The Juvenilization of American Christianity. That's a mouthful.  It took me several times of practicing before I could use it this morning at church.  It's both an article in a recent issue of Christianity Today and a new book by Thomas Bergler.  

"Juvenilization is the process by which the religious beliefs practices and developmental characteristics of adolescents become accepted as appropriate for adults."  While ministry innovations began as an attempt to tailor worship and programs to attract a new generation of youth the end result has been "fewer and fewer people outgrew the adolescent Christian spiritualities they had learned in youth groups…and although it may seem that the teenagers of the 21st century bear little resemblance to those of the 1950's ” crucial similarities remain in the structure of adolescent life and its relationship to the church.  And one of the most important traits is the aversion to growing up."

While there are some things I have enjoyed learning from my children over the years – like computers” iTunes music and movies – it does concern me that we have a generation of adults who want to be Peter Pan.  Even though the old dictum "values are caught and not taught" may be partially true it is not enough.  There has to be a certain amount of teaching and instruction about the basics.  In musical terms we have to learn to play the scales. Certainly ” it's not always entertaining and exciting but without our own growing up we will be chasing after "forever young" and that's a disturbing thought.

The book of Judges describes what happens when the elders fail to teach their sons and daughters.  "The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the Lord had done for Israel…After that generation had been gathered to their fathers” another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done for Israel."  We may have exciting worship experiences and meet the needs of hurting people who see faith as something to help them deal with their problems but we will not have mature believers who pass on something of substance to the next generation.