One of the most frustrating aspects of junior high ministry is that
young adolescents are not very good at connecting what they believe
(or say they believe) with what they do. They don't practice what they
preach. David Elkind uses the term apparent hypocrisy to describe
this characteristic of early adolescence. "Young adolescents are able to con-
ceptualize fairly abstract rules of behavior, but they lack the experience
to see their relevance to concrete behavior. [They] believe that if they
can conceive and express high moral principles, then they have in
effect attained them and nothing more in a concrete way need be
done."
In other words, it is normal for junior highers to say one thing and to behave completely differently. What appears to be hypocritical to us is actually a step forward for them. It's good that they can now "conceive and express" their beliefs and ideals. But sometimes that's as
far as it goes. They haven't yet learned to carry out the actions that
would seem to follow logically from the beliefs and ideals that they now
profess to have. Unfortunately this makes them look like hypocrites.
But they are not being hypocritical in the same way we would think an adult hypocritical. Ordinarily when adults show hypocritical behavior, we assume that they have the maturity to understand that you should not say one thing and do something else that is obviously contradictory. Junior highers are beginning to understand how that
Works (and they are often quick to point out hypocrisy in others), But
they haven't learned how to apply it to themselves. This is why a junior
higher can express very strong views about fairness and then-without
a moments hesitation-be very unfair to someone else. We shouldn't be surprised when junior highers criticize
their parents for being selfish and
materialistic and then demand from them more money to buy the most expensive sneakers and the latest CDs. It's not unusual for junior highers to express strong feelings about saying no to negative behaviors of all kinds, and then engaging in those same behaviors the very next day. This is one reason why junior highers sometimes live
two lives--the one that attends church and the one that goes to school and hangs out with friends. Those two lives may be completely different from each other and very inconsistent, but the junior higher living them will not perceive that there is a problem-or at least not a serious one.
Obviously the Christian life requires
that there be a connection between faith
and everyday life. It's not enough just to believe. Faith must be acted out and lived for it to have validity. But while this is true, we must not expect too much from our junior highers too soon. We must be patient with them and recognize that they are doing well just to express their values and beliefs verbally (if they do).
In time they will discover the need to back up those beliefs with their
actions. And we as adults still continue to struggle with it. In Romans 7
the apostle Paul expressed frustration with his repeated failures to live
consistently with what he believed. Junior highers are just beginning to experience all of that.
We can also help junior highers practice putting their faith into
action by giving them opportunities to be doers of the Word. They wil
understand the connection between faith and works much better if
they can experience it for themselves. This kind of experiential learning
is sometimes called praxis, a term taken from the Greek word for
action. It is one of the best ways to teach junior highers. For example, if
you want your junior highers to understand the scriptural idea that we
Serve Christ by serving others, then do something more than have a
Bible study about it. Take them somewhere where they can actually
serve. Have them distribute food at a rescue mission, or visit people in
a convalescent home, or do yard work for shut-ins. Help them to see
firsthand how their beliefs translate into actions.
And in the classroom we need to emphasize the practical
aspects of the Christian faith. Young adolescents are not going to be
helped a great deal by studying a history of the 12 tribes of Israel. But
they will be helped by discussing how the Christian faith impacts their
friendships, their family life, their sexuality, their Tv viewing habits, and
so on.
If we want the gospel to make a difference in the lives of junior
highers, we must be careful to show them how the Christian faith
impacts their lives in the here and now. Junior highers need to see that
the gospel has practical applications. We cant assume that they already
know this. If we can demonstrate to them a few of the ways in which
Christ can enrich their lives and meet their needs, they will soon realize
that Christianity is much more than a private set of beliefs and
doctrines that only exist in your head. It can change the way you live.
Junior highers not only struggle with inconsistency, they sometimes stuggle with outright failure. When I was a junior higher, my biggest problem with the Christian life was not so much not knowing what to do as being unable to do it. I was taught that good Christians do
not sin, or at least they dont sin very much. If they did sin, they were
extremely minor sins, more like little mistakes that were forgiven
instantly or hardly worth forgiving at all. But I was a sinner, sinning big
sins instead of little ones, and as a result, I was constantly losing my
faith. In my church we called it backsliding. For me it was usually more
than a slide backward-it was more like a crash landing.
Many junior highers experience this. They hear again and again that the Christian life is keeping the 10 Commandments, obeying your parents, loving your neighbor, sitting quietly in church, keeping a smile on your face, acting like an adult, and so on. And they find such a life impossible to live-so they just give up on it.Certainly all of us need to be challenged to have high standards and to live according to the commands and principles that are set forth
in Scripture. But we must be careful not to in Scripture. But we must be careful not to discourage junior high kids by misleading them. None of us are successful at doing the right thing 100 percent of the time. We need to let kids know that they can fail and still be a growing Christian, loved by God. Almost by definition, junior highers' lives are full of failure, and they need to know that Christ will be with them even in the midst of failure. God does not expect perfection from junior highers. Their perfection, after all was purchased on the cross and given to them as a free gift through Jesus Christ.
That's all they need.
In this regard junior highers can
begin to understand the true meaning of
commitment. Commitment is often misunderstood by today's kids. It
really has more to do with failure than it does with success. If you are
committed to something, then you hang in there and keep going even
when things aren't going too well. Historians claim that the inventor
Thomas Edison made over 900 light bulbs before he finally made one
that actually worked. In other words, he failed 900 times. Although he
must have been discouraged at times, he stayed with it simply because
he was committed to inventing a light bulb. He didn't give up.
The Christian life is a lot like that. You don't get it right the first
time or even the second. Every time Edison made a light bulb that
didn't work, he learned one more way not to make a light bulb. It was
actually a positive experience. Maybe what we need to do is help our
junior highers learn from their mistakes, rather than be defeated by
them. Let junior highers be junior highers. They are not going to act like
adults. Spiritual growth takes time.
