The Sunday School: A Theological Reflection

GEORGE BROWN, JR. Anniversaries can be times for reflection as well as celebration. Thus, on the threshhold of 1980- the 200th anniversary of the Sunday school- it seemed appro­ priate to suggest that there be some theological reflection on the Sunday school, as well as reminiscing over its past glories and triumphs. Several questions immediately surfaced as this suggestion began to take shape: Is there a theology of the Sunday school? If so, what are its key elements or distinctive features? How is the theology of the Sunday school related to Reformed theology? The writing of a theological critique of the Sunday school was undertaken with acer­ tain naivete, soon corrected by the existential impact of a sentence fragment from Martin Marty: "Theological work is hard . . . I" Attempting to write about the theology of the Sunday school is a little like trying to get hold of an octopus! Consider the first question, for example. In answering the question, "Is there a theology of the Sunday school?", one can reach out in several directions- almost simultaneously. One might hold tenaciously to the kind of statement found in the By-Laws of the World Sunday School Association. According to the revised By-Laws, only those persons holding the "Evangelical Faith" were admitted to membership.2 It could be argued that the theology of the Sunday school is "evangelical." But two problems arise almost immediately. First, the definition of "evangelical faith": there is no further explanation or description in the By-Laws. A recent histor­ ian of the Sunday school movement believes this formula was "generally understood as meaning a Trinitarian confession.''3 However, even if this definition is accepted, there is still a further concern. Is the theology expressed in the official records, resolu­ tions and reports of the Sunday school movement the theology of the Sunday school? It can be argued that one must reach beyond the institutional theology of the Sunday school to get a grip on the operational theology of the Sunday school. Bill Roberts, who is conducting an extensive research project for Christian Education: Shared Approaches, has listened to endless hours of taped classroom interaction and offers the observation that in the classroom the theology of the Sunday school is often a theology of works. 4 At this level, the theology of the Sunday school often reflects more the personal piety of the teacher than the formally adopted and approved theol­ ogy behind the curriculum. Instead of listening to tapes of classroom interaction to discover the theology of the Sunday school, one might listen to the hymns and songs of the Sunday school movement. As Reverend C. W. Wendte pointed out early in this century, The historical and doctrinal lessons imparted to us in the Sunday school may be forgotten, the faces of the teachers themselves may fade out of

12 mind, but the hymns of our childhood abide with us through the years, an unfailing source of religious quickening and cheer, a well-spring of affec­ tionate and holy memories.s The staying power of hymns and songs, learned in the Sunday school in childhood, is significant, because hymns have a theological content. Albert H. van den Heuvel has written: It is the hymns, repeated over and over again, which form the container of much of our faith. They are probably, in our age, the only confessional documents which we learn by heart. 6 Robert Lynn and Elliott Wright give some insight into the theology of the hymns and songs of the movement, saying that the "go" songs, popular from about I 860 to I 914, reflected a "soft faith," which they describe as a more reassuring faith than the "hard faith" of the songs of an earlier period, which were more "stern and somber."7 The more one tries to take hold of an answer to the question the more it becomes apparent that one is also held. For a third problem now arises: viz., historical devel­ opment. Is the theology of the Sunday school "evangelical," as expressed by the World Sunday School Association in the conventions of 1924 and 1928? Or, is the theology of the Sunday school "neo-orthodox," as reflected in the dominant theological influ­ ence in the Christian Faith and Life Curriculum of the late l 940's? Or, is the theology of the Sunday school the "worldly theology" of the l 960's? In trying to get hold of the octopus, one is never sure who has who. Perhaps it is sufficient to recognize that the theology of the Sunday school is to be found in many different sources, from the institutional to the operational. But it should be evident by now that there is a theology- or theologies- of the Sunday school. At least one can discern some emerging contours here and there. It may be helpful to identify some of the leading characteristics of Sunday school theology. Evangelism is a prominent feature in the typography of Sunday school theology. It was articulated for the delegates to the Eleventh World's Sunday School Conven­ tion in this way: The need of our time is the need of all times- the gospel of Jesus Christ which is the power of God unto salvation. The call to the churches is to a deeper, truer, wider evangelism- an evangelism that educates young and old, an evangelism that emphasizes not the differences of creed and polity that mark our divisions, but lays hold of the great central truths which undergird and sustain our common faith. Other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. The Living Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.a Already in 1910, the delegates to the Sixth World's Sunday School Convention had adopted a resolution recognizing the Sunday school's role in "winning the world for Christ."9 While evangelism has sometimes been set over against Christian action, this was not the case with the Sunday school. The International Sunday School Association, meeting in Buffalo in 1918, adopted a "Service-Creed" which declared their intention to work

