cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board

- Religion (http://www.cougarguard.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=9)

- - Elder Ballard's instructions to CES (http://www.cougarguard.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29743)

Elder Ballard's instructions to CES

https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/artic...ntury?lang=eng

Quote:

Gone are the days when a student asked an honest question and a teacher responded, “Don’t worry about it!” Gone are the days when a student raised a sincere concern and a teacher bore his or her testimony as a response intended to avoid the issue. Gone are the days when students were protected from people who attacked the Church. Fortunately, the Lord provided this timely and timeless counsel to you teachers: “And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.”2

Quote:

Church leaders today are fully conscious of the unlimited access to information, and we are making extraordinary efforts to provide accurate context and understanding of the teachings of the Restoration. A prime example of this effort is the 11 Gospel Topics essays on LDS.org that provide balanced and reliable interpretations of the facts for controversial and unfamiliar Church-related subjects.

It is important that you know the content in these essays like you know the back of your hand. If you have questions about them, then please ask someone who has studied them and understands them. In other words, “seek learning, even by study and also by faith” as you master the content of these essays.

that's good. We'll see what the mullah backlash comes back with in response.

This essay really puts the mullahs into a difficult spot. Because an apostle is telling them to stop what they've been doing their entire adult lives. I didn't quote it, but he also told them to stop over-inflating their expertise.

I had a seminary teacher my senior year who was actually very good at answering questions and talking about more difficult subjects. It was good for me and the other students I think. Not everyone in CES is the same, but yes, Elder Ballard is hitting on the issues that as a group they need to fix.

I interpret it as good instruction for everyone in the church. Bishops, Scout leaders, YM leaders, YW leaders, Sunday school teachers, etc.

One gets the impression that FINALLY those in leadership have recognized the old way of doing things is NOT working.

I agree with your interpretation. In my primary class of 9 year olds the method that seems to work best is decidely NOT standing on my soapbox and preaching the lesson. Rather, what they respond to best is everyone taking turns reading out of the scriptures that are what the lesson is about. I ask questions to get them thinking about what it says and interpret what the words not entirely familiar to them mean. But the main thing is just to let the Spirit come in and teach them while they find out what the scriptures say. It actually works. I wish someone had taught my mother in law that way. She is extremely well versed in the customs and traditions and marginal stuff that isn't actually doctrine, but would be very hard pressed to tell you what is in the scriptures. How did such a major part of her generation grow up that way?

The old, 1950s-1970s era styles of authoritarianistic top-down preaching just doesn't work with this generation. And that is not a bad thing. There is a reason these kids came to earth the way they are. Accept it. There are alternatives ways to that of teaching the Gospel that do work. God wants thinking disciples, not mindless robots.