I know that Martin Luther and Philip Melanchthon tried to oppose the school system introduced by the Catholic Church (according to Luther, Oxford and Cambridge model was influenced by the Paris universities, which in their turn by the Catholic Church). This happened at the beginning of the 16th century, when they founded some of the so-called Reformed Schools (based on the Protestant beliefs) like the University of Wittenberg. As far as I know, a little later, some bigger universities like the University of Halle and University of Göttingen were created on the same model. The latter was indeed a very prestigious institution during the whole 18th and 19th century together with Univ. of Berlin and some other German schools. It looks that at a certain moment, the whole movement ceased to be active. Does anyone know more about this reforming of the schools' movement and what exactly happened with it? Which of the currently prestigious universities in North America have been founded according to the Luther and Melanchthon's ideas?

>Education is the food of youth, the delight of old age, the ornament of prosperity, the refuge and comfort of adversity, and the provocation to grace in the soul. Does anyone know in which of his writings, the above quote attributed to St. Augustine may be found? If not, does anyone know the *type* of education to which the above quote refers? I ask because for a thousand or so years after St. Augustine, the [*Imitation of Christ*](https://archive.org/details/TheImitationOfChristChalloner) , for example, admonishes us about devoting too much time acquiring secular knowledge at the expense of the spiritual with warnings such as these quotes from [Book 1 Chapter 3 (The Doctrine of Truth)](https://archive.org/details/TheImitationOfChristChalloner/page/n15/mode/2up) (translation by Rev. Richard Challoner, 1893): > *What availeth a great dispute about abstruse and obscure matters, for not knowing which we shall not be questioned at the Day of Judgment?* and > *Tell me where are now all those great doctors, with whom thou wast well acquainted, whilst they were living and flourished in learning? Now others fill their places, and I know not whether they ever think of them. In their lifetime they seemed to be something, and now they are not spoken of.*

In the LDS faith, the offices of the Aaronic Priesthood are Deacon, Teacher, Priest, and Bishop. Current practice in the LDS church is to ordain most teenage boys in the church to the first three offices as they progress through their teenage years. Do LDS Aaronic Priesthood Teachers have actual teaching duties in a practical sense in the 21st century, or are they teachers in an abstract or theoretical sense (e.g. if all priesthood holders except for 15 year old Billy were killed or incapacitated, he would be allowed to take over classrooms, but until then, he is expected to be quiet and let the adult professionals do the actual teaching)? Do they design curricula, lecture, hold office hours, grade papers, administer exams, evaluate students, or otherwise engage in practices associated with professional educators nowadays? Do Aaronic Teachers have divine *authority* to teach a wide variety of courses, content, or curricula but in practice *don't* because there are usually more qualified, professional teachers available at whatever level is being discussed (e.g. college, high school, etc.), or are their actual teaching competencies sharply limited in both theory and practice (e.g. they are authorized only to teach Sunday School, and that only for Grade 5 and below, anything else requires a further ordination, and/or a non-priesthood teaching certification).

From a Fundamentalist Church standpoint, what is its equivalent of a catechumen? In many denominations (Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican, Episcopalian), there is a concept called a *catechumen*, who takes religious education course called a *catechumenate*, that is taught by a *catechist*. So, what is the equivalent of such a role in a Fundamentalist/Bible Church? How do Fundamentalist Christians deal with prospective Christians (i.e. teaching church history, official doctrine and practices, etc.)? For Fundamentalist Christians, does that include teaching prospective Christians about the Scopes trial?

In the 1905 papal encyclical (Acerbo Nimis) of Pope St. Pius X, one finds, for example: > 19. I. On every Sunday and holy day, with no exception, throughout the year, all parish priests and in general all those having the care of souls, shall instruct the boys and girls, for the space of an hour from the text of the Catechism on those things they must believe and do in order to attain salvation. - [*Acerbo Nimis*](https://www.vatican.va/content/pius-x/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-x_enc_15041905_acerbo-nimis.html) QUESTION: Has *Acerbo Nimis* been revoked; or is it (as it would seem) largely being ignored? In general, are papal encyclicals always in effect unless otherwise specified or revoked? Thank you.

I see some Christian education institutions refer to themselves as "Bible College" and some as "Seminary" and some as "Bible College and Seminary". What is the difference between those, if any?

Catholics are not excluded from studying other religions. In fact several Catholic scholars have become experts on Buddhism and Islam. But should a child study other religions? Is there any advice from various congregations and dicasteries or even Catholic scholars on how to do that?

From time to time I have come across people who claim to have heard the voice of God speak to them in various circumstances. To someone who has never experienced this firsthand, this may sound a bit crazy, but the Bible is not without examples where this phenomenon is reported to have happened to the apostles. For example: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (ESV): > 7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 **But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”** Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Acts 10:9-21 (ESV): > 9 The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. 10 And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance 11 and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. 12 In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. 13 **And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.”** 14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” 15 **And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”** 16 **This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.** > > 17 Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon's house, stood at the gate 18 and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. 19 And while Peter was pondering the vision, **the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you.** 20 **Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them.”** 21 And Peter went down to the men and said, “I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?” If the apostles experienced this, it is not far-fetched to think that Christians nowadays may also experience this. In light of this realization, I'd like to know (1) if there are any denominations that actually believe in this possibility (that God still speaks to people today), and if so, (2) if there are denominations that provide explicit teaching or training to their members on how to become more sensitive to God's voice to be able to hear Him better on a more consistent basis.

