As much as it is not the nicest title to give to any post, through observation over time, I believe something needs to be addressed on this issue. I open this post with two recent examples:
Example 1
For three days out of my average week, I attend four (nee five) lectures at Bible College, plus whatever extra time I decide to spend in the Library studying. I’ve made a ton of awesome friends during my time there, and dare I venture to suggest, I’ve got a family there. But there are issues within the family. A couple of weeks ago, one of my peers left their desk for a short moment. When they came back, they found that their iPod and wristwatch were stolen. At the time of writing this post, they have not yet been recovered.
Example 2
After a three week absence, I returned to the Laser Strike arena, a game that I consider a sport, probably because I’ve never really taken up a proper sport and kept at it (I’ve stuck with L.S. for the past three, nearly four years). It’s great fitness and I’ve carved up a nice group there as well. In one game our lot played, we were joined by a bunch of nine teenagers, whom I recognized as youth from my home Church. We played the game, as you do, but it was not until we finished the game that I heard some interesting things from both camps. From my group, complaints of contact (the definition of contact within a L.S. context is broad, but I can state here that the contact was very light). But apparently, I had been told of threats from the youth side to specific member(s) of the group I was a part of. In addition, during the game it’s funny to see how people transform into green-streaked, competitive fighters, where the use of language is disregarded and the fact that they are Christians doesn’t seem to be factored into the equation. I think I’ve made my point.
In other words, to tie in these two examples, what the heck is going on with the Christian community? How can one justify the theft of any item within a Bible college? And this is a question shared by many at the college; it doesn’t seem to make sense. What kind of Christian witness is out there in the world, be it within college walls, laser strike arenas, mate’s houses, events…you get the idea.
In short, I believe there is a severe moral laxity among Christians in today’s world. And the Church, it seems, is making no inroads in dealing with these issues. It’s as if we are left to fend for ourselves, with the Church waving at us, saying “It’s OK – Jesus loves you anyway.” How do we expect to make a difference in society, proclaiming a message of hope and love, when Christians cannot even demonstrate that themselves?
I’m sorry if this sounds all too much like a whing and a whine – but someone’s got to voice their concerns…
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4 comments:
I fully agree with you on this. There are so many "christians" who don't seem to think that morals or standards apply to them, and these people are in our youth groups, worship groups and all sorts. I knew a girl who was sleeping around and everyone knew it yet they still let her sing in the worship group and lead a youth cell and she didn't think she was doing anything wrong. The question is what can be done about it, the people in charge of things are just not interested in confronting people cos they want to be everybodies friend.
p.s you need bigger writing as it is quite hard to read sometimes
My wife is right , but i would go further by saying that we as youth leaders are so busy 'meeting people where they're at' and we seem to forget than when they (non-christians) are converted they need to be told and modelled by leaders that their behaviour should reflect the change that they have made.
Summary: Christians can't behave like this anymore because otherwise, what makes us any different than anyone else?
Your last sentence touched on the heart of the post. Watch this space for a longer dissertation...
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