Indoctrination?

I was watching a video documentary today on Christianity. The video was obviosuly produced by, at the least, a social liberal company but it wasn't the film itself that bothered me. In fact, I think that film really did an okay job of showing Christianity at face value. But perhaps that is the problem...our "face value".

We are worthless at face value. I know many ministers, including myself at times, have lobbied for people to more jovial and transparent about the benefits of a Christian lifestyle...but honestly, it is hard to compete with the world in marketing. So, by default, our face value isn't of much value. However, our core value is!

This is the point that bothered me in the video... the presentation of our core values. those are the values we hold dear and protect because (in reference to an early blog post) God says they are honorable.

On the video was a radio host (obviously anti-Christian) who challenged a Christian children's pastor on the air. He made a statement and I was completely dissatisfied with the pastor's response. The radio host noted that "teaching children was different from indoctrination" and that "teaching a child" was exposing them to everything so they can make choices about life. A child, make choices about life? Thank God my parents did not lay that responsibility on me when I was a kid! Needless to say, the pastor offered a lame rebutal of "well we feel we have a right to teach our kids our Christian heritage".

NEWS FLASH! God's truth is not our heritage! You can quote me on that. His truth is our REALITY! (referencing another early blog post, I am seeing a spiritual pattern here) What about the argument that we want to teach our children truth and the way the world was designed to operate!? If you are teaching a kid math, you instruct them on the laws of mathematics so they can learn to develop the right answers from mathematical problems. Same thing with our faith. We teach our children the laws of God (or reality) so they can get the right answers to life's problems. We don't do it for a heritage or a social agenda. We do it because we care they know about life!

Here's my response ot that very radio host. "Your agenda on that show is a social-political agenda. You are obviously irritated with the political threat conservatives present and you are attacking the very core of the Judeo-Christian belief system in order to acheive your means. Christians on the other hand, simply want to preserve an envirnoment where their children can learn about how to be successful in life (both now and eternal). And that envovles God."

And even harder, my response to the pastor. "Stop presenting our faith at face value. There's no dressing up that God's law is real and He maintains dominion. If you continue to protect that face value (things like heritage and image), you will fall short. Your persecution was prophecied and so is God's ultimate victory."