2 of 2

Do you think I'm overstating the need for worldview training? Look around: It's impossible to disconnect kids from the culture. The idea that we can separate ourselves from our social surroundings, as Christians did a century ago, is foolish—unless we move to a desert island. We simply cannot escape the long, grubby arm of television, the internet, music, and magazines.

Our only hope is to teach discernment. It's no coincidence that of the five groups I've spoken to in the last year, the only student who had the right worldview answers was a senior at Virginia Tech who grew up in a family that is both godly and worldly-wise.

We've no time to lose. All the evidence shows that we're already losing our kids. With only 9 percent of born-again teens believing in absolute truth, can we rescue this generation? Can we afford not to try?

Copyright © 2004 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

The Barna poll suggesting that 9 percent of evangelicals have a biblical worldview are available from this Barna update.

More information about the Barna poll is available from a Baptist Press article.

A Wall Street Journal article says Christian teens "hold mushy beliefs antithetical to the creed."

Recent Charles Colson columns for Christianity Today include:

The Moral Home Front | America's increasing decadence is giving aid and comfort to Muslim terrorists. (Sept. 23, 04)

Reclaiming Occupied Territory | The Great Commission and the cultural commission are not in competition. (July 21, 2004)

Societal Suicide | Legalizing gay marriage will lead to more family breakdown and crime. (May 24, 2004)

Evangelical Drift | Outsiders say we're the status quo. Our call is to prove them wrong. (March 29, 2004)

Confronting Moral Horror | It's a witness even the most jaded find impressive. (Feb. 04, 2004)

The Postmodern Crackup | From soccer moms to college campuses, signs of the end. (Dec. 09, 2003)

Sowing Confusion | One small ruling for Texas; one giant leap into a cultural abyss. (Oct. 03, 2003)

Being Here | Why we should sink our roots in the places we call home. (July, 28, 2003)

Beyond Condoms | To alleviate AIDS, we must sharpen our moral vision. (June 10, 2003)

Taming Beasts | Raising the moral status of dogs has created a breed of snarling, dangerous humans. (April 3, 2003)

Faith vs. Statistics | Beware of doing ethics by crunching numbers. (Jan. 28, 2003)

Just War in Iraq | Sometimes going to war is the charitable thing to do. (Dec. 10, 2002)

A Clan of One's Own | Hacking through the jungle of identity politics. (Oct. 9, 2002)

Undaunted | Bioethics challenges are huge. But so is God. (July 31, 2002)

The Wages of Secularism | New laws won't prevent another Enron. (June 4, 2002)

More Doctrine, Not Less | We need to proclaim truth to a truth-impaired generation. (April 15, 2001)

Post-Truth Society | The recent trend of lying is no accident. (March 4, 2002)

Drawing the Battle Lines | We need to be informed and discerning about the Islamic worldview. (Jan. 9, 2002)

Wake-up Call | If September 11 was a divine warning, it's God's people who are being warned. (Nov. 5, 2001)

The New Tyranny | Biotechnology threatens to turn humanity into raw material. (Oct. 5, 2001)

Merchants of Cool | We should be angry that the media hawks violence and that parents allow it. (June 6, 2001)

Slouching into Sloth | The XFL is but the latest sign of the coarsening of our culture. (Apr. 17, 2001)

first page |  2 of 2

share this page

December 2004, Vol. 48, No. 12