In a Lost Crowd

A word about where I am and where I'm going. My dad graduated from Ft. Wayne Seminary four years ago. He got his call to a very small congregation in the deep deep south. I've come to realize why the congregation is so small, and why this is actually the norm in this state. There are no Lutherans down here!

Imagine the culture shock, leaving an almost entirely Lutheran community, and moving to a wilderness of Bapti-Methocostals! My high school was grades 10-12, and had about 1500 students. A very large school by any standards. My sophomore and junior years, I was one of only two Lutherans at the entire school. My senior year the number picked up to one of six. Six out of 1500. Now there may have been other students who called themselves Lutheran, but since they do not regularly attend any of the churches in the area they don't count in my statistic.

Not only that. I was amazed to find that very few of my fellow students knew anything about Lutherans. I was quite regularly bombarded with questions like: "Lutherans, aren't you guys a cult?" "Are you even Christian?" "Don't you worship Satan?" "You guys aren't much different from Baptists are you?" It was mind blowing how uninformed these people were! And I'm pretty sure that everyone is required to study the Lutheran Reformation in World History!

Sometimes I feel very overwhelmed by the false doctrine pressing all around me. Outside of my small church community, no one shares the beliefs that are so fundamental to my entire life. I'm sure this will continue on into college. In fact, I'm told it will probably get worse. However, unlike most of the kids who are getting ready to set out on their own in a matter of days or weeks, I have a defense against the relativism of the college campus. I have God's word as an anchor of absolute truth, and as a shield to protect me from the attacks of the world and of Satan. Though I am vastly outnumbered, God is with me, and He will guide me through this wilderness.