The Discussion Starter For My High School Student's Class Yesterday...
...was taken from a quote by Kenda Creasy Dean, a noted authority on Christian teenage culture. She was promoting her new book in this month's Youthworker Journal.
In response to the question, "What is teenage faith telling the church?" she responds:
Adults living a lukewarm Christianity.
Not living what Jesus taught or the way the early church lived.
Not shaking up their parent's lives in any discernable way.
None of them think it really matters.
It's a shot at those of us who are parents.
It's a shot at the church.
It's a shot at the teens.
The question before us today is if she's correct.
And if she is, what do we do about it?
Have at it, patrons.
*pours coffee, opens door, and rubs hands together while he waits*
...was taken from a quote by Kenda Creasy Dean, a noted authority on Christian teenage culture. She was promoting her new book in this month's Youthworker Journal.
In response to the question, "What is teenage faith telling the church?" she responds:
"That adults are living a lukewarm Christianity that young people are emulating. It's human to want teenagers to have faith that helps them fit in, makes them successful and helps them do well while doing good. The problem is that's not what Jesus taught, and it's not the way the early church lived. The faith that teens have looks very much like the faith of their parents. It's not shaking up their lives in any discernable way. Lots of kids say they're Christians, but almost none of them think it really matters.
Adults living a lukewarm Christianity.
Not living what Jesus taught or the way the early church lived.
Not shaking up their parent's lives in any discernable way.
None of them think it really matters.
It's a shot at those of us who are parents.
It's a shot at the church.
It's a shot at the teens.
The question before us today is if she's correct.
And if she is, what do we do about it?
Have at it, patrons.
*pours coffee, opens door, and rubs hands together while he waits*
.jpg){kind=avatar}
3 Comments:
I need to mull this one over. I have some strong initial reactions to the statement by Dean. But I need to think what I'll say before I say something too offensive...
Good food for thought. Just not sure if I agree or not yet.
I received an online devotional this week that posed the question, "How do we get wisdom?" The answer, from someone who had obviously been through a lot was, "Pain". I would hazard to say that faith falls into the same category. We can grow in our knowledge of the Bible and of Christ through the Bible, but faith happens in a whole different dimension when the rubber meets the road. And, it seems, it's God who decides when that will happen... No parent wishes hard times on their kids or themselves, but I don't think we get into the "refiner's fire" by deciding to. God knows when it's time for complete dependency on Him.
I'm kinda with Lori on this one...been mulling it over. As a parent, the statement regarding adults "lukewarm Christianity" stings because, of course, I want my kids to see my commitment to Christ. And, of course, I'd like them to follow. Here's the deal...in my mind I can conjure up atleast 100 different ways the idea of "lukewarm Christianity" plays out. And I bet you any given teen would have their own personal definition.
Which leads me to having to mull this over a bit. Here goes...it just seems that everything (ideas, relationships, character, etc.) can be so easily based on appearances. I know this is not a revolutionary thought. I promise you I have struggled with the thought that I don't look or act like what most people view as a Christian. But that doesn't mean I'm not passionate about my belief in the one true God. An example - I rarely listen to worship music and frankly it's my least favorite part of church service, in fact I'd rather get down to the gravy of a service which is God's word. Now I know I'm not the only one being served, it's just an example of how I have asked myself, "What am I not getting?" or "How come I don't do what THAT person is doing?". And don't get me started on how lame I have felt at prayer. Just as I can go off on blog posts, I can go off on prayer...believe me, you don't want me leading prayer because I don't sound as eloquent as the next person. Or how about the fact that now that my children are older it's weird how curse words come out with a little more frequency - I spent my childrens' preschool years editing EVERYTHING because that's what a good Christian mom should do. Again, appearances.
So, I wonder if the idea that "Lots of kids say they're Christians, but almost none of them think it really matters." doesn't have a little bit to do with appearances. Teens are still formulating what does and doesn't matter. What I know is that I want my kids to think being a Christian matters. What I also know is that starts with getting out of their faces and into their hearts. And so yeah, the question us parents should be asking ourselves is, "Is my heart showing?" And, if my heart is in the right place and I'm playing for an audience of One then the answer should be "yes" regardless of appearances.
See?? I told you that you don't want me rambling. :)
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home