One of the things I am continually trying to get youth to do is not just give the “right” answer. I find especially since I work with kids who have grown up in the church they always know the answer that is “right” and more often than not will give that answer even when I try to trick them into thinking differently. I’ve been frustrated by this because I really want them to be thinking about what it is they believe and not just regurgetating what the church says.
And then I realized that I do the exact same thing they are doing only in a different area. When I’m studying the Bible or trying to answer questions in the study I’m working on I will stop and think and then answer the way I have been tought to answer. And this is just me on my own with God. No one I need to impress, no one looking for a “right” answer. But these ideas that I have spent so much time with are so ingrained in my thinking that I don’t even stop to think if it’s really what I believe and think.
“Do you believe that God knew you before you even had a name?” Of course, the Bible says that, the church has been saying that forever, of course God knew me before I had a name, he created me, he created the world. Duh, that’s too easy. But then I stopped and really thought about it, and I do believe he knew me before anyone else knew me. But I realized at the same time that there has been this disconnect between my mind and my soul. I think that having these answers from the church that are supported by the Bible ingrained in my mind are wonderful things. The “right” answers aren’t wrong. But I need to make sure that my answers aren’t just my automatic response of things I have learned in my head. My answers need to be based on what I believe in my heart and soul.
I think we have done a really good job in the church of teaching the right answers. I believe that a child growing up in the church is going to graduate from high school with everything they need to make it in the world. But I think the problem is that we are teaching the head and not the soul. Even when I know the right answer or the right thing to do, and even if I agree with it, if it hasn’t moved from my intellectual data base to my become a part of who I am then when I am put on the spot I may vascilate. I may waiver, because I realize that while I know the correct response it is not part of who I am.
Yes, the church needs to do a better job integrating youth and adults. We need to do a better job keeping young adults involved in the church. We need to do a better job serving our community and evangelizing. But maybe part of the solution to all of this lies in doing a better job of connecting the head with the soul. Maybe if we figured out how to help members integrate everything they have been taught and believe into becoming their identity some of these other things would fall into place.
