Common problems faced by American Christian teenagers
What problems do American Christian teenagers face? Probably many problems related to morality would be identified and rightly so. Many traditional morals have been discarded. For instance, a recent review of the news revealed a new trend among teens in of texting nude pictures of themselves to classmates and others they find romantically interesting. The author stated that Christian teens were as likely as non-Christians to engage in this behavior.
Are moral issues the greatest challenges confronting Christian teenagers? Probably not. The greatest challenges confronting Christian teenagers are rooted in lost sense of absolute truth. Truth in this sense is an explanation for life and how life works or metaphysical truth (e.g., ethics, values, morality). Moral standards emerge from this understanding of life because truth is the foundation of morality. Truth is either absolute or subjective so morality reflects absolute or pragmatic standards.
Historically, our national culture’s perspective of truth was based on a Judeo-Christian definition of truth. Truth was absolute and based on a belief in theism as revealed in the Bible or the Torah. Moral standards tended to be absolute and were tied to the teachings of these holy books. Individuals could choose to obey or disobey the moral codes found in these books. This view of truth and life was typified in the term Modernism. Modernism emphasized that life is orderly and operates on the basis of objective principles and standards.
Our national culture’s perspective of truth changed in the 1960s. The desire to break from a Modernists approach to life ushered in a new period of time when our nation’s values began to embrace behaviors and lifestyles outside traditional boundaries. A belief in an absolute source of truth and morality was gradually replaced with a self-centered approach to defining truth and morality. The hippie lifestyle that marked the period soon led to the “me” generation.
The decades between the 1960s and the 1990s witnessed an inevitable progression as absolute truth was cast aside and life lost absolute value and meaning. Terms like Gen Xers became popular because sociologists were having a difficult time determining a set of values and descriptors that could be applied to the teens that came of age during this time. This cultural shift reached its full bloom in the 1990s with the rise of postmodernism.
Postmodernism rejected the notion that absolute truth or moral standards exist. Life has no value except the value we give to it. All “knowledge” is suspect. Truth is self-created or a product of social interaction with others. Reality is found in our stories and experiences. Morality is behavior that best serves the needs of our relationships. Morality is often what seems to work best in the moment to obtain what I want. The important part is how things turn out in the end of the story. What we do to get to the end of the story matters little.
Christian teens face many challenges today. Most important they want to know what is true and real. The most effective way to help our teens weather these challenges is to help them rediscover absolute truth and why morality matters. Before we can do this effectively we must be clear on the nature of truth ourselves.
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