Dear BPCWAians, We have seen that Christian children and young people must be on guard against being part of the global trend of leading public protests to demand for action on certain agenda. We also saw the error of some world leaders fawning over their actions. TIME magazine’s cover calls this “the power of youth”. We saw last week how the Christian young person ought to respond, even if there is a valid cause. In this final section, we will look at the changing societal attitudes of adults towards the young, what the Bible requires of adults in this aspect, and hence how adults should respond.

The changing societal attitude toward the young. Exalting the young beyond their place. Can the younger at times be more knowledgeable in certain aspects and have positive contributions even to society? Of course, they can. Should adults pay attention to them? Yes, we should. Can they at times be carrying the weight of issues that adults should be carrying? Yes, they might laudably even be doing so. Can adults fail them at times? Sadly, certainly. The question we are discussing today is not about the ability of the young to contribute. I want to focus today on how adults should view and respond to young people. In the recent global warming debate, the issues propounded by the young are not new ones. If valid issues are highlighted, there should be a proper response. The question however is – why are leaders excited about putting the young on a pedestal, when reputable adults in their field have also been highlighting similar facts for years? For whatever reasons they may be, we have seen adults exalt the young in unprecedented ways which rouse other young people to “want to be like” them. One such young person was given a stage in the world by adults. In just “16 months since, she has addressed heads of state at the U.N., met with the Pope, sparred with the President of the United States and inspired 4 million people”. Collins Dictionary even named her pioneering idea “climate strike”, the word of the year,  and nominated her for prestigious awards  to recognise her leadership role on the world stage. Are we saying that a young person should never deserve such a level of recognition? No. But as mentioned earlier, this is now a time where the young are elevated by the adult world in extraordinary ways. Even the former Vice President Al Gore, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his decades of climate advocacy work, tells TIME “This moment does feel different . . . many great morally based movements have gained traction at the very moment when young people decided to make that movement their cause.” Even he recognises the trend. How should the Christian adult view this trend?

Biblical injunctions to adults towards the younger ones. Christian adults must remember that they are to lead the young. The fifth commandment to honour thy father and thy mother speaks of the responsibility of adults to be an authority over and lead the young. It is not meant to be the other way around. Adults must not fail. Adults can fail by refusing to be responsible for leading the young righteously, and also fail by unnecessarily exalting them beyond their place. We saw some verses last week regarding adults towards children: eg “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Prov 22:6), but at the same time “Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged” (Col 3:21), “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph 6:4). We mentioned that “parents” in the fifth commandment teaches the concept of authority figures, not just biological parents. It is a wrong concept for adults to be so keen to hand over the role of authority to the young.

Biblical response of adult Christians in this global wave.

(a) It is not enough for us to simply frown with horror upon such behaviour simply because it goes against our conservative upbringing or simply because it goes against traditional culture and values. We have seen from Scripture that when the young lead the adults, it is a time of God’s judgment upon the people. Westminster Larger Catechism Question 129 asks and answers, “What is required of superiors towards their inferiors? Answer. It is required of superiors, according to that power they receive from God, and that relation wherein they stand, to love, pray for, and bless their inferiors; to instruct, counsel, and admonish them; countenancing, commending, and rewarding such as do well; and discountenancing, reproving, and chastising such as do ill; protecting, and providing for them all things necessary for soul and body: and by grave, wise, holy, and exemplary carriage, to procure glory to God, honour to themselves, and so to preserve that authority which God hath put upon them.”

(b) Hence, adults are expected to lead, counsel, reprove, protect, and provide so as to rightly perform and maintain their God-given authority over the young. In doing so, adults should not follow the ways of the world and shower praise upon unruly and disrespectful behaviour simply because the world values that as an expression of youthful independence and seemingly being knowledgeable. It is important that this should get addressed because what the world values, they will teach you too. It is one thing to treasure the young, but quite another for Christians to reverse the God given roles of adults being in authority over children in the home and church. If we don’t recognise that and don’t think biblically about how such behaviour should be viewed, we cannot be vigilant against it eroding our Christian values, and creeping into the character of our young ones. However vocal young people may be, adults must exercise discernment and not be followers of them simply because they think that the “young people know better”, or simply because young people are getting more assertive and speaking up more. Don’t take a step back and empower the young simply because they are young and they’re supposed to be the “next generation”.

(c) Should adults listen to the younger’s opinions and needs? Yes, insofar as necessary for adults to properly nurture them. Adults should not deal with the young unrighteously, provoking them to needless anger. But God is not telling adults to pander to the young. Neither is He telling adults to give the young people whatever they want so that they will not get upset. It is even interesting to note a very popular parenting concept today called “baby led weaning” (BLW) in parenting. This concept teaches that babies typically 6 months and above should be allowed to self-feed, and parents must let them lead and choose what they want to eat. As such, a range of food is placed before the child and it is up to the child to choose, grab, chew, spit out, or toss around; and parents should not interfere, no matter how messy they become. “Even the most ardent of BLW fans agree that the process is very messy, and there is a lot of waste. If most of your baby’s food ends up on the floor, there may be a limit to the number of nutrients he can get from his food”. I am not dealing with what the believed benefits are about developing motor skills early (which in reality can be done with many other toys than to use food) and complementary food benefits. I am highlighting mainly the concept behind it – “allow the infant to be in charge of what goes in their mouth, how it goes in, and when”, and for “the infant to set the pace and intake of the meal”. Toddlers are already encouraged to lead parents, choose for themselves, and not be controlled. With such concepts, babies are the leaders, and parents become servants and followers instead of nurturers and authority figures. Whatever the perceived benefits (which some BLW promoters admit are not proven), Christian adults need to be wary of its implementation and what you are teaching the child. Christian parents must be wary not to follow the ways of the world in our thinking and in our attitudes, regarding concepts of toddlers leading you and being given free rein. This begins first with the adult, those that God intended to lead the young. Parents, don’t fall into the snare to be a baby or child-led parent. Don’t be duped by the lie of Satan. You are to train the child, not the other way around.

In conclusion, however right and valid the young people may be, the Christian young person must remember the principles of the 5th commandment – in your approach, always honor authority. Christian adults must also fulfill the 5th commandment – to fulfil your authority righteously and also not abscond it.

Yours in our Lord’s service,

Pastor