When children are not taught certain basics from the Bible they become vulnerable to a host of personality distortions that erode the culture that they comprise. These basics have been a part of American culture for most of its existence, up to and including my parents and grandparents. I learned Scripture verses in high school in central Alabama--something I’m pretty sure couldn’t happen now. Here are some examples of those principles or truths, and results of their fading from the culture:
1. The Bible says to
“add to faith, virtue, to virtue knowledge,” and etc to “love”
[2 Pet 5]. We dive right in at “knowledge” and neglect to teach
our kids that there is a God/Creator of this universe Who loves them
more than their parents love them, and Who loves everyone else
neither less nor more than them. And He expects us to Love each
other.
We neglect to teach them what used to be called the
“social graces”; honor for parents; respect for elders; kindness
to peers. Without respect for their elders they cannot benefit from
the wisdom of those elders. Every teacher knows that you cannot teach
a child who doesn’t respect you. Their peers thus become, instead
of brothers and sisters, competitors for the accolades and rewards
of the world, from which they derive their self-esteem.
2. Children are not taught that they have a sinful nature: certain aspects of their personality that are NOT GOOD and must be overcome through diligent effort and prayer. Parents fear damaging the child’s “self-esteem” [a certain idol] by teaching the truth of the sinful nature; or the parents have not been taught that fundamental truth about themselves and therefore cannot pass it to their children. They [the parents] will then sometimes even defend their children against well-meaning adults [teachers] who try to point out these character defects in their children. Children therefore hurt others unknowingly or without remorse. People lack humility to the point of arrogance and youth believe that they are wiser than their elders. The culture reflects and amplifies this. They are unfulfilled, and since they have not been taught that the human family has a common spiritual enemy who is not “flesh”, they tend to seek out [unconsciously] a person, political party, nation or ethnic group who must be to blame, and rally against that person or group. This becomes a replacement for true meaning in life, which is only ultimately derived in the Love of Christ for all humans.
3. Children who are being raised by parents who are two or three generations removed from these fundamental principles are not delighted in as the gifts from God that they truly are because the parents are so invaded by the parasites of darkness that they are incapable of loving their children. These children, bereft of Love, become scavengers in the world, trying to find it in all the wrong places [usually]. The Church, in its rightful place, is calling out to these in the Love of Christ—the only Source of healing.
4. As the culture drifts farther and farther away from the Spirit, the words pointing to the Truth sound more and more foreign--”religious”, passe, out of place and undesirable in a culture rushing in the opposite direction. Those who are walking in some degree of Truth tend to be embarrassed to speak it because of the culture’s condescending view of it. They wimp out, like Peter, and deny Him in the atmosphere of ridicule. It takes courage and strength [and especially a strong Love] to stand against the flow of culture. [This is the story of Jeremiah.]
As always, the simple solution is Christ—His Love. But in this distracted, noisy culture, who is paying any serious attention to that.
