Teenagers
today don't relate Christ with their Christianity but instead view
their faith as doing the right thing and living within the bounds of
"morality."
A report by Christianity Today says that Christian young
people, even those engaged in church youth groups, are straying from
Christ more than in years past, adding that the difference between this
generation and others is stark.
"Studies are continuing to confirm that vast swaths of churchgoing
kids know very little about their Christian faith," Ed Vitagliano,
American Family Association's (AFA) executive vice president, said.
"Instead, American Christianity has devolved into what two sociologists called 'moralistic therapeutic deism,' he added.
Vitagliano shared three things he believes are misleading the youth today.
First, Christian teens are more "moralistic," meaning their faith is more about "mere human goodness."
"Any authentic Bible-believing Christian, however, knows that
goodness is neither an inherent human trait nor, even if it was, is it
sufficient for a saving relationship with God," Vitagliano said.
Second, he contends that youth are more "therapeutic," which causes
them to miss the entire point of discipleship; they are viewing the
Church more as a religious form of therapy rather than having an
intimate relationship with God.
"Somewhere along the line, churchgoing kids have missed the point
about the Christian faith. Rather than it being a relationship with God
by which a disciple is joined to Christ, follows Him, and becomes more
and more like Him, the modern, younger evangelical has this view of
religion: 'It makes me feel happy,'" he said.
The last point Vitagliano explains is that kids also believe in
"deism," which turns God into a vague subject and something that is
difficult to reach. They see God as someone who created the world and
defined the general moral order, but they don't see him as someone who
gets personally involved with their affairs.
He says that kids relate more with pop culture idols rather than with Jesus and calls it a spiritual catastrophe for youth.
"What we are witnessing is a spiritual catastrophe in the making. For
those Christians who viewed the recent election as a reprieve, they are
probably right. But it was not a permanent end to the spiritual war
engulfing our nation," Vitagliano warned. "If we are not careful and if
we don't change the way we do business within the four walls of American
church life, it won't matter what happens outside them."
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