Saturday, October 13, 2007

Young Adults and Fundamentalism

I and my wife and a friend of hers have had an ongoing e-mail dialogue this week which has been rich in spiritual discussion. The first topic of interest is why so many Christians of our generation (we are all 36 or 37 years old) have either (a) abandoned fundamentalism for "other forms" of Christianity—or none at all, or (b) begun to embrace "radical" views on everything from KJV-only to homeschooling to not even putting their young children in Sunday School. The frightening lack of discernment in the area of parenting by our generation was also discussed, as was the appalling carnality which is now accepted as, well, acceptable in a Christian's walk.

I found our friend's comment to be right on the mark. She said:

"My take on the seeming shift in our generation's standards and hence, their choice of church philosophy is a stronger influence from the devil. I really believe being in the last days that he is working harder and attacking stronger. I think there is truly a "dumbing down" in a lot of our churches in what is being taught as far as doctrine and scripture so that those coming up have no idea who God truly is and what it means to be holy and to live a holy life. "
As Christians, we must "smarten up" about the Word teaches concerning doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16). Only when we learn how God wants us to walk—and commit to doing it—are we going to be able to walk in a way that pleases Him.