Peers, Walk-outs, and Worldview

…that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; Psalm 78:6-7

 

I was born into a generation of protestors. My peers protested against the Vietnam War and racism, and for women’s rights. My siblings and I were non-participating witnesses to a “riot” in our high school because of the way the administration responded to an interracial fight.

The truth is that the local incidents were so ineffective at creating change and the “leaders” were so uncommitted to their causes, that they are only vague memories.

I see it happening again…only this time teachers are helping to plan the “walk-outs.” I am pretty sure that the “activists” of my day would have abandoned the protest if any adult had stepped in. The “establishment” was part of the problem from their view, and anyone over thirty was included in that category. (And yes, I am ignoring the venality of having teachers use children as a front for their own agenda.)

My own parents did not allow us to join in the “protest” that involved skipping a day of school because of something that had happened between a black and a white student. My mother insisted we would be a part of the problem, not the solution, by joining an emotionally charged response to the incident.

We went to school, expecting to be in the middle of a mess. However, so many kids’ parents wouldn’t allow their children to enter the school that day, that all was calm and we had a normal day of school.

These memories came back to me as I read this Facebook post this week:

March 14, 2018 at 10:09am

My son asked if he could walk out in protest today…here’s how the conversation went…
Son: is it ok if I protest on Wednesday?
Me: protest what? Why would you do that?
Son: protests initiate change; they bring awareness to the issue
Me: yes, like what…
Son: like civil rights; people had to protest for the right to vote, etc (he went on)
Me: that’s true! Protests can be a great catalyst. So what are you protesting?
Son: gun laws
Me: and what are the current gun laws?
Son: I don’t know, but they need to change
Me: how do you know that if you don’t know what they are? Who makes the gun laws? Whose attention are you trying to get? State, federal, local…?
Son: I don’t know
Me: then no, you may not protest in ignorance. You don’t protest something just bc everyone else is doing it. What is happening in our schools is wrong, and scary, and sad, and yes, some things need to change. But you must educate yourself before you can be an agent of change.
…I’m all about protesting for change, for justice, and being passionate about a cause; I’m not about blindly following the crowd in ignorance…

Kudos to this family that their son consulted with them. Kudos a second time for their teaching that thinking is a basic requirement to join a protest. This is not only with regard to children. Many adults join movements or individual protests because it seems like what everyone is doing and not because there is s a serious wrong that needs to be righted.

As Christians, we are to love the Lord our God with all of hearts, all of our souls, and all of our minds. Too often, we are teaching the next generation to only, “follow your heart.” The Bible says the heart is deceitful and wicked.

How are we teaching the next generation to use their minds to approach any “cause” from a Christian worldview?  Is the Bible our text book or are we encouraging them to “blindly follow the crowd in (Biblical) ignorance?