An actual post
Well, instead of editing the last one, I decided to actually make a real blog post instead of all these “filler” posts. Aren’t you proud of me? 
I got a magazine here at the church. (A promo. I don’t generally subscribe to magazines.) But this one is called “Clear” and is targeted at youth ministry issues. It had some fascinating statistics on one page. Here are the highlights, with [comments] from yours truly.
38% of ALL teens say they do feel close to God, but 56% of Protestant teens admit they do NOT feel close to God. [Not that feelings are the indication of closeness, but it is interesting.]
49% of ALL teens and 40% of PROTESTANT teens do not see faith playing an important role in their daily lives. [No wonder Christians have a bad name. Teenagers say “Yeah I’m a Christian” and yet that does not make any difference in their daily lives.]
32% of PROTESTANT teens have personal time reading the Bible at least once a week. [32 PERCENT!!! And that’s just once a week! That means 68% do not read their bibles even once a week! This is a little surprising, and yet I should have seen it coming. No wonder “christian” teens are so compromised and worldly. I wonder if the protestant churches today are any better than the catholic church of days gone by.]
41% of Protestant teens agree that there are no moral absolutes for everybody. [I was a little stunned at this one. How could so many teenagers, who are supposedly in Christian churches, believe there are no moral absolutes that apply to everyone? I’ll tell you why (at least a guess)….because we spend so much time at youth meetings talking about fun activities and trying to make people feel good that we never confront them with the Truth. “How dare you tell me how I’m supposed to live.” This phrase (and the thoughts like it) are used effectively in shutting up and shooting down anyone who dares to tell these teens that they are commiting sins. I’m not telling you, God’s telling you. Yes we need to be loving. Yes, there are more sermons to be preached than “hell-fire and brimestone.” But God help us if we continue to water down truth so much that even sinners can stand to hear it without being changed.
It is also interesting to note that the percentage of teens that don’t read their Bible is close to the percentage of teens that believe there are no moral absolutes.]
The average 8-12 year old spends 13 hours per week playing video games; increasing to 14 hours per week for 13-18 year olds. [Ouch! This was probably about how often I played computer games, at various times of my life. Maybe not quite 14 hours a week, but sometimes I did. I became addicted to them, and sometimes thought about the story lines of games I played to the point of distracting me from real life. Computer/Video games are extremely fun and engaging, but they are not healthy if taken to extremes. I eventually had to give them up totally (except for certain exceptions) and I encourage all of my readers to be on guard against video games as you carefully consider how best to use your time.]
So far I have successfully resisted the onset of FDS. (Facebook Disorder Syndrome) This is an epidemic that has swept across most of North America. Sadly, it has even trapped some of my dear family members and friends. Some of them have even been pressuring me to start using. They say “Just try it. How can you say no if you haven’t tried it?” or something like “Come on, everyone’s doing it.” But I know how dangerous it is, and I refuse to give in. I see what it does to them. They start talking about Facebook all the time, depending on it for social interaction. Pretty soon, if things do not change, I fear they may withdrawl into their computer rooms and never see the outside world, content to interact with others exclusively via Facebook. What a sad path to trod.
I encourage all my fellow Xangans, and others in the cyber-world, Just Say NO to Facebook!
(Not to mention that I barely have time for Xanga, much less adding another “comment on my site-write on my wall-send me a message-my status right now is sleeping” website.)
OK, you want to see a great picture to end off this well written post? Here ya go!
One of my favorites (Pictures, and girls.)
About The Author
Preacher Dad
Jarod has been a pastor, construction worker, restaurant manager, ministry administrator, children's story teller, author....in no particular order. At heart he is passionate about the Truth, and has been called to proclaim that Truth from an early age. He is committed to his wife and eight children, and seeks to have a lasting impact upon the future by discipling his family. He blogs at PreacherDad.com on parenting, preparing, and cultural impact.
Click
Hey, a “real” post.
Well, not too much in there about you, but certainly lots on one of my favorite subjects – reforming America! Wow, we are in desperate shape, eh? One stat I saw showed a high percentage of preachers who spent less than 5 minutes a day reading Scripture. But, God is at work! Keep preaching the truth in a way that shows God’s love to your listeners. 
May the YHWH be merciful to our country and set us on a righteous path!
I hear ya on the facebook disorder – xanga has taken plenty of time already.
