Attack on a Generation
Those who speak up shape the culture. Christians have been silent too long. There are far more Christians who believe Biblical values than those who are currently destroying our culture's values. They just happen to have a very loud megaphone and control the media. We need to use our voices to protect our Christian heritage and the future of teenage America.
This March over 22,000 teenagers returned to San Francisco for a BattleCry event. Thousands stood and shouted, "I want the cross!" as they committed to be followers of Christ. I wish we all could have been there to experience God move in the hearts of so many teens. Their eyes were opened wide to the cultural forces that are trying to shape their generation.
Before the event, teens returned to City Hall to have a BattleCry Rally and use their voice to shape their generation. They were again met with protestors less angry than last year but more perverse than ever. They took Christian songs, rewrote perverted lyrics, and sang them as loudly as possible. They chanted, "We don't want to marry you, we just want to f*** you," over and over to the crowd of more than 1000 teenagers gathered to express their commitment to purity and passion for God. Some of the posters protestors were carrying were so perverse that when CNN reporter Christianne Amanpour interviewed me moments later she asked, "What do you think of the posters?" I said, "I can't see them. What do they say?" and she replied, "I can't repeat it."
When teenagers join together to take a stand against what the culture says is cool, suddenly people want to know what's going on. It was extraordinary to see the media coverage the BattleCry movement generated. National broadcasts from The O'Reilly Factor, New York Times, CNN Presents, Fox News, and ABC's Nightline reached nearly 11 million viewers. Print coverage including New York Times-the 3rd largest U.S. newspaper, the Associated Press, and the San Francisco Chronicle-the 11th largest US paper exceeded a circulation of 4.6 million.
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The city of San Francisco also welcomed the teens by imposing an unprecedented noise ordinance on the stadium's sound system. We couldn't start our sound system until 10 AM, which was after our starting time. For some reason they didn't want to hear these young people worshipping God and crying out for their generation.
God continually takes all things and works them out for good. We were able to broadcast the worship session live with KFAX Radio all over the Bay area. Young people brought radios and headphones to hear the music. Not only did we worship full velocity a cappella in the stadium but, thanks to the American Family Association and the NRB television network it was also broadcasted across the country.
Our teens never asked for this cultural war or forces that destroy their generation like violence in video games or internet pornography. These have been forced on them by an older generation. Of course, young people gladly oblige when their ability to indulge is only a keystroke away.
Behavior demonstrated in San Francisco is viewed as cultural extremism which often becomes a cultural norm nationwide within a few short years.We must realize how far-reaching the crisis is and work together to stop it. To defeat our enemy, we must know how they think, understand, and what weapons they use. The strategy of this cultural war is simple: those that speak up the most win. When we see things in society that contradict the values in the Bible, we must speak up. We need to pray and passionately reach out to young people with the love on Christ.
We are to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Let's make sure we are not shining our lights only in our basements. They belong on the lamp stands so everyone may experience true light. We all need to take a strong stand for the values today's teens need in this war waging against this generation. We want to equip you to join this fight the best possible way. Log on to www.battlecry.com to learn how you can make a huge difference for this generation.
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Ron Luce is the founder of Teen Mania, one of the world's largest Christian youth organizations, which inspires, empowers, and equips teens to reject the negative influences of pop culture and embrace the "coolness" of Christ. This year, Teen Mania is rallying hundreds of thousands of teens in the BattleCry movement to save their generation. For more information, visit www.BattleCry.com.
