Astute

Tony Campolo, who was the keynote speaker at a Campus Life rally when I was in high school, has been doing youth ministry for some 40 years or so. The recent edition of a youth ministry magazine I subscribe to interviewed him on the subject of "re-examining youth ministry." This guy would have street cred to do that so I read the Q & A.

What intrigued me was his response to the question, "What are some recent trends and developments in youth ministry that give you hope or cause you concern?"

Regarding the "hope" side of the equation, his response: "The thing that gives me hope is that I see a group of young people who offer an alternative to cultural Christianity with biblical Christianity. This is an alternative that challenges some of our assumptions and practices."

Regarding the "concerns" he might have, his response: "One thing that scares me is the way young women dress...teenage girls have no idea about how their dress affects young males and creates a whole mindset that could bring about all kinds of fearful consequences."

Wow.

Now, the first response didn't really surprise me. Those of us in the trenches of student ministry see that reality hourly. Frankly, a blind guy with one eye could see that. I've taught two sermons trying to help our congregation see that and had lunches with elders and coffee with other staffers and read gobs of books on how we can serve that "alternative" genertation of Christians without making it merely a program or allowing it to become a cartoon of itself. So, Tony, in my opinion, was dead-on.

The second response got my attention. If you'd asked me the same question I'm not sure that the way in which the young ladies in my ministry (or, frankly, the women in our church for that matter) dress would've hit my top 5. I mean, yeah, sure, it's a little less than modest but I chalked it up to the whims of the fashion folks and figured that pendulum would swing back in a couple of years.

In fact, my response to the "concerns" of student ministry would've been more along the lines of the societal importance placed on safe, homogenous suburban values instead of placing value on a walk of faith that could be dangerous and revolutionary. Frankly, a blind guy with one eye could see that, too, and it's hardly new ground. But that'd been the way I went with the question.

But, think about it for a second.

A guy with tons of wisdom and experience and all listed the way young girls dress as his major concern (taking the article at face value...the quote might've been edited and such).

Now, I do disagree with him when he says that girls have no idea how their dress affects young males. I think (even if they wouldn't verbalize it and may not be aware of full depth of how it affects their guy friends) they are VERY WELL aware of how their dress affects young males. It has all sorts of "positive" "rewards" for them which they experience hourly.

But, I do think he's on to something when he says a mindset gets developed that has all sorts of fearful consequences. And those consequences, I'd imagine Tony Campolo would agree, fall on both the male and female side of the ledger.

So, in our little discussion over coffee here in the Diner today, what do YOU think some of those consequences are on either side of the ledger...

...and what, if anything, can be done in this arena.

I have some thoughts on those, but I'd rather hear from you guys before I go further.