Churches Idolize Youth But Do Nothing to Protect Them
I have written about this before, but today, I wanted to note another side of the problem.
First here’s a recap.
Evangelical and seeker friendly and some Baptist churches, work their asses off to attract youth. Specifically, young married couples who have children under the age of 18, as well as young college kids.
I’ve no idea if it’s because churches perceive these age groups as being more hip and trendy, and they want their church to have a hip and cool vibe, or, if these families with kids have more money.
But, the fact remains, that as long as you are below the age of 25, churches go out of their way to cater to you and meet all your needs. If you’re unsaved, man, do they ever push hard to cajole you and kiss your behind and try to get you saved.
Once you hit your late 20s or early 30s, if you are not married with a kid of your own, that same church that worked its collective ass off to cater to your every whim and kiss your tukus, stops giving a flying crap about you.
I don’t know why churches and Christian culture works so effing hard at getting new converts to Christ only to drop them like hot potatoes once they reach a certain age.
Along with that, is this odd habit of Christians to worry endlessly about youth, to take an excessive interest in youth and wnning them to christ and getting them to attend church, but, once the young uns start going to church X, if they are molested by a staffer or Joe Blow at church X, then said preacher of church X tries to sweep the whole affair under the carpet.
I am not going to sit here and give links verifying all this. You can get off your lazy ass and use Google yourself.
Based on the many, many blogs and forums I have visited the last two years pertaining to spiritual abuse, leaving the Christian faith, and domestic/child abuse, by people who were exploited financially, raped by preachers, or abused in some other manner, many churches do not do anything to help child victims.
Some preachers blame the child victims for being molested or raped, by suggesting that they asked to be violated, that they are at fault…
Yes, I’ve seen accounts of church elders, church goers, or preachers suggesting that three year old females can be “sexually suggestive” to adult men and entice those men to fondle them – thus blaming the victim and sympathizing with the molestor.
I can rattle off horror stories I’ve seen the past two years on various blogs that cover instances of preachers, youth ministers, and other church people, who rape children, and these churches, to compound the issue, rally around the abusers but blame the victims. They will not phone civil authorities (ie, the cops).
How is it that we are living in a Christian culture that worships youth, chases after youth, dreams up countless ways to attract youth to church services, ignores anyone not married over the age of 25/30, gears all church services towards appealing to what they think youth want (electric guitars on stage, etc), but then, turns around and abandons that youth when they are fondled, exploited, or raped by preachers, church worship leaders, etc?
Churches today, in particular seeker friendly, evangelical, and mega churches, worship youth but then do nothing to protect them, and even blames them for being exploited by adults?
There is a very troubling set of double standards going on by preachers and other Christians today – they badly, badly want youth at their church (and claim to want to reach youth for Christ), but the moment the youth gets harmed by a church person, the preacher blames the youth and rallies support around the abuser.
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Related posts this blog:
(Link): Christians and Ageism – Under Age 15 Favored / Declining Youth Church Memership
(Link): Youth Fixation in Churches and how it alienates older Christians
(Link): Pandering to the Youth – Parallel Between Politics and Contemporary Christianity
(Link): Getting People Back to Church / Christian Event Targeting ‘Apathetic’ Youth *BARF*
(Link): Ignatius the Ultimate Youth Pastor & Teaching Christian Singles About Sex
Christian Pundit 