I’m deconstructing.
I’m spiritual but not religious.
I’m still a person of faith, but I don’t need the church.
The popularity of statements like these can strike a lot of fear in the hearts of Christian parents. As religion seems to play a smaller and smaller role in American life, it’s easy to wonder if it’s possible to empower our children to hold onto their faith in adulthood. For some, it’s tempting to crack down on rules and tighten the reins in an effort to keep our children from being stained by the world.
Yuval Levin suggests that there is a better way.
“I think to attract the rising generation, you have to be careful not to just say no … not to say that what defines us is [what we don’t do],” says Levin on the latest episode of The Russell Moore Show. “That’s not what defines us, right? There’s a reason why we say no. That reason is what defines us. And that reason is some idea of the human person that is profound, deep, and rooted in a commitment to
justice.”
Ultimately, our children will have to make decisions about faith for themselves. But along the way, parents, grandparents, and all who participate in raising the next generation have an opportunity, not only to say no, don’t do that but to say look at how beautiful God designed life to be. In doing so, may we cast a vision for them that they long to carry for a lifetime.
