Walking question marks. That’s what our kids are. It doesn’t matter if they’re toddlers, pre-schoolers, elementary-aged, pre-teens, or teens. They are constantly seeking, searching, and finding their way through life. They can either follow the ever-present cultural narrative, or they can follow God’s will and way as contained in the biblical narrative.
Do you know that kids are on a developmentally-charged search for answers to three big questions? These questions are, 1) Who am I? (the task of identity-formation), 2) What do I believe? (the task of worldview-formation), and 3) Where do I belong? (the task of relational-formation). Most kids aren’t consciously seeking answers to these questions, although they might from time-to-time. Rather, they are simply living their lives and growing up while swimming the youth culture soup that absorbs into the pores of their hearts and minds, thereby unconsciously “flavoring” their beliefs and behaviors, both now and for the rest of their lives.
Here at CPYU we are all about equipping and encouraging parents, youth workers, and all others who love and lead kids to make a conscious effort to not only know the cultural narrative, but to answer the fallacies and mis-directives of the cultural narrative with the truths of God’s Word. We are constantly developing tools that will help you instruct and lead your kids through the maze of today’s rapidly changing youth culture.
One simple format we’ve developed for understanding, thinking about, and teaching on youth culture is our World, Word, Walk sequence, which is a practical and helpful tool being used by parents, youth workers, and the students they train so that we all might be thinking critically and Christianly about life in today’s world, along with how to answer the three big developmental questions I mentioned earlier. We use that format as it’s laid out in my book A Student’s Guide To Navigating Culture, our ever-growing archive of free downloadable “Parent Prompt” discussion guides, and in our free weekly “Youth Culture Field Report” which you can sign up for and receive by email.
I recently wrote a short practical overview of “Cultural Catechesis and Our Kids” that will serve to, I hope, open your eyes to the tension between the instruction that comes from a compelling and ever-present culture, and our need to diligently take kids into the life-giving Word of God:
World: What is Happening? The word “catechesis” is all about teaching and learning. It is rooted in the Greek word for instruction, specifically deliberate instruction given by word of mouth. In historical Christianity, catechesis is the process of training those who are young and new believers in the basic principles and doctrines of Christianity. It was seen as a supplement to sitting under preaching and engaging in Bible study. The reality is that catechesis is happening all the time. The question is, “Who is doing the teaching?” And, what are our kids learning? Our vulnerable children and teens are sitting under culture’s catechesis 24/7 in today’s world. It is pervasive and compelling. While biblical catechesis is teaching “sound doctrine for sound living,” cultural catechesis is teaching “doctrine for living”, which is many times un-sound.
Word: What Does God’s Word Say? In the Book of Titus, the Apostle Paul instructs us to “teach what accords with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1). We are to be trained and we are in turn to train those under our care to “renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age” (Titus 2:11-12). Paul instructs us to respond to God’s grace in our lives by living counter-culturally as an act of worship and gratitude, which is counter-cultural to the catechesis the world gives. We are called to no longer be conformed to the world and its cultural standards. Rather, we are to be transformed by the renewal of our minds, which is occasioned and continued through biblical instruction (Romans 12:1-2).
Walk: How Can I Navigate This With Kids?
- As parents, we must know the “cultural catechisms” so that we might affirm truth and offer corrections to error, which is a kind of hands-on training for our kids as they learn how to be conformed to God’s will and way. One way to stay up on this on a regular weekly basis is to subscribe to our free Youth Culture Field Report.
- For younger children, enlist the use of a good children’s Bible for regular daily reading. One option is Sally Lloyd Jones’ The Jesus Storybook Bible. For older children and teens, make use of catechisms, including The New City Catechism, The Heidelberg Catechism, The Westminster Shorter Catechism, and the new Faith Builder Catechism, among others.
- Teach your children skills in wisdom and biblical discernment. Make use of the teaching moments given by marketing and commercials by filtering them together through CPYU’s Simple Seven Ad Filtering Questions and/or CPYU’s How To Use Your Head To Guard Your Heart: 3(D) Media Evaluation Guide.
- Use the simple paradigm used in this conversation guide, starting with looking at what the World is teaching, then moving into what God’s Word says about what the World is teaching, and then following up by discussing what this means for how we live and Walk in the World. You can find more help by checking out our CPYU “Parent Prompt” discussion guides.
