by Kim Trobee, editor (Citizenlink.com)
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000012435.cfm
'It's time for an honest conversation about the biblical truth for sexuality.'
One of the nation's largest gay-activist groups, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), is promoting its annual Day of Silence on Friday.
Daryl Presgraves, public relations manager for GLSEN, said the event encourages kids to take a vow of silence for the day to highlight what the group calls "safer" schools.
"What the Day of Silence does is it raises awareness about a pretty pervasive problem," he said. "Nearly nine out of 10 LGBT students tell us that they experience harassment at school."
But a closer look at the materials being distributed to educators and students shows there is more than an anti-bullying message being pushed.
For example, GLSEN's data sheet for kids called "How to Get What You Want—With an Ask!" encourages students to use the Day of Silence to get a "queer-friendly prom," as well as homosexual-themed books and teacher trainings in their schools.
Teachers are encouraged to discuss the Day of Silence with their students and observe five minutes of silence in the classroom as a show of solidarity.
Candi Cushman, education analyst for Focus on the Family, said the event turns kids into political lobbyists for GLSEN's adult-driven agenda.
"We agree that every student should be protected from bullying and harassment," she said, "and that no student should be hurt or ridiculed, no matter who they are or what they believe. But parents need to be aware that the Day of Silence unnecessarily politicizes and sexualizes the school environment, paving the way for classroom lessons that advocate and normalize things like same-sex marriage and cross-dressing."
One alternative would be to allow kids to participate in the Day of Truth on Thursday.
The Day of Truth is sponsored by Exodus International and promotes a respectful dialogue among students on the issue of homosexuality. This year's theme is "Get the Conversation Started." Students will be handing out cards between classes that read:
"People with differing, even opposing viewpoints, can freely exchange ideas and respectfully listen to each other. It's time for an honest conversation about the biblical truth for sexuality. Let's get the conversation started!"
Jeff Buchanan, senior director with Exodus, said it's no accident they named it the Day of Truth.
"We want to talk and have the conversations and it be laced with love and grace," he said, "but we cannot steer away from the firm foundation of the Truth when we do talk about biblical sexuality."
While students should engage in respectful discourse about gay issues, Buchanan cautions that some may encounter resistance at school. For that, Exodus has enlisted the Alliance Defense Fund to protect the legal rights of all students.
"They're being told one side of the message, and it can communicate that there are no other options," he said. "We really want students to be well-equipped, so that they can make educated choices."
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Learn more about countering gay activism in public schools: http://www.truetolerance.org/What%27stheDayofSilenceAbout.pdf
Learn more about the Day of Truth: http://dayoftruth.org/
Friday, April 23, 2010
Thursday, April 8, 2010
#20 - Do Christian Youth REALLY Know What They Believe?
The Millennial Generation – Chuck Colson, Breakpoint.com, April 6, 2010
Are young evangelicals today influenced more by the culture or the church? Find out the unsurprising answer.
The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life just released a survey called “Religion Among the Millennials.” It offers some good news and some bad news about young people ages 18 to 29. First, the bad news. According to Pew, these Millennials “are considerably less religious than older Americans.” Fewer belong to any particular faith than older people do. No surprise. But a real cause of concern is that young people today are “significantly more unaffiliated” than young people were 10 or 20 years ago. Millennials attend religious services less often than oldsters like me; they pray less, and are less likely to say that “religion is very important in their lives.”
And their worldviews are skewed. More than half of young adults—including evangelicals—believe that evolution is the best explanation for the development of human life. And they are far more likely than older people to say that homosexuality is a way of life that ought to be accepted by society rather than discouraged. The good news is that “more than three-quarters of young adults...agree that there are absolute standards of right and wrong,” including 85 percent of young evangelicals. That’s a dramatic improvement over earlier years. Sixty-four percent of young evangelicals agree that houses of worship should “express their views on day-to-day social and political questions.” Good—depending on the views. Finally, 88 percent of evangelicals believe the Bible is God’s word, and 86 percent believe in God with “absolute certainty.” Among Millennials in general, they believe in God “at rates similar to those seen among Gen Xers a decade ago.”
But let’s think about this. Young evangelicals believe in absolute right and wrong, they believe that God exists, and that the Bible is His word. Yet they’re less likely to go to church and pray than older people, and they’re more accepting of evolution and homosexuality. The basic beliefs of young evangelicals are sound, but they are not applying them in a consistent way. This is why I believe we, the Church, must do a much better job of catechizing our young people and helping them develop a biblical worldview. We’ve got to give them a framework for understanding how absolute truth and the Gospel interact with all of life. So if you are close to a young evangelical, why not engage him or her in a conversation about the Pew study? Discuss his or her beliefs, and how those beliefs stack up against biblical teachings.
