Crazy Activist Xtian Kids!

[Howl]

Interesting op-ed on the CNN website this morning: Young evangelicals are defying their elders' politics by Kyle Meyaard-Schaap

Yes, ostensibly, this might belong in the politics section of fj and mod, move it there if you think appropriate.  However, it has a LOT to do with family dynamics, where young evangelicals are being "woke" in some areas, especially climate change and social activism (which hews more closely to Jesus' basic message), and are now at odds with the cultural Christian belief systems (heavily Republican and pro Trump) of their families. 

Most of our extreme fundy kids are so tightly locked down in their family, with the reverb chamber of homeschool and church (sometimes home church) that they would never be exposed to this.  Others, who send their kids to approved Xtian colleges, might find that there's some organizing going on at the campus.  That said, some/most of these Xtian colleges are also tightly locked down, so organizing a campus club focused on immigration issues and climate change wouldn't be allowed.  But somehow it's happening in some places.  

Also, the Schaap part of the writer's name caught my attention and I'm assuming he's somehow related (son? grandson?)  to the notorious Jack Schaap, who's serving hard time (12 years)  in the gray bar hotel for having sex with a 16-year-old who came to him for counseling. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

1 hour ago, Howl said:

Interesting op-ed on the CNN website this morning: Young evangelicals are defying their elders' politics by Kyle Meyaard-Schaap

Yes, ostensibly, this might belong in the politics section of fj and mod, move it there if you think appropriate.  However, it has a LOT to do with family dynamics, where young evangelicals are being "woke" in some areas, especially climate change and social activism (which hews more closely to Jesus' basic message), and are now at odds with the cultural Christian belief systems (heavily Republican and pro Trump) of their families. 

Most of our extreme fundy kids are so tightly locked down in their family, with the reverb chamber of homeschool and church (sometimes home church) that they would never be exposed to this.  Others, who send their kids to approved Xtian colleges, might find that there's some organizing going on at the campus.  That said, some/most of these Xtian colleges are also tightly locked down, so organizing a campus club focused on immigration issues and climate change wouldn't be allowed.  But somehow it's happening in some places.  

Also, the Schaap part of the writer's name caught my attention and I'm assuming he's somehow related (son? grandson?)  to the notorious Jack Schaap, who's serving hard time (12 years)  in the gray bar hotel for having sex with a 16-year-old who came to him for counseling. 

What I like most about this is that young evangelicals are dipping their toes in “rebellion” by disagreeing with their parents and church on climate change. I think that once you dip your toes in and realize your world hasn’t come crashing down, maybe you can do this on other topics as well. If you believe your parents are wrong about climate change, what else are they wrong about? Are they wrong about gay marriage? Are they wrong about creationism? It’s always good to see young people questioning. 

Edited September 30, 2020 by JermajestyDuggar

[LilMissMetaphor]

41 minutes ago, Howl said:

 

Also, the Schaap part of the writer's name caught my attention and I'm assuming he's somehow related (son? grandson?)  to the notorious Jack Schaap, who's serving hard time (12 years)  in the gray bar hotel for having sex with a 16-year-old who came to him for counseling. 

Schaap is just Dutch for sheep, which considering their farming heritage makes it a pretty unremarkable surname IMO.  I wouldn't assume he was related.

[Jigsaw3]

I have a young friend at a mainstream Christian college who posted something anti-Planned Parenthood and CLEARLY got yelled at by her friends, because the next day there was a followup post saying something like "I didn't realize how much good PP does! It's only abortions that are bad!" If the Christian youth is managing to start seeing below the surface of some of the anti-abortion propaganda, I'll take the baby steps.

[CaptainFunderpants]

I graduated from a conservative Christian university in the early 2010s and this doesn't surprise me, but it does give me hope. 

One of the key points we were taught is that we're the stewards of the earth and we're supposed to be creating the Kingdom of God here on earth, and so we should take ownership in taking care of our planet.

Beyond the stereotypical missioncations, there were several major groups on campus that were active in our area's bad neighborhoods and volunteered regularly at food pantries, as well as travelled to places like the south side of Chicago to do volunteer work over various school breaks.

That said, our profs definitely tended to be a bit more liberal than the students, and so I'm glad the movement is starting to gain real traction.

[medimus]

I've seen a lot going on in Catholic circles as well about 'care for creation', especially after Laudato Si was published. I can only say I am so glad this is happening.