for an evangelism that is not only individual but also social, and that shall

13 "reach the reached and save the saved" by a life-investing program of service, world-wide and all inclusive. 10 One reads in virtually every report of the proceedings of the World Sunday School Conventions a deep concern for social issues ranging from drug abuse to war and peace. Gerald Knoff traces the first "strong emphasis" on social responsibility to the 1920 Tokyo convention, where a series of speakers addressed the "social implications of the gospel." 11 Luther Weigle, articulate spokesman for the Sunday school, in the closing address of the 1936 World's Convention in Oslo, said: Human welfare, education, evangelism- these three belong together. We must get rid of the old antitheses which set over against one another the social gospel and the gospel of individual redemption as though these were incompatible, or which assumed that education and evangelism are naturally rivals. 12 Robert Lynn and Elliott Wright see this feature of Sunday school theology as "the movement's mainspring of energy." They write: The Sunday school crusade really hit its stride in the I 820's and I 830's as it concentrated on preparing the way for conversion. That sense of pur­ pose carried the movement well into the twentieth century (and still dom­ inates vast numbers of Sunday schools.) The Sunday school has become so closely identified with conversion over the past 150 years that it is doubtful whether it could today be divorced from the evangelistic motivation. u Sunday school theology was not only evangelistic but also Christ-centered. These two emphases are reflected in the final resolution adopted by the delegates to the ninth World's Convention meeting in Glasgow: The Convention is convinced that the present world situation constitutes a rare opportunity and a startling challenge to Christian Churches and Sunday schools to improve and extend their work of Bible instruction, of educational evangelism, and to pursue with faith and courage the task to which the World's Sunday School Association is committed of bringing the children and young people of every land and in every language to the knowledge of God in Christ, through living teachers of revealed truth, and so, in time, to secure the world against the calamity of war ... 14 In words reminiscent of Our Song of Hope, William C. Poole told the delegates to the I Ith World Convention meeting in Rio de Janerio, " ... we affirm our faith that the living Christ is the hope of the world."15 "Christ the Hope of the World" became the theme of the next World's Con- vention: The theme chosen for the Oslo Convention is "Christ the Hope of the World." Surely no more appropriate theme could be found in these days of disruptive forces when the great need is for world unity- a unity which can be finally achieved only through Christ, Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.16 Bishop Lund, in the concluding words of his address at the Oslo Convention, said: "Christ is our only hope, Christ is the only hope of the world." 17 One does not find a great deal of christological controversy in these meetings. Perhaps that is because the discussions focused less on issues of Christ's nature than

14 on his significance for the world. Christological definition is touched on here and there, but mostly in the spirit of Luther Weigle's closing address at Oslo: J esus is to be seen not as an ethical teacher or model of humanity, but as one who gives mankind "a glimpse of ultimate Reality, because we see in Him the character and disposition of God dwelling among men, God entering history for man's redemption."18 What the Sunday school believes about Christ is what is broadly accepted by most Christians: We affirm our loyalty to Jesus Christ. He has revealed to us the character and purpose of God. By the power of His Gospel all men are freed from sin and saved to newness of life. In him is the hope of the world for individual redemption and for social regeneration. Our allegiance is to the Divine and living Saviour; our message is the unchanging truth of his Gospel; our unfailing resource is his life-giving Spirit.19 Sunday school theology is evangelistic, Christ-centered, and biblical. The close con­ nection between Christ and the Bible in the thought of the Sunday school is seen in the sixth resolution of the Seventh World's Convention meeting in Zurich: We recognize that throughout the world a new spirit is abroad demanding a share in the great upward movement of the time, and we express our conviction that all such movements can only realize their highest aims when founded upon the person and work of Christ and the Holy Scriptures.20 The Fifth World's Convention reaffirmed its faith in the Bible "as the inspired Word of God," and exhorted "all who teach in the Sunday school hopefully and faithfully to present the gospel to their scholars as the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth," while appealing to people everywhere "to accept this sacred Word, study its truths, and obey its commands."21 On returning home, at least one delegate wrote appreciatively of the emphasis on the "value" and "efficacy" of the Bible at the Eighth World's Convention in Tok­ yo. Reverend J . M. T. Winther wrote that the Bible was emphasized in "a way to fill the heart of an evangelical Lutheran of the most orthodox school with joy un­ speakable ... " 22 John H. Vincent, instrumental in building the Sunday school curriculum around the Bible, saw the Bible as "the final and only authority."23 Generally, the Sunday school tried to avoid controversy when it came to matters of biblical criticism. In 1898, convention delegates were told not to fear literary and historical criticism of the Bible. Gerald Knoff writes that, except for Charles Spurgeon and Joseph Parker who opposed such criticism, "there is no evidence that many of the leaders nor any of the rank-and-file Sunday school convention delegates were greatly troubled by these new winds of scholarly inquiry, indeed, no evidence they knew such existed. " 24 So far, what has been said about evangelism, Christ, and the Bible has been drawn from "institutional" sources- the official reports and resolutions of the Sunday school. The "grass roots" theology of the Sunday school, expressed in teacher-student interaction in the classroom, superintendents' speeches at teachers' meetings, and unwritten convictions of Sunday school students and staffs, remains undocumented.

