Solutions April 2018 | Page 57

he likely feels the personal failure of his daughter making worldly choices. Despite his consistent guidance over the years, Renee is now rebelling against God—and him.  On the sur face, Teri’s response a p p e a r s t o b e t h e m o re l ov i n g approach. Because she’s all in for her child. On the other hand, thanks to cultural tolerance, Kenton’s position appears to be harsh and unloving. Part of his anger might be due to his fear that Renee will ask for further compromise. Perhaps next she’ll drop the bombshell that she and her boyfriend have decided to live together. Cultural Tolerance Fails Our Kids Today’s youth have been heavily influenced by the media—from TV commercials, to sitcoms, to movies, to computer games, to live comedy— to view premarital sex as no big deal. So when Christian parents tell their kids that God wants them to wait for marriage, they’re confused. “Dad,” they might say. “That was the norm back in the Dark Ages. Sex is okay now. Everybody’s doing it.” But the Bible tells us that God doesn’t change his mind about sin. Nor is he surprised that “everybody’s doing it.” From the dawn of time, man has rebelled. Good going, Adam and Eve! #not J u s t b e c a u s e s o c i e t y p ro m o t e s a behavior as “okay,” that doesn’t make it so. There has always been a sliver of the population more than willing to engage in carnal activities. Unfortunately, because of cultural tolerance, that sliver has widened significantly. Things that were once taboo, are now touted as “okay,” and “normal,” and “your right.” Remember when being drunk in public was utterly humiliating? Now kids intentionally party to get drunk. The conduct of many college students during Spring Break should shame them. Yet they often boast, “Man, I was soooooo wasted!” What kind of achievement is that? A monkey could do the same—and get the same terrible hangover. These kids boast about sexual conquests, too. What a tragedy that our youth don’t realize how sacred sex is, when it’s treated like the treasure God intended . While society glorifies the pleasures of drinking and sex, it totally ignores the emotional and physical fall-out from doing both: disease, unplanned pregnancy, depression, and a host of other debilitating issues. It’s like a drug pusher selling the highs of his products—while conveniently failing to mention that when the user hits rock bottom, it’s really gonna hurt. Solutions • 57