No. 1008 A CHALLENGE TO AMERICA'S YOUTH!
No. 1008
Jim Davidson -- NEWSPAPER COLUMN
A CHALLENGE TO AMERICA’S YOUTH!
In the 19th century, a French nobleman by the name of Alexis de Tocqueville came to America to learn the secret of why we had risen to world prominence in such a short period of time. Here is what he determined to be the reason: “I sought the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there; in her fertile fields and boundless forests, and it was not there; in her rich mines and her vast world commerce, and it was not there; in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution, and it was not there. It was not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”
Now, I believe you will agree those are pretty sobering words, especially when you consider where we are today. Anyone who has any common sense at all understands our nation’s future is in the hands of our young people. It is for this reason that I would like to extend a challenge to America’s youth. While I have many young readers, I want to appeal to my adult readers to also share this with as many youth as you can.
Our churches were vitally important back in the days of Alexis de Tocqueville, and they are just as important today. However, the sad truth is that 70 percent of our young people leave the church after leaving high school, and they never return.
For the sake of our nation and for future generations, we must turn this around. It is for this reason that I am a small part of a group of laymen and laywomen who are committed to encourage our young people to come back to church, and to encourage those youth who are still there to never leave. This is not the church doing this, but rather lay people who love our nation’s youth and want them to know how important they are to our nation’s future. I truly believe there are millions of American citizens who know this and are concerned, but feel like as just one individual they can’t do anything about it.
The good news is that we can do something about it, but we must take action and do it now. The first thing we must do is spread the word all across the nation that there is a grass-roots movement to talk with our nation’s youth and explain to them how important they are to our future, their future, and for those yet to be born. We can do this and the media will help us because they know how important this is as well. If you have friends in the media (television, radio, newspaper, government and business newsletters) ask them to help us to spread the word.
There is something else that is important that we must get across to our precious young people. If they left a “dead” church where they did not feel loved and one where they were not hearing the Bible and the word of God taught and preached, they don’t have to go back to that church. There are thousands of good, Bible teaching and believing churches all across our country that will welcome them with open arms. They will accept them, love them and welcome them into the family of God and they will then have a real church home.
I can tell you this from personal experience, when you go through temptations and trials of various kinds, and we all do at some time in our lives, having a church family will be the most important thing in your life. It is time to quit playing church and get serious about America’s future.
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(Editor’s Note: THE DEAL OF THE CENTURY – Begin your day on a positive note – 365 days for $12. This will benefit the Bookcase for Every Child project. Go to www.apositivemomentwithjim.com to subscribe.)