15 The reader will need to add his or her own knowledge of Sunday school theology as he or she finds it in these sources. How far these more popular expressions deviate from "official party line" will need to be judged by the reader. One can get some feel for the theology expressed in the songs of the Sunday school by examining the Topical Index of the hymnals published for use in the Sun­ day school. Consider, for example, this survey of Sunday school songs from The Hy mnal for Primary Classes, published in 1896: 25 32 Christmas hymns 8 Golden Rule 22 Missionary hymns 6 Example of Jesus 19 Easter hymns 5 Temptation 18 Prayer 5 Heaven 16 Love of Jes us 4 Sabbath 13 Invitations to Come to Christ 3 Holy Spirit 13 Temperance hymns 3 Bible 11 Repentance, faith and trust 2 The Commandments 8 God and creation 2 Perseverance

The Sunday school's close relationship to the evangelistic and missionary enterprise is reflected in the number of hymns on missions, and repentance, faith, and trust. The Christ-centeredness of the Sunday school theology also shows up in this survey of the Topical Index. Though there are only three hymns on the Bible, they appear as the first hymns in the volume. The first hymn, "Holy Bible," speaks of the Bible as a "divine book," a "precious treasure" that is the possession of the little singers. In this hymn, the Bible is understood to be a guide which corrects those who "rove." It also judges, condemns, and acquits; it shows the Savior's love. The Bible tells a person about his or her origins, and identity. It contrasts the joy of triumphing over death by "living faith" with the sorrow of the sinner's "doome."26 Loyalty to the Bible is the theme of the third selection, "We'll Not Give Up the Bible." Here, the Bible is defined as "God's holy Book of truth," which speaks of the savior's love and calls us home to God.2 7 In addition to what has been said about the Bible is the official records and the songs of the Sunday school. One might also scan the biblical text used in the Sunday school lessons. A survey of the International Lessons between 1873 and 1899, for example, yields the following picture:

Book of the Bible Number of Lessons2s Acts 615 Luke 137 Matthew 130 Mark 115 John 112 I & II Kings 92 Genesis 80 I & II Samuel 75 Exodus 50 Joshua 34

16 In contrast to the heavy emphasis on the gospels and historical books, only 55 lessons covered the Pauline corpus, the bulk of those covering the letters to Rome and Corinth. The proportions, however, do reflect the Christ-centered characteristic of Sunday school theology. Some comments by recent commentators on the Sunday school may help round out this discussion on the distinctive features of the Sunday school theology. Lynn and Wright, in the revised edition of their popular story of the Sunday school, describe the Sunday school as "the incarnation of popular Protestantism."29 Thus, if one is able to identify the theology of "Popular Protestantism," one is also able to recognize the shape of Sunday school theology. In their first edition of The Big Little School, Lynn and Wright wrote: The early Sunday school's faith was uncluttered, a simple gospel for plain folks on the move, requiring none of the elaborate doctrinal apparatus of classical Puritan thought and life.JO Both statements point to a broad, commonly-agreed-upon theology that avoids con­ troversy. In its simplicity, Sunday school theology is more a theology of the heart than of the head, appealing to the emotions rather than the intellect. When comparing the theology of the church with Sunday school theology, some writers suggest a wide disparity between the two. In a sharp critique of the Sunday school, Lockhart Amerman argued that "the Sunday school serves to foster heresy."•1 He wrote:

