[The text below represents an edited transcript of this Tomorrow’s World program.]
A Changing World, and Not for the Better
What is happening to our children? A great transformation is occurring right before our eyes, as emerging adults abandon traditional values, and move into a brave new world—a world that portends great dangers for our future.
I don’t have to tell you that times are changing, and at lightning speed. Many are concerned at what they see. Our world has always had its challenges, but something radical is occurring, especially among so-called Millennials and Generation Z.
What does the future hold for our children and grandchildren? Where is it leading, and WHY is it happening? How can parents protect their children against ideas and values so different from their own, ideas they recognize as dangerous to their children and society as a whole? There are answers! Stay tuned.
Values and Virtues Without God?
A very warm welcome to all of you from those of us here at Tomorrow’s World.
On today’s program, we’re asking the question, “Will God forget your children?” And we’ll find the answers in the pages of your bible.
Ominous trends ought to be a concern to every parent and grandparent.
Consider the socialist trends emerging among Americans classified as Millennials and Generation Z. One may argue for more socialist ideas, such as universal health care, but what is troubling is that many individuals promoting this progressive socialist agenda are also totalitarians who want to shut down free speech and all opposition; and that combination is very troubling.
Anyone who refuses to toe the politically correct line is bullied and shouted down. And this is not unique to America. It’s happening in Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada. Meetings are disrupted and sometimes riots ensue. Some professors openly dock grades of those who refuse to give in to their progressive ideas. And a panoply of pronouns must be used to describe one’s classmates. Pronouns such as Ze, Zir, Xem, and per are adding to and even replacing gender specific pronouns, such as he, she, her, and him. How ironic that the same people calling for tolerance, diversity, and stemming bullying, have become intolerant bullies that exclude anyone who thinks differently from them.
However, not every emerging adult is giving in to these assaults on the English language and forced political correctness, and some are using absurdity to demonstrate absurdity. For example, in protest to these policies popping up all over university campuses, this headline appeared in the Washington Free Beacon:
University of Michigan Student Now Officially Referred to as “His Majesty” (Graham Piro, November 24, 2019).
University life is not what it once was. Today we hear of campus “free speech zones,” “trigger warnings,” “microaggressions” and for those suffering defeat at the ballot box, days off, complete with stuffed animals. So how did we get to where we are?
It’s easy to view our changes only in terms of mere politics, but they go much deeper than that. Our politics is the result of our values, and values do not arise from empty space. Our world is descending into chaos, to a greater degree than we might imagine, because we no longer have consensus on the source of moral values. It’s not that mankind has not tried to come up with consensus, but apart from a power higher than man, at the end of it all, it’s nothing more than personal opinion.
Some years ago, having recognized that many would not accept biblical authority, there was an attempt on the part of some to come together on values for which everyone could agree. One such effort came from former United States Secretary of Education William Bennett, and his Book of Virtues. I’ve used it many times, reading from it at our Living Church of God summer camps. In it, Mr. Bennett compiled short stories on the following ten virtues:
Self-Discipline
Compassion
Responsibility
Friendship
Work
Courage
Perseverance
Honesty
Loyalty
And,
Faith
This was an admirable attempt to promote positive values, but when examined carefully, not everyone agrees with them. For example, let’s look at “Honesty.”
How honest is the proverbial used car salesman? What about our politically elected leaders? And let’s not let the news media off the hook! But let’s not stop with car salesmen, politicians, and the media. Much closer to home, how many parents lie to their own children about Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny? Think about it! Do we all agree that honesty is a virtue? Apparently not!
Then there is the virtue of “Work.” Does everyone agree that honest labor is a virtue? Again, apparently not. Today we hear calls for a guaranteed wage for everyone, even for those able-bodied who choose not to work. There have always been freeloaders, but here we have political leaders desiring to enact into law a right to be lazy. This is in direct contrast to the so-called Judeo/Christian work ethic, a hallmark of Western culture. A promise of guaranteed income for those who refuse to work contradicts a biblical injunction. Notice it in 2 Thessalonians 3:10:
“If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10).
So, once you take God out of the picture, there IS no agreement!
I’ll explain HOW it is that we find ourselves in such a mess as we see about us.
The Dangerous Impact of False Christian Values
According to Pew Research, Millennials are classified as those born between 1981 and 1996, and Gen Z are those born after 1997. It’s easy to look at each group as monolithic, everyone walking in lockstep, all conforming to the same set of values, but this is inaccurate and it’s unfair. While there are certain stereotypes, each group is made up of individuals. At the same time, each group was, and is, heavily influenced by their upbringing and their peers.
