Note: this is a largely chaotic (and frankly, boring) video of teenagers trying to look cool, cursing, groping each other, demonstrating their ability to identify the proper biological names for genitalia and generally acting like idiots in front of what appears to be a Christian altar at a congregation that bears the name "Lutheran" (that spinning sound seems to be coming from a certain castle church in Wittenberg, Germany). It goes without saying that some of the language and topics for discussion by these "youth" are on the raw side.
Of course, it should be no surprise that this ELCA "church" has a "pastor" of each major sex (assuming that number would be two...), and offers cafeteria-style worship, because (according to their website): "Musical variety is as important as the music itself. People have different tastes, so we provide a variety of types and styles of music to enrich worship at Living Lord."
Obviously.
They also have a "Youth Worship Service" (isn't that special?) where: "Several times per year, Living Lord’s teens plan and lead weekend worship services for the whole congregation. The faith and creativity demonstrated by these youth inspire the congregation and show parents the wonderful results of encouraging their children to explore and act on their faith."
Swell.
This is why Christianity needs a sobering dose of traditionalism as well as all-out war on the (Lord of the Flies) "youth culture" that we seem to have surrendered to.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
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4 comments:
Words fail.
Yesterday I was rather mindlessly chanting the "Te Deum" while giving my daughter a bath, and instinctively she folded her hands because she thought we were praying. A nineteen-month-old gets the idea of decorum, but evidently these misguided (and disturbingly little-supervised) youth cannot.
I get enough of "youth culture" during the week at school and work. I don't need it on Sunday. Sunday is a nice break from it. I want to be a normal, civilized human being. I want to live like normal people have for thousands of years. I don't want to run amok for Jesus (aka go to the typical "youth group"). At one mega church a short distance from my house, high-schoolers run around in fields at night and play hide-and-seek and draw dots on each others' faces.
Thanks be to God, tomorrow is my birthday, and I am no longer a teenager.
I sin during the week. I live in a "vale of tears." One day I will die. I don't need superficiality on Sunday. I need Christ's body and blood, Absolution, and God's word.
der Bettler:
Isn't it astounding! It brings to life our Lord's admonition that we must become as little children to receive the kingdom.
Benjamin:
I hope you had a blessed birthday, and welcome to the twenties. I loved being in my twenties. I could still eat an entire 16 inch pizza and a half-pound bag of m&ms, play five hours of basketball straight, and not be sore (or fat) the next day.
I'm now 44 and am starting to use reading glasses. :-(
I'm conflicted about "youth groups." I appreciate the fine work of Higher Things, for instance, but I can't help but wonder if we need to move beyond age segregation somehow. I have no idea how that would work, but we are way too isolated demographically in the church. And you're absolutely right that too often they are shallow and Christless.
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