... most major denominations boast Sunday schools which deliberately encourage illiterate literalism and dispensational mathematics, all under the nose of a church authority which neither pursues nor tolerates such whimsies. In many cases the Sunday school is simply selling the church down the river.32 Amerman and others raise the issue of whether or not Sunday school theology and Reformed theology are compatible. The emphasis in Reformed theology on "the mind in the service of God" indicates a possible tension point between Reformed theology and Sunday school theology. The historic tension between the Sunday school and the church is related to this issue, for the church has insisted on a college-educated and seminary-trained ministry, while the Sunday school has thrived on lay volunteers as teachers. Reformed theology may be characterized as a "theology of the head," while Sunday school theology has been called a "theology of the heart." Another tension point between Reformed theology and Sunday school theology centers in the matter of evangelism and conversion. Ario Ayres Brown wrote early in this century that conversion was "clearly the supreme aim" of the Sunday school.33 The Reformed faith has given emphasis to the covenant, following Bushnell's approach to children as children of the covenant to be nurtured in the faith of their fathers and mothers. Sunday school theology, on the other hand, has generally tended toward an emphasis on conversion, which is congruent with the place evangelism holds in Sun­ day school theology. This tendency grows out of the close affiliation of the Sunday school with revivalism and its concern for conversion. And it is a tendency found in

17 forgotten. There are certain limitations to this durable wineskin, as educational enthu­ siasts and reformers have come to discover.

FOOTNOTES

1 Martin E. Marty, The Fire We Can Light: The role of Religion in a Suddenly Differe111 World (Garden City: Doubleday a nd Co., Inc., 1973), p. 23 1. 2 See the Revised By-Laws in The Sunday School and the Healing of the Nations. edited by John T. Faris (New York: World Sunday School Association, 1924), p. 106 and in Thy Kingdom Come, edited by John T. Faris (New York: World Sunday School Association, 1928), p. 111. ' Gerald E. Knoff, The World Sunday School Moveme111: Tire Story of a Broadening Mission (New York: Seabury Press, 1979), p. 32. J. Blaine Fister, in a recent article, writes of the "evangelistic perspective" of the early Sunday school, a nd wonders if it wasn't "a bit too 'evangelical' for the more liberal theologically oriented denominational leaders .. . " Here the term "evangelical" is contrasted with "liberal" to give yet another sense of the term. CF. J. Blaine Fister, "Christian Education: Potential and Promise in the Ecumenical Movement," Mic/­ Stream: An Ecumenical Journal, Vol. XIX, No. I (January, I980), p. 57. Further definition of the term "evangeli cal" is provided by Howard P. Colson, who in a consultation on the Uniform Lesson Series said: " ... all of the denominations participating in the Uniform are evangelica l. They believe in a divine Christ a nd a divinely inspired Bible." CF. Howard P. Colson, "Presuppositions Underlying the Uniform Series," Report of Tire Consultation on Issues Facing the Commi11ee on The Uniform Series, December 15- 17, 1974, Nashville, Tennessee, p. 4. 4 In a conversation with the author at the Krisheim Study Center, in Chestnut Hill, Pa., April 15 , 1980. ' C. W. Wendte, "Sentiment and Song in the Sunday School," Religious Education Vol. III, No. 3 (August, 1908), p. 92. 'Albert H. van den Heuvel, Risk: New Hy mns/or a New Day, Vol. II, No. 3 (1966), p. 6. 7 Robert W. Lynn and Elliott Wright, 11ie Big U11/e School: Sunday Ch ild of American Protesta/1/ism (New York: Harper and Row, Publishers, 1971), pp. 40-41. Hereafter referred to as Lynn and Wright, I. ' The Living Christ in 11re World Fellowship of Religious Education: Official Record of the Eleve111h World's Sunday School Convention Held in Rio de Janiero, compiled by William Charles Poole (St. Louis: Bethany Press, 1933), p. 53. 9 Resolution No. 3, World-Wide Sunday School Work: Tire Official Report of The World's Sixth Sunday School Conve111 ion, Washington, D.C., May 19-24, 1910, edited by William N. Hartshorn (Chicago: The Executive Committee of the World's Sunday School Association, 1910), p. 64. 10 "Tire Service-Creed of The Sunday School," Organized Sunday School Work in North America, 1914-19 18: Official Report of The Fifteenth International Sunday School Association Conve111ion, Buffalo, New York. June 19-25, 1918, edited by Herbert H. Smith (Chicago: International Sunday School Association, 191 8), p. 292. " Knoff, Op. cit., p. 70. 12 Luther A. Weigle, "Christ The Hope of The World," Christ The Hope of The World: Tire Official Report of the Twelfth World's Sunday School Conve111ion, Oslo, Norway, July, 1936, compiled by Alexander Gammie, (Glasgow a nd New York: World's Sunday School Association, 1936), p. 207. " Robert W. Lynn and Elli ott Wright, T7ie Big Lillie School: T\vo Hundred Years of The Sunday School, 2nd edition, revised a nd enl arged (Birminghan, Alabama: Religious Education Press, 1971, 1980), p. 154. Hereafter referred to as Lynn and Wright, II. 14 "Resolutions," T7re Sunday school and the Healing of The Nations: The Official Book of The World's Nilllh Sunday School Convellfion, Glasgow, Scotland, June 18-26, 1924, edited by John T. Faris (New York: World Sunday School Association, 1924), pp. 104-105. " William C. Poole, "The Living Christ," The Living Christ in The World Fellowship of Religious Education, Op. Cit., p. 61. 16 Christ The Hope of The World, Op. Cit., p. 17. " Ibid., p. 52. " Weigle, Op. Cit., p. 207. 19 Thy Kingdom Come: T7ie World's Te111h Sunday School Convention, edited by John T. Faris (New York: World Sunday School Association, n.d.), p. 105. 20 "Resolutions," World-Wide Sunday-Schoo/ Work: The Official Report of The World's Seventh Sunday­ . School Convemion, Zurich, Switzerland, July 8-15, 1913, edited by Charles Ga llandet Trumbull (London and New York City: World's Sunday-School Association, 1913), p. 609.

