

Dressing for Reality
The reality is, when I and my family go to Divine Service, God comes to us as He comes to all His saints on earth, and brings Heaven with Him. I am actually going to be in the presence of Divine Royalty; therefore, I am going to dress in a manner reflecting this reality. All the saints assembled are arrayed in the finest garments; therefore, I am going to dress in a manner that reflects this reality. The Words with which God Himself serves me, are the fount of everlasting life; therefore, I am going to dress for this occasion in a manner that reflects this reality and my consequent gratitude. And in the Sacrament, Christ Himself personally joins Himself to me in a most intimate way, not just spiritually, but physically, as I actually receive His body and blood in the elements of the Eucharist; therefore, I will dress for this event in a way that reflects this reality and demonstrates the gravity of its potency. When my boys occasionally ask me, "Why do we have to wear a suit and tie on Sunday," this is the explanation I give. If they protest, saying, "But we can't play in these clothes," I reply, "Church is not a social club. We are going to Church prepared for the Divine Service, not for the social activities that may precede or follow it. We should not allow those things to interfere with the purpose for which we are there." And this is true. The advice that we dress for other people, whether we are asked to dress up or dress down for others, is a request that we take our eyes off of Christ and the reality of Heaven's presence in the Divine Service and instead make man and various social criteria the object of our preparations.

Finally, I contend, such a practice is evangelical practice. Following the Service, since we are in town, our family will often go to lunch at a restaurant, and do some shopping at the grocery store, or maybe at the local Fleet Farm or Home Depot – dressed in our "Sunday Best." What is the reaction of those who see us? They are immediately reminded that it is Sunday, they are reminded of Church, of God, and of their relation to those things whether good or bad. We know because we are on occasion informed by those who see us, "I don't go to church, but I probably should." Or, "I need to start going to church again." The reality is, in Western Society, the Christian's "Sunday Best" is his "religious garb" – it openly communicates his Christian religion and his observance of it to those who see him, and opens doors of communication where inconspicuous dress would fail to do so.

I don't know how many Christians consider such things as they choose their attire on Sunday morning, but I think they ought to.

My Opinion,

Mr. Douglas Lindee