Other than signing your name, who writes in cursive?
The Indiana State Department of Education now allows individual schools to decide whether or not to continue teaching cursive or completely stop teaching it altogether.
Schools that decide to leave cursive behind, may fill the void with current academic disciplines, while others may use this opportunity to replace it with more relevant communication skills like typing.
Either way, the skill of cursive writing has become outdated and archaic.
What has become ‘cursive writing’ in the Church?
Hats-off to the Indiana State Department of Education for reading the cursive writing on the wall.
Cursive writing is archaic.
There is only so much time in a day to learn, and teaching things that are not needed is simply a waste of time. The battle to gain attention and have your message absorbed by the masses is already a challenge. By filling it up with non-essential messages and information, the important information is ignored, missed, or never received in the first place.
The Indiana DOE considered the fact that we live in the information age and we are more susceptible to information overload today, than ever before.
Shouldn’t the Church do the same?
The Indiana DOE has cursive writing, what does the Church have?
- VBS?
- 1+ hour sermons?
- Sunday night service?
- Wednesday night service?
- Sunday School?
- 4-songs, announcements, offering, sermon, shake hands, eat lunch, see you at the next service?
What would you add to the list?
What would you take off?
Why?
It isn’t enough for the Church to be on Facebook, be on Twitter and have a website.
We need to update how we live.
[HT: Time | Image via hradcanska]
Brian Alexander says
Agreed Eric. I am helping at a VBS this week and I can’t help but think of better ways to reach kids with the gospel of Jesus.
jamie says
I would love to hear some of your ideas for VBS alternatives. Really! VBS has a place in my heart because it’s where I first heard the Gospel presented in a clear, easy-for-my-8-year-old-brain-to-grasp kind of way. However I think today’s VBS programs are a little too “commercial” and cheesy.
Eric Dye says
You answered your own question at the end 🙂
Some Churches have done an amazing job making their VBS program relevant, by breaking that mold.
Chad Orlikowski says
This can basically be boiled down to Form and Function. The Function of a church is to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world. This mandated function has never changed. However, the form in which the function takes changes generation to generation to utilize the tools that best reach those who do not know the Lord. As a church, we need to continue to proclaim the Gospel message in meaningful ways (forms).
Eric Dye says
Amen.
I like how you broke that down, Chad.
+10pts
d3ft punk says
Bronze serpents. Made sense at one point, then became an idol.
Kevin J. Farmer says
I get your point and agree Churches need to be careful to not become antiquated.
But as an educator I think Indiana will regret this. Learning disability therapist have long used cursive writing to improve, correct or strengthen LD kids. There is a cognitive connection between the movement and the brain development.
Eric Dye says
Interesting. I don’t believe Indiana is proposing eliminating disciplines that are targeted at kids with learning disabilities, just the general masses.
Thank you for your insights!
Justin says
That’s money right there Eric. If churches would evaluate what they are doing and why they do it, maybe we wouldn’t see so many ineffective churches. More money would go to missions work in their communities and around the world instead of wasting it on outdated programs.
Excellent thoughts… thanks for sharing them with the community!
Eric Dye says
😀
Rick says
Eric,
What about the fact that cursive writing is faster than than hand printing? While I agree with your assessment that churches needs to change much of what we do, you analogy breaks down here. Let’s be careful that we do not encourage change for the sake of change but rather, change the things that are no longer effective and efficient. Sorry, but cursive writing is more efficient than hand printing.
Eric Dye says
Typing is even faster 😉