18 many independently published curricula used in some Sunday schools of the Reformed Church in America. Thus, at the curriculum level, too, Sunday school theology may conflict with Reformed theology. But, here again, it must be stressed, that the situation may vary from church to church and Sunday school to Sunday school. Over a period of time, the Sunday schools came under the control of denominational boards of education and so began to reflect denominational emphases.34 The German Reformed Church, for example, used the International Lessons, but issued them under the label of "The Heidelberg Series" and incorporated the Catechism. 35 Edwin Wilbur Rice noted that in the last century the Methodist Episcopal Church was foremost in insisting upon having text­ books and catechisms in its Sunday-schools that gave prominence to the distinctive doctrines of Methodism.36 Where a more independent spirit has dominated the Sunday school, both in curriculum and in philosophy, the tension may be greater than where the Sunday school is using materials that reflect the denomination's theological emphases. Two professors from Columbia Teachers College once wrote a book in which they distinguished between the "nurturant" and "instructional" effects of teaching.37 The instructional effect was the direct effect of teaching, what the lesson was about, for instance; the nurturant effect was more indirect, a result of how the lesson was taught or the emotional climate of the classroom. Applying this distinction to Sunday school theology, one may say that one "nurturant effect" of Sunday school theology is very compatible with Reformed theology: viz., the Reformed principle of the priest­ hood of all believers. The Sunday school is a vast volunteer movement and expresses in its very nature the belief that every Christian is a minister.

The biblical thrust of Sunday school theology, its Christ-centeredness, and its missional character and its lay nature all contribute to the thrust of Reformed theol­ ogy, and appear for the most part to be compatible with it. Even the emphasis on conversion is not incongruent with Reformed theology, except in those instances when it involves the baptized children of the covenant community who have been raised in the faith and have never known a time when they were outside it. In closing, it may be helpful to consider the biblical image of wine and wineskins. For, in a sense, the Sunday school has served as a wineskin, into which denominations have been able to pour their own particular brand of theological wine, be it Metho­ dist, Lutheran, Baptist, or Reformed. D. Campbell Wyckoff has identified the non­ ideological character "of the Sunday school as one of its strengths, and it is this char­ acteristic strength of the Sunday school that enables its theology to serve such a theologically diverse constituency."38 This adaptability of the Sunday school, note Lynn and Wright, has enabled Black church leaders to use the Sunday school to "inculcate a sense of liberation in black young people."39 But the biblical image of the wineskin also reminds us that there is inherent in the wineskin a special quality that makes it unsuitable for "new wine." Thus, something happens to the vitality of the Sunday sc hool when its basic evangelistic quality is

19 21 " Resolwions," Sunday-Schools the World Around: 711e Official Report of The Wo rld's Fifth Sunday- Schoo/ Convention, Rome, May 18-23, 1907, edited by Philip E. Howard (Philadelphia : World 's Sunday School Executive Committee, 1907), p. 373.

