[Rapscallion]

Find a way to make morality respected and even rewarded. Heck, make morality a competitive sport, especially in good deeds. Improve on church role models. They must be straight, honest, charitable, good sports, admirable.

[HarleyD]

WOW! Great article.

I’m disappointed by the shallowness of Sunday School teaching. In the one hour normally set aside for “school” you would think there would be a primary focus on study. I wonder how much time people devote themselves to studying God’s word verses things like “man day”.

And, yes, this chastisement includes me as well.

[YHAOS]

Crisis in Christiandom BEEP!

[Lake Living]

At the risk of trying to sound “too spiritual” I think there is another factor. It’s more than living a moral life before them - some lost parents do a pretty good job of that. And it’s more than preaching the Gospel TO them. It’s living the Gospel before them. Do they see us laying down our lives for Christ in the day to day of life. Do they see us struggling to be Christ like - and when we blow it do we seek their forgiveness if we’ve wronged them? Kids need to see that the standard (Christ) is being “applied” to our life as well - even when it’s painful, embarrassing, or humiliating. Are we honest enough with them to let them “see” that in our lives. What’s fair for the goose is fair for the gander. It just seems to be a fact of life that when others share their struggles and failures we feel closer to them because we see them as vulnerable - just like we are. To be fair, also, young married couples, who are believers, with small children are still growing in their their faith - and that is the formative years of their children. Who doesn’t make mistakes? Still, each of my three had their own crisis of faith but came out on the right side. We are all living in Sodom today and evil seems lots stronger than when I was growing up.

[Slyfox]

I think the problem is more subtle than most people know.

I never said, "We have to go to Church." Therefore, it was never a duty nor was it an option.

I tried to be the best example of what a good Christian should be.

I kept my kids out of government schools, and I never let anyone take over my role as parent.

If my kids ever questioned why we go to Church I would say, "Jesus asked His Apostles to pray with Him for one hour when He was in the garden. The least we can do for Him is to visit Him for one hour a week.

[YHAOS]

The Judeo-Christian Tradition and Conservatism in general have now become the new cultural underground.

Show trials and pogroms to follow.

[wintertime]

95% of homeschoolers from highly active evangelical homes remain active 2 years after their home “high school”.

85% of children institutionalized for their schooling are NOT ACTIVE 2 years after high school. These kids are also from highly active evangelical homes.

So?....Do you want the odds in your child's favor or against them?

Answer: Choose homeschooling.

[metmom]

Live what you preach.

[uptoolate]

“3. Their parents preached the gospel to them.”

The primary role of evangelizing and disciplining rests on the parents, more specifically on fathers (Eph 6).

Is it possible that modern day Youth Ministry usurps that role and is partly responsible for the decay?

Youth Ministry has replaced fathers in spiritual roles.

Welfare has replaced fathers economically.

Sharing the Gospel has been replaced with “come to my church this Sunday”...so you can hear my Pastor tell you what I’m suppose to tell you...in a worship service that is for Holy Spirit dwelt assembled Saints, which ironically since they have not the Holy Spirit they can’t worship in Spirit and truth, understand in a life changing way the Word of God, partake in Communion without drinking judgment to themselves or stand out like an outcast as the elements are passed, and sing Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs from a heart focused on God.

[Rashputin]

Trying to provide an equivalent to whatever is popular in society but without the corrosive aspects has made it easier for kids to "fit in" and not feel as ostracized which in turn, has made it easy for them to go along to get along when they're released into the wild.

They find a pack, maybe one that's not yet totally corrupt, adopt a couple of the traits of that pack, and before you know it they and their entire little pack have no problem joining in with whatever the media popularizes. That's how you have churches that brag about the number of college age kids who attend during their summer break by sort of cough and mumble when you ask them about queers marrying one another or abortion.

The kids they failed have come home to a place they know will compromise and another cycle of compromising and lowering standards to keep young people interested begins.

[only1percent]

This piece is very off-base, I think.

For most of us, most of the time, we go along to get along. Who's to say these kids were or are doing anything different. When you're 16 years old, living in a conservative community where few people openly question the church and living in the home of a religious family, going to church and youth group activities and making a good show of it is the natural thing to do. Easier, feels fine, and not doing it might even get your punished. Get to college: you're living in a liberal community where everyone openly questions the church, and having nothing to do with it is the natural thing to do.

Everyone should want their children to have the challenge to their faith that college provides -- to come out of it choosing to believe rather than practicing as they're told, and to have come out still believing after having confronted the intellectual challenges to faith that college certainly will provide.

[1010RD]

Too many parents stop at being saved by Christ and not becoming like Him. It’s bad doctrine that leads to bad outcomes.