Wednesday, January 4, 2012
By Faith... Moses, Part 2 of 54
TEXT: "By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king's command. By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward" (Hebrews 11:23-26).
IDEA: Children are profoundly influenced by their parents' faith and values.
PURPOSE: To help listeners appreciate the influence they can have on their children's faith.
How do you think Christian parents think about themselves and their role these days?
Where do their opinions come from?
I. Current research gives parents good news and bad news.
Christian Smith and Melinda Denton did a national study of youth and religion and published it as "Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers" (Christianity Today, April 2005).
These sociologists did an in-depth phone survey of 3,290 teenagers and their parents. In addition, they conducted 267 in-person interviews.
Other studies reveal that teens overwhelmingly like their parents.
Teens like church. There simply isn't much hostility to organized religion among 13-17 year olds. "U.S. teens as a whole would like to attend religious services even more than they do."
Teens are not spiritual seekers. Very few have even heard the mantra of baby-boomers that they are "spiritual but not religious." Less than 1% are exploring alternative religions like Wicca. Seventy-five percent of teens identify with some form of Christianity.
Some of the results are bad news for Christian parents.
Almost no teenagers from any religious background can articulate the most basic beliefs of their faith.
EXAMPLE: One interview with a teenager who "attends 2 church services every Sunday, Sunday school, a church youth group, and Wednesday night Bible study" illustrates how inarticulate most teenagers are when quizzed about their personal beliefs: "[pause] I really don't know how to answer that. ["Are there any beliefs that are important to you?"] [pause] I don't know. ["Take your time if you want."] I think you should just, if you're going to do something wrong, then you should always ask for forgiveness and he's gonna forgive you no matter what, cause he gave up his only son to take all the sins for you, so . . ."
Smith and Denton say this was one of the more articulate answers. It's not that teens are generally inarticulate. When researchers asked them about pop culture or sexually transmitted diseases, they could usually give sophisticated answers.
They could talk about Will and Grace, but not about grace. Of the 267 teens questioned, only 12 mentioned "repentance" in connection with their faith; 7 mentioned the resurrection; 4 mentioned discipleship. On the other hand, 112 mentioned "personally feeling, getting, or being made happy."
How do Smith and Denton sum up the religion that teenagers hold in high regard? "Religion is about doing good, and being happy, watched over by a distant and benign Creator whose purpose is largely to help us feel better about ourselves."
II. Where do teenagers learn this faith that poorly reflects the Christian gospel?
Teenagers love the church and they love their parents. The conclusion is that they got this religion from their parents.
This is not the kind of faith for which Moses gave his life and it is not the kind of faith for which any sane person would die or by which they can live.
