Culture is a collection of beliefs, values, norms, and practices permeating a society or institution. Every nation has its own culture. However, when Christianity first spread to every nation, the salve of its message healed generation after generation through a message that not only saved but also presented a counter-culture of what life should look like. Just as it did to the first century’s ‘godlessness’ and ‘unrighteousness’, which was marked by ‘disgraceful’ and ‘unnatural passions’ (Romans 1:18, 26), people who turned to God since that time have been a leavening influence on their culture. 

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But, in America, after generations who sought to follow God’s moral code – when Christianity was considered the better path – today’s surging and visible downfall into the morass of immorality and sin has shocked many. As in Isaiah’s time, people are the same today, calling evil ‘good’ (Isaiah 5:20).

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In America, we’ve had decades of this rising culture war, as many call it. But, for me, two recent events highlighted it:

• On 23 June 2023, on Twitter (now X), a video clip was posted showing New York City Drag March attendees chanting, ‘We’re here, we’re queer, we’re coming for your children’. Others chanted, ‘We’re here, we’re queer, we’re not going shopping.’

• In 2021, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus published a video with a song containing the lyrics, ‘We’ll convert your children… We’re coming for them.’
   

Perhaps these calls come from a radical minority. In the Drag March event, not everyone was chanting that (although some certainly were). And, in response to the SFGC song, the SFGC leadership later responded that the song was tongue-in-cheek humour for the purpose of making a plea for fairness. 

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Yet, I ask: Aren’t these lyrics referring to paedophilia? If yes, how could that be humour? And just today a Christian who has taught in public schools for several decades told me that he was forced into retirement because his use of gender pronouns did not meet current expectations.

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Others may ask: what’s the world coming to? Actually, nothing new. Radical movements throughout history have sought to pursue change by converting children. This is a perennial problem. The world will ‘grow worse and worse’, Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:13. 

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We may ask: how could it get worse? It can hardly be denied that American society, and others in the Western world, are spiralling downward on many fronts. Satan has been ‘prowling around seeking someone to devour’ (1 Peter 5:8) since time began. Today, it seems to many that he’s on a gorge-fest, and often his victims are young people. Vividly, we see it in social media video shares. Passionately, people share examples to raise the alert. Effectively, however, this misses its own goals by engendering alarm and extreme reactions. Not all our fellow citizens are evil. 

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Today, if we believe that teaching children will profoundly influence their futures, we parents bear particular responsibility for proactively protecting them. Below are some ways we can help our children.

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Parent them. Parenting is not merely providing food and housing; it’s starting children on their way (Proverbs 22:6). For Christians, it’s bringing them up in the training and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:2). This means parents should know personally what’s happening in their life. We need to be involved and instruct them in the ways that are right. We can’t rely on our government or church to teach them what they need from God. We can’t turn a blind eye because our failure to parent them will encourage them to ‘depart from the way’.

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Protect them. Talk about the dangers. In my childhood, the warning was ‘Stranger Danger’. But today there are dangers in the pews as well as in schools. There are dangers on the internet and in the video gaming world. Allowing young minds frequent exposure to unhealthy images, ideologies, and irreverence can lead to despair. If we want children to think about things that are true, honest, and just (Philippians 4:8), they need to live in environs that dwell on that: speaking the truth in love so that we may all grow up in Christ (Ephesians 4:15).

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Be courageous for them. ‘For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. Who then will harm you if you are devoted to what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear them or be intimidated.’ (1 Peter 3:12-14)

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Stand with them. If two are better than one (Ecclesiastes 4:10), then three are better than two. And so on. Our children need Mum and Dad to stand together with them. Stand with them because Peter says, ‘Resist [the devil], firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world’. (1 Peter 5:9) We’re not alone. The battle has always been there – and our children are counting on us to stand with them. 

 

So stand, and don’t run.