Parents
A few weeks ago I attended the annual youth ministry conference "Conclave". It's pretty amazing, really. It features some of the most compelling Evangelical communicators in the country, as well as mini-conferences on various issues related to teenagers and youth ministries and an exhibition hall full of vendors who provide services targeted specifically for youth ministries and teenagers.
The first night, I was able to hear one of the most impactful sermons I've ever heard (if you would like to listen, follow this link: http://www.wbcthebranch.org/sites/default/files/podcasts/02%20G2%20-%20Monday%20Evening.mp3). It came from J.R. Vassar. Vassar is a Texas native who now pastors Apostles Church in Manhattan, New York.
He began his sermon by making the assertion that contemporary culture is experiencing a shift from a world of Christendom to a world that is largely post-Christian. Let me explain a bit further. As you probably know, the writers of the New Testament wrote to Christians who lived in various locations within the Roman Empire, a world that tolerated many different belief systems, even though Roman mythology and emperor worship were the official beliefs sanctioned by Rome. In Christianity's infancy, its followers were seen as a group of strange people who adhered to beliefs that were completely outside of the established norm. However, under the control of the Emperor Nero, Christians were seen not just as a weird group of people but also as a threat. Thus broke out a state-sanctioned, brutal persecution of Christians led and championed by Nero himself. This was largely the case even after Nero's death and lasted up until 313AD, when the emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, which removed the legal penalties for confessing Christianity and declared Christianity to be a legitimate religion among all of the others. This was the beginning of Christendom or Constantianism. From this point on in history, Christianity would enjoy a place of privilege in the world. Although its influence on secular culture has waxed and waned over the past millennium and a half or so, it has always been a respected voice in the discussion about how people should live their lives - especially in America.
Now, that is starting to not be the case any longer. Rather, the culture is changing in a way that will probably look more pre-Christian (the era before Constantine) than Christian. Indeed, it seems that our world is becoming more and more hostile to the biblical principles that Christians hold to be true and good. In fact, you can already see this transition at work in many ways. Vassar, in his sermon, mentions that there is a case wherein New York City has banned churches from using schools as meeting places. The case has been lost twice by the church that initiated it, and sits before the Supreme Court on appeal. We are in a time now where, if a Christian believes same-sex relations to be outside of God's design for humanity, he is branded a "bigot". Lest you believe that this cultural change hasn't reached good ol' Texas, the mission church that Westbury is sponsoring has been removed from two different community centers because of concerns over separation of church and state.
The simple truth is this: the culture in which we live is changing from a world that used to value the Christian voice to a world that ignores or expresses hostility toward what we have to say. Personally, I am okay with this because Christianity historically seems to be much more authentic and numerically explosive when it exists in a context of suffering rather than influence. However, it does change the way that we minister to our teenagers when we understand that we are no longer rearing them in a world wherein their beliefs are accepted and embraced, but rather one wherein their beliefs are rejected and abhorred.
Parents, here are my questions for you:
1.) In what practical ways can we prepare our teens for life in a world that will reject them and what they believe?
2.) What does this mean in terms of how youth ministries should approach ministering to teenagers?
3.) What does the Bible have to say about living life in a context of persecution and suffering rather than prosperity and privilege?
I look forward to your replies and discussion.
sray