22 The Sunday School and World Progress: The Official Book of the Eighth Wo rld's Sunday School Conven­ tion, Tokyo, Japan, October 5-14, 1920, ed ited by Jo hn T. Fari s (New Yo rk: Wo rld's Sunday School Associatio n, 1920), p. 190. "John H. Vincent, The Modern Sunday School, revised editio n (New Yo rk: Eaton a nd Mains, 1900), p. 253. At the Centennial of T he Unifo rm Lessons envisio ned by Vincent, it could be said : " A distinctive aspect of Unifo rm Lessons is the emphasis given to the Bible as the record of the revela tio n of God in Christ . . . " CF. Centennial Celebration: Our Heritage in Uniform Lessons 1872-1972, prepa red by Iris L. Ferre n (St. Louis: Be tha ny Press, 1972), p. 22. T wo yea rs la ter, in a consulta tion of T he Committee o n The Uniform Series, Howard P. Colson said the Bible is "the source," "the norm," a nd "the instrument" of Christi a n teaching. CF. Howard P. Colson, Op. Cit., p. 7. Sunday school Theology's view of the Bible is to be fou nd in background sta tements a nd sources such as these. (T he a uthor is indebted to Herbert M. La mbe rt, Editor, Local Church Curriculum Divisio n of The Christi a n Board of Publi cati o n, St. Louis, Mo., for his assista nce in identifying these resources.) " Knoff, Op. Cit., p. 33 . " Hymnal for Primary Classes, compiled by Ed win Wilbur Rice (Philadelphia: The American Sunday School Union, 1896). (The a utho r wishes to express his apprecia ti o n to Mr. Cha rles Willard a nd the staff of The Robert E. Speer Library at Princeton Theologicaf Semina ry fo r providing access to this a nd other volumes from their ra re book coll ecti on.) " Ibid. 21 Ibid. " 'Marianna C. Brown, Sunday-School Movements in America (New Yo rk: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1901), p. 239.

29 Lynn a nd Wright, II., p. 165. 10 Ro bert W. Lynn a nd Elli ott Wright, I., pp. 45-46. " Lockha rt Amerma n, "The Menace of The Sunda y School, " The Christian Century, Vo l. LXI, No. 6 (Febru­ a ry 9, 1944), p. 174. It sho uld be noted tha t A merma n's definiti on of heresy is "the exaggerati o n a nd overemphasis of a no n-essentia l." 32 Ibid. H Ari o Ayres Brown, A History of Religious Education in Recent Times (New York: Abingdon Press, 1923). pp. 72-73. 34 Knoff, Op. Cit., p. 62. Knoff sees this proces occuring roughly between 1907 and 1924. T he beginning of denomina tio na l control over the affa irs of the World's sunday School Associa ti o n is to be da ted a bout 19 16. J . Bla ine Fister points o ut that the early Sunday school was "undenomina tional" or "non-denomina ti ona l. " T his a ll owed it to be "ecumencial"-co ncentra ting on the central Chri sti a n truths rather tha n on "distinc­ ti ve pec ulia rities"- before the emphasis o n ecumenism in this century. cf. J. Bla ine Fister, op. cit., pp. 56, 59. " Ma ri a nna C. Brown, op. cit., p. 142. l • Edwin Wilbur Rice, 711e Sunday-School Movement 1780-1917 a nd 711e American Sunday-School Union 1817-1917(Philadelphia : America n Sunday school Uni on, 19 17), pp. 378-79. " Bruce J oyce a nd Marsha Weil, Models of Teaching (Englewood Cliffs, N.J ., Prentice-Ha ll , Inc., 1972), pp. 16- 17. " D. Campbell Wyckoff, "As American as Crab Grass: T he Protesta nt Sunday School," Religious Education, Vo l. 75, No. I (Ja nua ry-Februa ry, 1980). p. 3 1.

19 Lynn a nd Wright, II., p. 148.

20