Week two of "Mamma and Them" went great. I hope you plan on being a part of week three as we talk about 3 more vital processes to break the back of negative traditions handed down from our families and culture.
One of our cultural traditions that needs to be broken is how many young people grow up in "christian" homes but they leave the church at 18 and they never come back. I'm sure there are a lot of reasons for that, many of them laid right at the feet of local churches. I however believe that biggest part of the problem is laid at the feet of "christian" parents.
Last week I was reminded by a fellow pastor of how our culture sees "christian" parents. He reminded me of a song by the punk band Green Day. While I'm fairly certain that most readers of this blog aren't fans of Green Day, their 9 minute song Jesus of Suburbia is a stunning rebuke of lukewarm Christianity. Since they are a punk band you expect them to be anti. But behind the anger are the thoughts of grown-ups raised in homes that have a thin layer of Christianity. You know the kind of Christianity that will teach kids morality and keep them off drugs but not enough to cause them to fully give their lives to Christ and His cause.
This pastor put it like this "Jesus veneer + unconverted lifestyles of parents = disciples of the Jesus of Suburbia
There seems to be so much emphasis on Christian parenting that is about getting our kids to be "good and successful" and the church is just a part of that. The goal of our families has to become not getting our kids to act right. Our primary goal is to live out a real alive faith in Christ in front of our children so they can have living examples of what following Jesus really looks like. If we do that we wont' find them singing along with the creed of Jesus of Suburbia. Okay they might like the tune but the words will grieve them as much as it did me.
2 comments:
The parable of the wheat and tares seems to fit with what you are saying. We all could find our lives described to some degree in that.
We can tell our kids what is right or wrong but if we are not living it out even in the small things, we are failing. Sure, we all struggle from time to time but as long as we are learning and moving forward we will be a better influence on whoever we are around.
I was asked today why people who openly make a claim to being a Christian are doing the things they do. My answer was that just because someone claims to be a Christian does not mean they are following Christ. Church attendance, believing on God and putting forth a clean image are not the only basis of a being a Christian. Those are things that are the natural outflow from Christ in them, effecting life change from the inside.
The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. The label Christian was given because of the lifestyle of the disciples. I will leave the label to unbelievers to ascribe to me. These days when asked am I a Christian, I reply that is something they will have to decide. Hopefully my life will be what makes them see Christ in me. Apparently that was what those in Antioch concluded, so the name was given.
good stuf
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