Hebraic Musing – Do young people know how a healthy Christian family functions?
May 15, 2012
May 15, 2012
The
May 3, 2012 Barna Group report[1]
explored the degree to which Christian youth leaders expose teenagers to
healthy Christian families as part of the youth ministry strategy. They
concluded “most youth leaders view this as important but do not see this as a
primary part of their task.”
Unfortunately,
youth leaders and pastors are quick to point out that there are too few strong
traditional families in their churches to provide effective models. We now have
multiple generations of adults raised in broken homes; thus even the most
well-intentioned parent(s) cannot give to their children what they do not have.
There are fewer traditional families today than ever that have not been
affected by divorce, single parenting or other significant challenges. It is
estimated that less than 10%, or as low as 5%, of school age children go home
to their original parents.
As
I am getting ready to publish my next book “Biblical Marriage” the need for the
book becomes abundantly clear. BTW, the
word ‘family’ appears 179 times in the NIV; and ‘divorce’ appears 20 times, always
in a ‘do not’ or ‘God hates’ context. So the concept of family life being
taught and instilled in the youth in biblical times was a given. On the other
hand, the Bible provides a few examples of broken home problems and the
resultant generational curses: (a) the expulsion of Hagar and her son Ishmael
and (b) David’s rejection of Absalom.
My
son Joseph and his wife Jeanna and their children have worked for 7 years as
missionaries at a school of 600 students called Plan Escalon in Honduras. The
school brings in poor students from the mountain villages and teaches them
trades, leads then to salvation and provides a basic Christian education.
Joseph, Jeanna and family work hard at maintaining the facilities, caring for
medical needs, teaching, counseling, etc. etc.
But in my visits to the school I have observed them providing the
students with something that I’ve never heard formally mentioned. The students
observe a husband and wife and five children functioning as a traditional
Christian family. Very, very few of the students have ever seen that example in
their home or in their villages.
Points
to ponder
Do you know a youth leader that needs encouragement
to teach and expose their youth to Christian Family values and examples?
to teach and expose their youth to Christian Family values and examples?
Who are the Christian Families that can be held up and used as
examples?
How would you interview a Christian husband and wife in front of the
youth?
I
wish I had more answers. What are your
thoughts?
Shalom
Yosef a.k.a. Joe Brusherd
Author “Hebraic Insights – 95 messages exploring the Hebrew Roots of
Christian faith”
Author “Biblical Marriage” (to be published in June 2012)
Weekly e-mails “Hebraic Musings” to be added to distribution -- Yosef1@cox.net
www.InsightsByYosef.com Post blogs on www.InsightsByYosef.blogspot.com
www.InsightsByYosef.com Post blogs on www.InsightsByYosef.blogspot.com
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