My parents’ generation, for example, was heavily influenced by the Great Depression and World War 2, my generation by the Vietnam War and introduction of recreational drugs into a large body of youths. But not everyone in my parent’s generation learned the same lessons from the depression, and not everyone in my generation despised the military and used drugs.
So it is with Millennials and Gen Z. Nevertheless, we see a generalized radicalization among the young, as they cast off the wisdom of previous generations. Why? Here is some wisdom being cast aside to the peril of those who do so:
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption…” (Galatians 6:7–8).
And the biblical book of Hosea gives us this warning in chapter 8 and verse 7:
“They sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind” (Hosea 8:7).
Simply put, we are bringing many sorrows upon ourselves, and it’s going to get a whole lot worse before it gets better.
Christianity for far too long has been reduced to fairy tales, such as the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. Many churches today focus on entertainment and require little of their followers. Music, while important, has become the main event. And don’t expect people to dress up for God—come just as you are. Other churches focus on repetitious ritual. The true gospel has been replaced by gospels promoting cheap grace, health, and wealth.
False Christianity has robbed mankind of his true purpose. The gospel that Jesus preached for 3½ years prior to His death, burial, and resurrection is no longer part of the message. People were held in check for centuries by the fear of burning forever in hell fire, something people can no longer reconcile with a loving God—and something, by the way, that the Bible does NOT teach. And, predatory priests have destroyed faith and left many disillusioned.
Having cast God aside, where are we now? The Bible gives surprising answers. Paul’s second letter to Timothy gives a prediction of the end of the age, our day today.
“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come” (2 Timothy 3:1).
Now we’ve read this many times on Tomorrow’s World, but let’s do so again as it accurately describes these last days of mankind’s misrule. Here it is in 2 Timothy chapter 3:
“For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:2–5).
The bottom line is that far too many are rejecting God, and the Bible predicts a specific consequence as a result.
Reject Those Who Reject God
Why is it that many children reject the values of their parents? Why is it that for many the joy of having children turns into conflict and estrangement, a nightmare of drugs, and grandchildren conceived out of wedlock? Even small children openly defy parents and adult authority in general. It was not always this way, but what we see today was predicted long ago by the prophet Isaiah.
“As for My people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err, and destroy the way of your paths” (Isaiah 3:12).
The majority of our Western world does not take God seriously. Even many professing Christians reject His commandments, claiming they were done away at the crucifixion, and instead replace them with man-made rules. Days founded in paganism and heathen practices are substituted for days God set aside for worship and special instruction.
Our leaders fight and squabble like children. How often we hear the question, “Where is the adult in the room?” And consider the endless sexual scandals that rock the corridors of government, industry, and the media. And when it comes to celebrities, there seems to be no shame. Is this not an accurate description in Jeremiah 5 of our time?
“Your children [adults acting as children] have forsaken Me... When I had fed them to the full, then they committed adultery and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses. They were like well-fed lusty stallions; every one neighed after his neighbor’s wife” (Jeremiah 5:7–8).
Does God take this lightly? Not at all. Notice verse 9:
“‘Shall I not punish them for these things?’ says the LORD. ‘And shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?’” (Jeremiah 5:9).
Someone might wrongly suggest that this applied only to the Jews of that day, but even if that were so, we see the mind of God in this. God does not take this kind of behavior lightly. And does not this passage in the fourth chapter of Jeremiah describe us as well?
“For My people are foolish, they have not known Me. They are silly children, and they have no understanding. They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge” (Jeremiah 4:22).
When adults act as silly children, what can we expect of their children? Here’s the answer to the title of today’s program, “Will God forget your children?” Here’s the answer, straight from your Bible. Hosea 4, verse 6:
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…. Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children” (Hosea 4:6).
How ironic in the age of knowledge, when knowledge is exploding as never before, God says His people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge. Yes, we are wise to do evil, but have no knowledge to do good. The knowledge we have rejected and forgotten is the law of God, and God tells us that because of this, He will forget our children!
Today our children are manipulated and mis-educated, led about by leftist professors and a compliant media. What we see today are mixed up children, not knowing whether they are boys or girls. Even to suggest what was almost universally accepted even a few years ago, that there are only two genders, is now enough to be censored. Free speech is dying.
Damage to our children starts early. As if raising children was not difficult enough during normal times, kindergartners today are being indoctrinated with ideas they are too young to comprehend. Social engineers have been at work for decades, as seen from the 1989 book Heather Has Two Mommies. It’s advertised as age appropriate for 3-year olds and up, and it’s far from the only early influence on children. Such attempts to confuse our children have only become worse.
