Earlier this month, I spoke to the students in chapel. For secondary school chapel I referred to the final event leading to the freedom of the Hebrew slaves in Egypt. The following sums up my thoughts. The passage in Exodus 12:24-27 states,
when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’
It has been stated that each generation stands on the shoulders of the previous generation. The reality of this has been in my thoughts lately. My generation has taken the work of the previous one and moved forward. We have been able to take for granted the ideas over which our fathers and mothers fought so strenuously. My parent’s generation fought against “modernism” and liberalism in their denominations. My generation has been able to exist in a world where the conservative Christian community rarely uses the words “modernism” or “liberalism” because the fight has been won within our churches. Instead we contend for things like traditional vs. non-traditional worship styles.
My point has nothing to do with any of these arguments. My point is that parents need to pass the core beliefs of Christianity on to the next generation and then get out of the way as the new generation “makes it their own.” A set of beliefs that mimics someone else’s beliefs is valueless. A child’s beliefs should be sifted by the mind that they have been given. This “mind” has been created by the influences of the parent, the Church and God’s Word. The beliefs are right when they reflect God’s Word. They are not “right” when they merely reflect the preferences of the prior generation.
In Christ,
Dr. Robinson