Looking for a VBS curriculum for this coming summer? Want to recommend something to your children and preschool ministers as an alternative to one of the cheesy VBS curricula out there? Maybe you should drop someone an email and recommend Renew, the green VBS curriculum. I haven't read through this, but it is interesting. The study focuses on the parable of the sower and teaches children how to contribute to their communities, families, and churches in a way that glorifies the Creator and helps us connect with the creation. Children will sing, plant, and learn their way through a week of activities. It has great packaging (recycled, of course) and I must admit that it looks like a lot of fun. Check it out. If you like the look of it, perhaps you might recommend that your church leadership look it over and take a break from cowboy-, spacemen- and superhero-themed curriculum systems.
Not sold? Check out the Renew commercial on YouTube!
Bill Beahan said:
I watched the video which seemed to be more concerned with the Green Movement than with Christianity/bringing kids to Christ which should be the main goal of VBS. I then went to the website and found that Renewvbs is an apparent attempt to hijack the Parable of the Sower to the widely disputed Climate Change Agenda of the Left. The Parable of the Sower is about witnessing for Christ. I also noted they were giving away a book by a Julie Clawson whom I had not heard of. I googled her and found (alarm bell #1) that she is associated with Evangelical Left Jim Wallis' Sojourners where she wrote an artcle filled with sordid lies about the conduct of the Americans in the Mexican-American War (http://www.theird.org/Page.aspx?pid=1189). Further research found her (alarm bell #2) to be part of the so-called re-emergent church which like the Federal Council of Churches and the Natonal Council of Churches is plainly an attempt to turn Christians away from the doctrine of the Bible. I spent a dozen years as a VBS volunteer in my former church in NJ and if this curriculum were proposed I would oppose it as unScriptural. The SBC VBS curriculae may be "cheesy" but they have always served as good platforms to build a Christ centered VBS around. Be in the world but not of the world
Posted: November 10, 2009
Jonathan Merritt said:
Bill,
Can you send me the links to where this material is climate change propaganda? Are you assuming this or do you have documentation?
Julie Clawson's book "Everyday Justice" is beautiful. Slinging ad hominem attacks at an author whose book you haven't read is terribly unintellectual.
Finally, "be in the world not of the world" is cliche. It has little meaning, is an over-simplification and distortion of scripture that adds little to the conversation.
Jm
Posted: November 10, 2009
Steve said:
JM,
I'm not sure where Bill's comments are really ad hominem... he's providing some source links and primarily discussing a difference of opinions. I find your overly defensive response very interesting.
On another note, "The study focuses on the parable of the sower and teaches children how to contribute to their communities, families, and churches in a way that glorifies the Creator and helps us connect with the creation. Children will sing, plant, and learn their way through a week of activities" sounds great. Good stewardship of the planet given to us is crucial, and personal initiatives toward conservation are certainly admirable. I haven't read through the VBS plan for ReNew, but I will say this. There is NOTHING in the Word of God that would have us substitute personal initiative and good stewardship with some ludicrously ineffective government-controlled plan.
It is intellectually dishonest, not to mention spiritually wrong, to hijack young minds with propaganda during VBS instead of focusing on sound biblical principles.
TL;DR: conservation / good stewardship = important and good. propaganda during VBS losing biblical focus = bad.
keep in mind, I haven't read through this at length, so if I am way off-base please forgive me.
-Steve
Posted: November 17, 2009
Jonathan Merritt said:
Steve,
Ad Hominem is defined as "appealing to one's character, emotions, or special interests rather than to one's intellect or reason." Attempting to discredit Julie Clawson's book because she has written for Sojourners or is a member of an emergent church (read "special interests") is an ad hominem attack. And, I wasn't the entity to first call that "unintellectual." See West's Encyclopedia of American Law, a standard reference for intelligent debate.
As to your note about "hijacking young minds with propaganda," I would simply ask you the same questions I asked Bill: "Can you send me the links to where this material is (climate change) propaganda? Are you assuming this or do you have documentation?" I am always amazed at how when someone mentions caring for creation, Christians hear "propaganda."
I don't have a copy of the ReNew curriculum but everything I have read and seen about it indicates that it is wholesome and instructive curriculum that could be used an alternative to often campy VBS offerings. Give it a thorough look and let me know what you think.
Jm
Posted: November 17, 2009
Steve said:
Mmm, I stand corrected on the ad hominem remark. I suppose it's my fault for generally relegating that to mean a personal insult. Thank you.
My response was a conditional- like I said, IF it's de-focused on biblical matters than I think it to be a misplaced action, however I am FULLY in support of caring for creation. I am a very strong proponent for rational, personal conservation. Where I get miffed is when that becomes a transference to government action or "GREEN" marketing techniques that wrongly profiteer off of good core principles.
Posted: November 17, 2009
Jennifer said:
Well, how about these apples....I have taught the curriculum, after entering into a vbs experience with a group of people that i trusted, only to learn that they were not mindful when choosing a curriculum. and please, do not promote something that will influence the lives and foundations of faith when dealing with children without doing the research! The objectives read great and the spritual questions during the first 3 days are good looking to. However, the actual lesson plans and activities do not meet the curriculum's own objectives. I know how to write a lesson plan and have written many...this curriculum has very poor written lessons. The songs that are used are modified vbs songs that greatly reduce the mention of God and Jesus. The activities and lessons do not focus on the word of God or the message Jesus has for us...but it is mentioned just enough here and there in one sentence lines to look good. The overall message is that humans are the same as all of creation. I think the mention of creation belonging only to God (God's creation)might be mentioned a time or 2. Typically it is referred to as just creation. In several of the songs God is referred to as a Farmer and the children are the seed that is planted and nurtured by the farmer. There is not any mention of the fact that God created them. In fact, there is a song about harmony stating that, "it all starts with me...Heart, Head, & Hands, it all starts with me" The me is ofcourse the child .oh!!! another big repetitive message is that you should go out and change the world. that message is written on everything from signs, in songs and even on tshirts. Another worthy mention of this curriculum is that as the curriculum unfolds during the week, the agenda unfolds as well. The mention of God becomes less, the spritual question and objective of the lessons become more secular until the last day when the spritual question & objective is not faith based..but the last day is about harmony and how it all starts with in your head, heart, and hands. oh, and another song tells the child that they will grow up to be a tree, tall above all of their friends and their friends will look UP to them. another song says the child is a flower and was put in it's place and that they will stay there in their place. Teaching a child to not be wasteful and that God left us here to be stewards over the earth is correct and good and a solid christian message. However, blurring the lines just enough to stay under the radar, they have succuesfully sent the message to so many innocent children that they are only as important as the soil and the plants and the weeds and that the farmer can make the seed grow just as good as God and the farmer can look out at God's land and be proud. Oh, and the areas of the curriculum are called, Self, Community, and World. I taught Self. I greatly modified my lessons to how a responsible parable of the sower currirulum should have been written. I am thankful that I had this experience. As a Christian and mother it is important for me to realize that Satan shows up in many trusted places, in many different forms at every available oppurtunity. Also it is important to note, that even if it's just such a tiny little bit that most EVERYONE doesn't even notice...it still can have a powerful and lasting impression on a child's spiritual development. Our whole society is about less Jesus, good grief!!! let us have our VBS!!!!!!
Posted: June 9, 2010