You’ve likely seen reports regarding “Drag Queen Story Hour,” (DQSH). This is where drag queens, dressed in their finest, read stories to small children. According to DQSH, this is done in:
“…libraries, schools, bookstores, museums, summer camps, afterschool programs, and other community spaces” (“Drag Queen Story Hour,” 2018).
Their official website goes on to explain:
“DQSH captures the imagination and play of the gender fluidity of childhood and gives kids glamorous, positive, and unabashedly queer role models. In spaces like this, kids are able to see people who defy rigid gender restrictions and imagine a world where people can present as they wish, where dress up is real” (ibid.).
It is difficult to imagine why any responsible parent would bring his or her child to such events, but DQSH has chapters scattered across the United States, Puerto Rico, Sweden, and Japan.
While you personally would not likely take your child, other parents do! The point is that if you want your child to be compassionate, yet not indoctrinated in this “brave new world,” you must be vigilant, and you must begin counteracting these influences at the earliest ages.
The Deception of Religious Syncretism
A growing number of parents are taking their children out of government schools to teach them at home. This avoids that outlet for politically correct indoctrination, but is this the total answer?
Not every parent is equipped with or able to homeschool his child, and formal education is far from the sole source of error in our current world. Many homeschooled children spend hours each week on Social Networking Sites, and these carry with them a variety of hazards. Conspiracy theories and misinformation abound on the Internet, such as promotion of the idea that the earth is flat.
Children are easily manipulated, as seen when a group of them barged into the office of United States Senator Dianne Feinstein demanding her support for the Green New Deal. They had been misled to believe that the world has only twelve years left due to climate change. Senator Feinstein was neither persuaded nor amused.
Here is another evil regarding the Internet. Dr. Paul McClure of the University of Lynchburg discusses the danger of religious syncretism, that is, the blending of doctrines and practices between various religions. In effect, each person develops his own religion. Now that may seem good to some in our postmodern world, but isn’t truth more important than individual beliefs? And don’t fall for that nonsense that there are “no objective truths.” He explains the problem in his treatise titled, “Faith and Facebook in a Pluralistic Age: The Effects of Social Networking Sites [SNS] on the Religious Beliefs of Emerging Adults.”
Dr. McClure, using data from the National Study of Youth and Religion, writes:
“…[R]ecent changes in technology have accelerated the growth of the pornography and gambling industries. Other studies have shown that Internet use may underwrite antisocial behaviors for adolescents (Wang et al. 2012) and that SNS are cited as contributing factors in divorce proceedings (Valenzuela, Halpern, and Katz 2014). Parents especially fret about the latent effects of modern technologies (Dill 2012). According to these concerned parents, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter not only expose adolescents to a plurality of worldviews that may be at odds with what they have learned at home…. [But] As a result, new social technologies often pose a threat to parents who wish to impart specific moral or religious teachings to their children” (“Faith and Facebook in a Pluralistic Age: The Effects of Social Networking Sites [SNS] on the Religious Beliefs of Emerging Adults.” Paul McClure, Sociological Perspectives, 2018, p. 819).
McClure then goes on to explain this unintended consequence of Social Networking Sites:
“I find that emerging adults who use SNS are more likely to think it is acceptable to pick and choose their religious beliefs, and practice multiple religions independent of what their religious tradition teaches…. These findings suggest that exposure to broader networks through social media leads to increased acceptance of syncretistic beliefs and practices” (McClure p. 818).
Equally troubling is that changing immigration laws and patterns have
“…contributed to the influx of Eastern religions…” (McClure p. 819).
Due to the influence of these Eastern religions, we see an increase in America and other Western nations in astrology, vegetarianism, transcendental meditation, and transmigration of souls—all ideas contrary to biblical doctrines.
The Bible tells us that if we forget God and His values, He would forget our children, but the Bible also gives good news. We read these comforting words from the prophet Isaiah concerning the future, after we have learned a most painful lesson:
“All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children” (Isaiah 54:13).
On today’s Tomorrow’s World program, we have briefly explored the problem. We’ve seen that our rejection of God has brought about an increasing rejection by God of our children. However, there are strategies you can employ to protect your children. It IS possible to “Raise Good Kids in a Bad World.” Our specially prepared DVD gives practical and workable advice. You need this DVD, and it’s yours free for the asking. So pick up the phone and ask for today’s special offer. Do so before you forget it.
Richard Ames, Wallace Smith, and I, along with guest presenter Rod McNair, will continue to share with you the teachings of Jesus Christ, the good news of the coming Kingdom of God, and the exciting end-time prophecies and their meaning. So, be sure to subscribe to our channel so you don’t miss another Tomorrow’s World video!
