Franklin Graham - USA Youth Crisis

"Be an example to everyone in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith… Keep a close watch on how you live…. Stay true to what is right…" 1 Timothy 4: 12-16 NLT

The Apostle Paul said that to Timothy and he listened and learned as to why it was the best thing to do. Like Timothy, we the children of the 1950s were told many things by our parents and elders that we knew in our hearts to be the truth and seldom argued. If an older person tried that today with a member of our current "Tweens thru age 25" generation, your advise either will go ignored, rejected or soon become forgotten.

Theirs is the generation of "Self": "The most self-centered, self-seeking, self-interested, self-absorbed, self-indulgent, self-aggrandizing generation" in history."*

As an older 2006 Barna study produced data that indicated the crucial period of transition for children growing up was: "the 11 to 13 age range", and our present day youth are no exception. Most will undergo changes and challenges related to self-image and make good or bad choices concerning morals and beliefs depending on influences outside the family. Even back then, 56% of all youth felt that popularity was much more important to them than the need for faith**

This misplaced faith has resulted in at least one almost catastrophic threat to our nation's public health: an explosion of new STD cases each year. For instance, the Centers For Disease Control reported 2 million new STD cases during 2017 and 2.3 million new cases for 2018, with 2/3 of those cases occurring among youths ages 15 to 24.

Sex is being seen by our youth as being recreational with very few precautions. In some cases, a young person may have up to 30 different sexual partners before age 25, sometimes having several at the same time.

Franklin Graham has stated that America is now at a moral crossroads with this youngest generation and that we face dire consequences as a nation if they do not turn around. For their part, the CDC does not hold out much hope that youth will reverse their sexual practices.

Their increasing departure from the faith, their sexual misconduct and their social disconnection and irresponsibility is raising concern among many as to the future of our country. Further, it does not bode well for Christian America when even the less religious of our older citizens can see the these undesirable negative changes that have occurred and compounded with time

At the time of this writing, the American Protestant Clergy have weighed in to a Barna Poll (March 2019) on the influence of schools upon the spiritual formation of our nation's youth, and the majority of pastors (61%) say it is decidedly negative, so much so that a pupil's other classmates and friends are a negative influences as well.**** So very sad.

We can only hope and pray for this generation that does not care to listen to the advise of their elders and who does not recognise that their choices can have dire health consequences for themselves, their futures and their country.

* The Goodmen Project.Com: "The Older Generation Has Something To Say.." 6/2/2016

** Survey: Faith a Minor Impact on Children, by Adrey Barrick, CP Church, 10/2/2006

*** stdtestingnerme.org, "CDC’s STD report 2017-18"

**** "Most Protestant pastors see school as 'negative influence' on spiritual formation", by Michael Gryboski, Christian Post, March 22, 2019

Rik Charbonneaux is a retired NE Iowan who loves all of God's Word and all of His creatures.