The perfect storm of youth culture
trends I blogged about yesterday is
here. We need to deal with it. So what now? A theologian once said that every
Christian should start their day with the Bible in one hand and newspaper in
the other. Our calling is to speak the truths of God’s Word to the cultural
realities that exist. Because the cultural stuff they swim in everyday serves
them as a map (telling them what to believe and how to live), we must know
where the cultural map is sending them. Then, we must respond by showing them
the way of God’s map for their lives. Effective ministries to children and
teens–whether in the church or home – are marked by a balanced, three-fold
response to everything we see in the soup.
First, respond to what you see in
the soup prophetically. Make an
intentional effort to look for and seize opportunities to speak biblical truth
into their lives in response to the realities that exist. Looking in the soup
will reveal the realities that exist. Spending time with Jesus in his Word will
shape your prophetic response. At times, you will find yourself affirming where
the map of culture is sending kids in the right direction. At other times
you’ll challenge the map where it sends them down the wrong road. Maybe the
best way to put forth a prophetic response is to follow the lead of Jesus in
the Sermon on the Mount. Do you remember how he did this? He would begin by
saying something like, “You have heard it said that. . .” Then, he would lay
out whatever the popular cultural belief was. Then, he would continue by
saying, “but. . . I tell you. . .” Then, he would lay out the Kingdom way of
looking at the matter. Your kids are soaking in a culture that shapes their
values, attitudes, and behaviors with lots and lots of “you have heard it said
that’s.” Your responsibility it to expose the “you have heard it said
that’s”,and then correct them with the scripture’s “but I tell you’s”. That’s
what it means to respond prophetically.
Second, respond to what you see in
the soup preventively. All parents
share a great concern for their kids’ physical well-being when they are young.
We know enough about children to know that they might wander into the street,
talk to strangers, or reach for hot stuff. As a result, we do our best to
prevent them from wandering into the street, talking to strangers, and burning
themselves on a hot burner or dish. Likewise, if we care about the spiritual
health of our children, we should answer the map’s faulty directions
preventively, by going out of our way to equip them to face all of life and its
challenges in a way that brings honor and glory to God. They need us to pass on
the valuable information we’ve learned about life so that they adopt values,
attitudes, and behaviors that keep them from harm and provide for their
spiritual well-being. One very practical suggestion is to regularly offer your
kids opportunities to evaluate their music, media, and advertising from a
Christian perspective. Not only does this preventive measure teach them to
think Christianly about all of life, but it opens the door to address all the
topics in the media “soup” from a biblical perspective.
Finally, respond to their sin,
failures, and mistakes redemptively.
All children face temptation, and all children will make dangerous and sinful
choices. Remember, they’re young, impressionable and very vulnerable. The
determining factor in whether or not a bad choice turns into a situation that
gets better or worse depends largely on your response. Your goal should be to
help the child and their family redeem these situations by turning a mistake
into an opportunity for the child to become a more Godly and Christlike person.
Don’t ever write off any child as hopeless or irredeemable. Rather, treat her
as you know your heavenly Father treats you – regularly! - when you are the
offending party.
I want to pass on one more little
bit of advice that’s really, really important. As a student of youth culture,
you are going to learn a lot. As a parent, I want to ask you to do me, and all
other parents, a big favor. Pass on
everything you learn about youth culture to parents. I know this sounds
like it might be extra work, and you’re already super busy. But this may be the
most important service you can provide to moms and dads. Most parents would
readily admit that they’re terribly out of touch with the culture of their
kids. They may even feel frustrated by the growing cultural-generational gap
that exists in their home. But if parents are the one’s primarily responsible
for the spiritual nurture of their kids, doesn’t it make sense that we would do
everything in our power to help them better fulfill their calling as
cross-cultural missionaries? Use every avenue and opportunity to pass on your
youth culture knowledge and insights to parents.
As a culture-watcher, I’ve listened to a lot of music over
the years. A few years ago I ran across a song by Tom Petty called “LostChildren.” Even though Petty’s never claimed to be a follower of Jesus, he’s
concerned enough about kids and the problems they face in today’s youth culture
to intercede on their behalf. In the song, Petty asks the Lord to“shine light
on these lost children born to chase the hurricane. . . far away from home,” and to “lead them all home again.”
Youth workers, childrens' ministers, Sunday School teachers, and parents are
all uniquely positioned to fulfill that task. But first, we must say “yes” to
God’s invitation to be a cross-cultural missionary to children growing up in a
rapidly changing and very confusing cultural soup.
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