I'm new here, I was just wondering of someone knows what books were used for English catechesis prior to the 1960's in English speaking countries. I'd like to teach my CCD kids a few prayers in Latin but am not well versed in the language. I've got Cassel's Latin Dictionary, but I find that to be a little Virgil heavy and Vatican lite, so there's a lot of words that I don't know how to properly pronounce and I'm not interested at mastering the language, just rote memorization for something fun to do on Wednesday nights.

Jehovah's Witnesses are known to have no pastors or priests, because having pastors or priests would go against their theology. Instead, they have "elders". From an outsider's perspective, elders appear to function in the same way as the priests or pastors from other Christian denominations, namely because these elders do not include women. Women, however, are allowed and encouraged to become ministers and preach the gospel door to door. What are the requirements for a person to become an elder? What type of training do elders have? And have elders ever been formally trained in Christian history, biblical studies, or theology? A related question: are Jehovah's Witnesses allowed to read a mainstream, scholarly bible?

**When did it become the norm for church leaders to get a formal Christian education and why did that process begin?** When I say formal education I'm **not** talking about the mentor/mentee style that Jesus did with his disciples. I'm talking about the following scenario: - A person independently enrolls in a Bible School/Seminary/Divinity school - They get a degree - They apply for pastor jobs and get hired as a pastor somewhere The reason I ask is because the aforementioned process isn't implied anywhere in scripture. The idea of it had to have come from somewhere and for some reason. --- Similar to this question , but I'm not asking whether or not this practice is supported by Scripture—I'm asking when it started and why it started.

I am curious if there are any denominations that do not believe in college education for church leaders such as pastors, missionaries, etc. There are many churches that do. I am asking because I do not agree with college education. I strongly believe in God-given talents and that the Holy Ghost teaches. I know I am called, but I do not like college education. It's too arm-chair education. I prefer action. In another words, hands-on. That way I can apply to be the pastor of a church. Educating yourself to be wise is foolish, as said in the scripture (Romans 1:22-23), but lately, many denominations require college education.

I would like to join a Catholic church with my 13 year old son. I am a 47 year old man that was divorced in 2006. If I’m able to, I would like to find a Catholic church for my son and to attend services, take communion, and be able to confess. I would also like to attend a Sunday type school or bible study with my son to get him up to speed on his faith. Am I able to accomplish this as a divorced man in this day and age?

There is a document which is shared on the internet these days. I saw it in Romanian language and then searching a bit, I found it in English as well: it's a "memorandum" *signed in Strasbourg* containing a list of weird rules which they say they're going to be implemented in different dates in the future. I quickly read it, but it looks to me like a non-credible thingy. However, I have many friends who tend to believe it. In our country, this appeared on sites I don't trust. What I'm wondering is if we can find out if this is a credible (at least official/true) document. If not, I'm also wondering if we can find out who created this and what is the source. Can we do that? For reference, I will leave here (downloaded from [here](https://www.gloria.tv/text/CL6ssdZ3PMZzRGxyTtPrEXZee)) : > > >

I found an interesting claim in Bruce Shelley's *Church History in Plain Language*, regarding Arius's methods of promoting his theology, [Arianism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arianism) : > [Arius] put ideas into jingles, which set to simple tunes like a radio commercial, were soon being sung by the dock-workers, the street-hawkers, and the schoolchildren of the city. ((https://books.google.com/books?id=RbfVAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA107)) Shelley doesn't provide a citation, so I wonder what his basis is. How do we know that Arius used "jingles" or "simple tunes" to promote Arianism? How do we know that they were popular among these particular groups of people?

Most Christians relate to Judaism more than to Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism, or any other religion. So, my question is, what do Christianity and Judaism have in common so as to make them so related to one another? Thanks.

How do young Catholics remember a set of prayers in order to pray the rosary? Do they have to memorize everything by rote, or do they get some help with mnemonics? Should they pray in Latin or in the vernacular? Is there a bit of wiggle room if someone is a little amnesic so that they don't have to remember a set of prayers? Would just *reading* the prayers suffice instead of actually memorizing, or is memorizing a form of pious behavior for young people who are taught to become faithful practicing Catholics? So, I was reading this article [Cunningham, L. S. (1999). Mary in Catholic Doctrine and Practice. Theology Today, 56(3), 307.], and I noticed that the author was raised Catholic as a youngster, as shown. > By the time I was in elementary school, I knew how to say the > rosary-which meant that I had memorized the Hail Mary, the Lord’s > Prayer, the Apostle’s Creed, and the Glory be to the Father as well as > the titles of the fifteen mysteries upon which we meditated as we > prayed.

When a person converts or decides to convert to Christianity, they might believe in Christ but not have a strong body of knowledge and understanding of the Bible. They also may know very little about the Christian faith itself. What is an overview of common practices in the Catholic, Protestant, and Evangelical denominations to teach new converts more about these things so that they can become full members and take part in ministry within the church? Note: this question was written and answered to address [this deleted question](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/40919/how-to-understand-the-bible-better-by-questions) , in which a new convert asked for advice on learning about the faith. Since that question was off-topic and was promptly deleted, I referred that asker to this on-topic question and answer.

I just want to know whether Convent Schools are only for orphan children? Or can Christian children who have not lost their parents also attend such a school? Can non-Christian children attend a convent school?

I read a tag line advocating Lutheran Theologian Dr. Jack Kilcrease offering a class on "Protestant Scholasticism", which I had never heard of before. This seems odd to me because of Luther's rejection of the Aristotelian scholastics. So what is Protestant Scholasticism?