Saturday, March 25, 2006
Is the next generation falling away from the faith?
A well written article was passed along to me from Ed Vitagliano of Agape Press. His article is disturbing for those who have not seen it first hand. As a Sunday School teacher of high school students in a SBC church for almost a decade, I saw this all too often. There were many young people who professed Christ, were baptized and grew up in the church under Christian parents, but were utterly ignorant of the faith and how it truly impacted their lives. I would love to hear your responses to this article. Just click the post title to read it.
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7 comments:
Thanks for the link. I've read the Barna book on Children's Ministry and it is scary for two reason. 1) The so-called childhood converts do not sound like believers. 2) The best Barna can do is suggest better worldview education.
Thanks Tony for your comments. I agree. We have seen it first hand, as you probably have. It is sad when "evangelism" has been whittled down to the lowest common denominator, instead of being seen as a full expounding and expression of the gospel.
I wonder how different really our numbers of percentages really are compared to God's history of redemption. The remnant also seems to be a sliver of the whole historically. Using the Old Testament community as an example, the sects of Jewish leadership and their vast differences like the Sadducees only holding the Pentateuch as authoritative thus discounting the resurrection, then the Pharisees and their vast additions to the written Law. Of course, we may think of these differences as not comparable, but to them, liberal-humanism was the infection as it is ours. Any who do not deny self is heading down this path logically. I think of the man thanking God for his status that he was not as low as the miserable sinner next to him who could not even raise his head. To him he deserved to be herd by God because of his intrinsic self worth to God rather than worth because of God.
Also, I think we are labeled as Christian as the remaining legacy trait of our forefathers. All else, besides the terminology, has went by the way side for our gospel of man being preached by our churches. Disturbing indeed as the result is 'Christian' is not enough. We find ourselves having to further define orthodoxy and what it truly means to bear Christ in the geography of our souls instead of just in our geographic location in the world.
Thanks for the article.
One thing is for certain brothers: We are defined by the gospel we bare and by the conduct produced by the power of that gospel. Nothing else will ever compare. As I communicate that gospel to my children in hopes of the grace of God being bestowed upon them, I call them to the same thing that the prophets, Christ, and the apostles called for and that is true turning from sin towards God and faith in Jesus Christ: A faith that justifies alone, by grace alone, in Christ alone, but that does not REMAIN alone, but is followed in obedience to Jesus Christ.
Amen
When we contemplate whether or not the next gen is falling away, it has struck me in the midst of teen ministry to wonder seriously whether the real problem is that those who "taught" these kids never had the faith to begin with. You can't teach what you don't know.
Gordan,
That is too often true, but also it is just a simple thing that many "youth leaders" are often very immature in the faith. Some have genuine faith, but simply are not grounded well enough to lead, but because of the cult of personality in the church today they are thrust into that role. the church would do well to heed the words of the apostle Paul in regards to laying hands upon a novice. Thanks for the comments.
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