Capturing the Next Generation

At Answers in Genesis we continually emphasize how absolutely vital it is that we raise up the next generation with a biblical foundation of truth. Parents have a tremendous responsibility to teach the next generation the fear of the Lord and what God has done through the Lord Jesus Christ, how to think biblically, and to stand solidly and boldly on the authority of God’s Word from the very beginning. Here are just a few of the verses in Scripture that talk about the importance of being intentional in raising our children to love the Lord and follow His Word:

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)

You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. (Deuteronomy 6:7)

And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)

Now, the world understands the importance of capturing young hearts and minds. Secularists have been increasingly aggressive in teaching children—even very young children—to think in a secular way. They know that if they can capture the minds of our children, they have the next generation.

Secular Indoctrination

This is perfectly illustrated in a recent video featured on MSNBC. The clip shows several children reacting to the man formerly known as Bruce Jenner, who has now asked to be referred to as “Caitlyn” and with female pronouns because he has chosen to live as a woman. These children were shown a picture of Jenner before his transition and then a photo of Jenner living as a woman. Most of the children reacted positively to the change with statements such as “Oh, well, if that’s how she is, then I guess it’s fine” and “who she wants to be is who she should be.” Apparently when the children were exposed to criticism of Jenner they responded with things like, “I think they’re just scared of change . . . I think they just want everything to stay the same because they just don’t know how to handle it,” “maybe . . . they just don’t understand what it’s like to just be who you want to be,” and “it’s important for you to just be yourself because if you’re not yourself, then who are you?”

A Christian Response

As Christians, these comments coming from young children are saddening and should wake us up to the need to be intentional in teaching our children to start their thinking with God’s Word, not man’s ideas about morality. Secularists have done a thorough job of indoctrinating the next generation to think like them. And it’s not just teenagers and college students who are being captured by the world’s way of thinking—it’s young children! We do not want our children being sucked into the world’s way of thinking! We want our children to be effective in “casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). In a world that is increasingly turning from biblical morality, and openly rejecting and ridiculing God and His Word, our kids need to be thoroughly equipped so that they don’t get captured by the lies of the enemy and fail to recognize the futility of the world’s thinking. We want our children to understand that the reason for morality comes from our holy Creator God, why we live in a broken world full of sin, and that God sent His Son to destroy the power sin has over us for those who believe once and for all. And our children need to understand their true origins:

But from the beginning of the creation, God “made them male and female.” (Mark 10:6)

I encourage you to use the resources available on our website (such as our Answers and Education sections) and in our online store to equip your children, from a young age, to stand solidly on God’s Word from the very beginning. For example, the Answers Book for Kids series is an excellent resource to help children (ages 5–11) learn to think biblically. You can learn more about them here.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.