Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Disturbing Trends

Parents, I have some questions for you. Do you really know what is going on with your kids? Do you know about their internet pages? Do you know what they watch on television? Do you know what music they listen to? Do you know what they do with their friends? Do you know what they are being taught in the schools by their teachers? Do you know what they are being taught by their peers in social situations? Do you know what they are being exposed to in our society as a whole?

You should know. If you are not up in their business then you are not doing your job as a parent. If you are always their friend, you have a problem. In fact, at some point you are going to have to be satisfied with being (in their mind) their worst enemy. This is how it really works in families that are going to do the will of God and go to heaven together.

These things being said, I would like you all to know what I heard this weekend from some teenagers...

I taught a class on "The Truth About Homosexuality" at a youth rally in Dexter, Mo. We discussed the Biblical passages that address this issue, and also the truth about what is really on the gay agenda and what they believe and practice. We also dealt with how to help those taken in by this sin. Afterward, some of the young people wanted to talk.

How much influence has the push for acceptance of gays and lesbians had to this point? These young people were telling me that it is common in our high schools for their friends to have BOTH a girlfriend AND a boyfriend. The mindset is to try both genders and experiment. Perhaps the young people applaud this as being "open-minded." Or perhaps they have been told so many times that nobody really knows what they are supposed to be that they actually believe it. Whatever the case, this should astonish us. This should bother us. This should make us have a sit-down conversation with our kids immediately.

We need to equip ourselves with the Biblical passages with regard to homosexuality. We need to know them so well that we can discuss them in their context with our children. We need lessons about this issue from the pulpit and in our Bible classes. We also need to listen to our kids and find out what they are having to deal with! It is a different world we are living in, a very different world than the one we grew up in.

Do not side-step the issue. If you think it won't affect you or your family, think again. We used to have to worry about what kind of person our kids would date. Many are now having to start with making sure they are going to date the right gender. May God help us.

"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites..." ~ 1 Corinthians 6:9

1 comment:

  1. Great thoughts Jeremiah, as always! I agree with you, we as parents MUST be engaged with our children. If your child has a Facebook page, you should have a Facebook page. . . etc. You should have access to email accounts, all web pages, view their internet history, texts, etc. I do this with my oldest daughter and she knows that I do. There are consequences if she deletes history or texts. But, she also has access to mine! What's good for daughter is good for daddy.

    As Ronald Reagan said, "Trust but verify."

    Mitchell

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