May YHWH bless you all greatly! Looking forward to seeing you sometime!
haha..thoroughly entertaining!! 🙂 i even laughed out loud (aka.. lol) ;o)
-katie hinton
Very interesting post Jarod. I was somewhat surpised at those statistics, although not blown away with them. I think that it is hard for some of these Christian youth to know the right direction to go when the “christian” adults in their lives may not be living as they should as well. Our culture has turned into a selfish mess and we are too busy worrying about ourselves to help others! I am so thankful that I’ve got a great church to attend and that our youth are getting the help that they need.
P.S. Would LOVE a baby bump picture of Mrs. Anna!! I would love to hear her write a little too! 😉 Hope all is well in the baby department!
Those were some interesting statistics…thanks for your comments on them.
Oh, and I agree with Elizabeth on her p.s.!
~ Krissy
Jarod, thanks for sharing. Yeah, American “christians” should be ashamed. We have put our priorities on fleshly things rather than on the what really matters–the Word of God and its dictates to man. This complacency is a human problem, though. We, faithful Christians need to surrender daily to God, lest we preach to others and be castaways ourselves. I don’t know what it is going to take for Christians to “get serious,” but I don’t want to stand in the way of revival.
Lord Jesus, I rededicate my life to You. Change and use me. Amen.
Those statistics should definitely be a wake-up call for church-goers and professing Christians.
Aw….love this picture of Anna. Sweetie, she is!
Jarod,
It’s for those of us who aren’t quite grown up yet. Ya’kno it’s all about being in that in-between stage… Ya, limbo!
Com’on brother! Facebook is the place to be
Facebook Grows Up http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20227872/site/newsweek/?GT1=10252
Those statistics are pretty depressing. We have failed this generation so much. As the family goes, there goes the nation. We MUST get back to the basics with the Lord.
Beautiful picture of a beautful young lady. And I am not in the least bit prejudiced…. Well, maybe a little. I know that she is even more beautiful on the inside than she is on the outside~~ so you have truly got you a angel!
Y’all take care!
Hey dODe (ok, that didn’t work…oh, well. ;P), thanks for thanking me for finally posting…at least, I think I’ll thank you. I’m totally with you on the Facebook gig (to me an unfortunate waste of the good gray stuff upstairs, although my better half likes it). What I can’t understand is why you decry those lower forms of online identity but sound exasperated that I don’t post on Xanga for long periods of time and sound relieved when I do. Do I detect a (ever so slight) hint on hypocrisy? Goodness, I hope not. Where would the state of American godliness be if all the good preachers lost their holy brandin’ iron? Aghastliness!! 🙂
JK, bro…I’m messin’ w/ ya. Love you both! (Oh, and yes…the surfing photography was quite nerve wracking! Thanks for noticing. :))
JarEd
yeah man..its a sad state in the modern church.
Be encouraged in your resisting FDS. I joined when it was first created!
Interesting stats…….
I think it should be noted that not all students have the same definition of Christianity. Some surveyed may just be from a Christian background (i.e, my mom grew up in church, so I’m a Christian). Others might simply believe that Christ existed, so they call themselves a Christian. My point is that some of these teens that were surveyed might not have an accurate perception of what it means to be a Christian, which in turn, can lead to irregular and untrue stats. It is certainly not wise to make judgments based one survey from some random magazine.
I do agree that teens need a higher commitment level to Christ, but the real question is what are we (ministers/pastors) doing to further this needed commitment level? Are we being active in their lives? Are we speaking the truth in love? Sadly, this break-down of the student/Christ relationship can be blamed on parents (most of the time). Parents have seriously dropped the ball! The church is meant to supplement the Christ-like teachings of the home, and unfortuantely that relationship has either been reversed, or it now falls solely on the church. Furthermore, we directly relate to our heavenly Father’s love by the love that we have been (or should have been) shown by our earthly father. I can’t even begin to describe to you the pain that some of my students have felt from their earthly fathers…no wonder they have a hard time trusting God the Father.
I believe that men and women of God need to unite with the youth of the church. Let’s don’t look at stats and see how ungodly they MIGHT be! Let’s come to their aid, let’s bring them the rescuing love of God, let’s help them to discover life that can only be found in Him! Let us be encouraging towards them and always showing them the love of Christ!
Of course, the only way we can do that is if we are in Christ ourselves…….