An honest appraisal of the youth scene forces us to admit that the plight of many young people is not of their own making—they are sent into the world without chart or compass. The accelerated departure from moral and spiritual values by young people mirrors the moral and spiritual decadence of adults.
Nevertheless we are convinced that the average young person wants to know the score; he does want spiritual confrontation and challenge. When faced with the greatest spiritual challenge, he often gladly capitulates to Christ as the living Saviour and Lord of his life. The “Jesus movement” is an unexpected but welcome proof of this.
Why is this a generation morally lax and spiritually blind? Recently we talked with an experienced law enforcement officer discouraged and frustrated at the problems he faced—willful destruction of property, hooliganism, gang fights, open promiscuity, thievery, and complete disrespect for law and order. He admitted that these are not always the actions of young people from “across the tracks,” but often are committed by those whose parents have financial security and social standing.
Basic to the problem, as already indicated, is that adults have failed young people. We have ignored Christ’s warning that man does not live by bread alone. He is more than an animal with appetites; meaningful values are eternal rather than secular and material. The higher man’s attainments in education and culture, the greater his capacity to sin, unless with these achievements he recognizes the spiritual and moral controls proceeding from God and revealed in his word.
Parents are to blame for the predicament of youth, if they have failed to give their children a biblical sense of values. The Church is to blame for the predicament of youth if it has sponsored “youth programs” glorifying the humanitarian aspects of Christian responsibility but neglecting instruction on how to become a Christian. The Church is also at fault for the predicament of both parents and children if it has emphasized superficial or peripheral matters and ignored the spiritual verities that are the heart of the Christian faith.
If the predicament of youth is to be solved, certain steps must be taken. For many the time is late, almost too late. In the Church there must be a dedication, or rededication, of parents to God through faith in Christ with a new emphasis on Bible instruction and obedience to God’s laws. Parents must reclaim their biblical authority as priests of the family altar and instruct their children in God’s ways. The average young person is spiritually illiterate, for he has discarded Scripture as ancient folklore, rather than studying it as today’s most relevant book.
But what of that great mass of young people living beyond the reach of godly parents or Christ-centered churches? Where they are concerned, it is not enough to speak of spiritual awakening within the home, of a revitalization of the Church and her programs. While we pray and work for this, we also must pray and work for those millions of young people who are living where Christ is unknown and where little is being done to reach them. Again we say, thank God for the “Jesus kids”—back them with all that you have!
Concerned Christians must reach out to unchurched youth. We must use spiritual methods and weapons while remembering that these are often secular, material, and practical. An intelligently organized program for young people will have secular and material props. These young people must be reached where they are, not where we would like them to be.
In response to the spiritual anemia in many denominational programs, a number of independent organizations have emerged—for example, Young Life, Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship, the Navigators, and Campus Crusade for Christ. All are thoroughly Christ- and Bible-centered and oriented to the needs of students and young people. Where encouraged, these organizations actively cooperate with local churches.
There is no quick and easy solution for the plight of the young. It requires the prayers and dedication of both parents and the Church. These young people are trapped by neglect and false values. But the Gospel is not bound. It is God’s power for salvation, with the moral and spiritual values strong enough to free man. Let’s get back on the road to freedom and help our youth to find it. Young people need Christ and they need him now! There is no time to waste.