You might consider also ordering our worldview video series for young people called ReWired. We produced it with Ron Luce of Teen Mania. I also recommend you introduce young people to Summit Ministries. Summit has excellent Christian worldview resources for young people. In addition, Summit’s summer conferences are outstanding. They give college students a two-week crash course in worldview analysis. They’ll learn how to sort out what Christianity actually teaches, as opposed to what they are absorbing from the culture. And they’ll learn about the major worldviews battling Christianity for their hearts and minds—worldviews like secular humanism, Marxism, postmodernism, and Islam.
Our young people believe in absolute truth, God, and His word. That’s good news. But it’s clear we have got a lot of work to do to help them apply what they believe to the way they live in the world. Let’s get busy.
Further Reading and Information
Religion Among the Millennials: Less Religiously Active but Fairly Traditional in Other Ways - Pew Research Center
Summit Ministries
Helping Students 'Get It': What Do They Need? - John Stonestreet | BreakPoint Online May 15, 2009
Why They Don't Get It: Helping Students Understand Worldview
John Stonestreet | BreakPoint Online | February 20, 2009
Are young evangelicals today influenced more by the culture or the church? Find out the unsurprising answer.
The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life just released a survey called “Religion Among the Millennials.” It offers some good news and some bad news about young people ages 18 to 29. First, the bad news. According to Pew, these Millennials “are considerably less religious than older Americans.” Fewer belong to any particular faith than older people do. No surprise. But a real cause of concern is that young people today are “significantly more unaffiliated” than young people were 10 or 20 years ago. Millennials attend religious services less often than oldsters like me; they pray less, and are less likely to say that “religion is very important in their lives.”
And their worldviews are skewed. More than half of young adults—including evangelicals—believe that evolution is the best explanation for the development of human life. And they are far more likely than older people to say that homosexuality is a way of life that ought to be accepted by society rather than discouraged. The good news is that “more than three-quarters of young adults...agree that there are absolute standards of right and wrong,” including 85 percent of young evangelicals. That’s a dramatic improvement over earlier years. Sixty-four percent of young evangelicals agree that houses of worship should “express their views on day-to-day social and political questions.” Good—depending on the views. Finally, 88 percent of evangelicals believe the Bible is God’s word, and 86 percent believe in God with “absolute certainty.” Among Millennials in general, they believe in God “at rates similar to those seen among Gen Xers a decade ago.”
But let’s think about this. Young evangelicals believe in absolute right and wrong, they believe that God exists, and that the Bible is His word. Yet they’re less likely to go to church and pray than older people, and they’re more accepting of evolution and homosexuality. The basic beliefs of young evangelicals are sound, but they are not applying them in a consistent way. This is why I believe we, the Church, must do a much better job of catechizing our young people and helping them develop a biblical worldview. We’ve got to give them a framework for understanding how absolute truth and the Gospel interact with all of life. So if you are close to a young evangelical, why not engage him or her in a conversation about the Pew study? Discuss his or her beliefs, and how those beliefs stack up against biblical teachings.
You might consider also ordering our worldview video series for young people called ReWired. We produced it with Ron Luce of Teen Mania. I also recommend you introduce young people to Summit Ministries. Summit has excellent Christian worldview resources for young people. In addition, Summit’s summer conferences are outstanding. They give college students a two-week crash course in worldview analysis. They’ll learn how to sort out what Christianity actually teaches, as opposed to what they are absorbing from the culture. And they’ll learn about the major worldviews battling Christianity for their hearts and minds—worldviews like secular humanism, Marxism, postmodernism, and Islam.
Our young people believe in absolute truth, God, and His word. That’s good news. But it’s clear we have got a lot of work to do to help them apply what they believe to the way they live in the world. Let’s get busy.
Further Reading and Information
Religion Among the Millennials: Less Religiously Active but Fairly Traditional in Other Ways - Pew Research Center
Summit Ministries
Helping Students 'Get It': What Do They Need? - John Stonestreet | BreakPoint Online May 15, 2009
Why They Don't Get It: Helping Students Understand Worldview
John Stonestreet | BreakPoint Online | February 20, 2009
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