Skip to main content

MTV, Kids, and Happiness

Image
By

What could MTV, the inventor of such kid-friendly shows as Beavis and Butthead, and George Barna, the famous Christian researcher and author of Raising Spiritual Champions, possibly have in common? In what universe could these two culturally polar-opposites possibly agree - especially about the American family? For once they may actually agree on something.


When MTV conducted a survey of people aged 13-24 asking them what makes them happy, you would naturally expect to hear about things that are the glory of MTV: money, sex, drugs, and fame. The results, though, were surprisingly (or, maybe not so surprisingly) in line with what Christian researchers like Barna have been telling us for years: parents are the single most important factor in a child's happiness and sense of well-being. Nearly 3/4 of those surveyed said that their relationship with their parents was a significant source of happiness. When asked about what activities made them happy, the respondents listed "spending time with my family" more than any other response. In fact, when asked about a significant hero, nearly half listed mom or dad as number one (sorry, dads, moms edged us by a few percentage points in the hero category). Christian researchers like Barna have been arguing for years that we need to re-assert the importance of active, purposeful parenting for the good of our kids.


So what about money, sex, and drugs? Surprisingly (considering the source of the research) money was barely mentioned by the people surveyed as a significant source of happiness, while those using drugs or actively engaging in sex reported a lower percentage of happiness.


I found this research ironically encouraging since it came from a source like MTV. I am pretty sure they didn’t set out to find kids from perfect families. The results simply reinforce what the Bible says about parents: we are essentially important to our kids, and not just when they are little. Your child may be too old and cool to run in a jump on your lap and give you a hug. They may even be guarded and make you work at keeping a relationship with them (have you ever played "20 Questions" just to find out if your child had a good day at school?). The reality is, though, that they crave our love and attention and need us to act like parents.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Teaching the Story Arc of the Bible

By
Each of the Journey campuses has started teaching a gospel class - a class that answers basic questions about following Christ and being a member in our church. This class has attracted a large number of people who are "peaking over the fence" - checking this whole Christianity thing out. That is both exciting and challenging. It gives us the chance to share the Bible with people who don't necessarily come to it with faith - as well as challenge those who do trust the Bible to get on mission with us. Our first lesson was on the story arc of the Bible - what is referred to as the diachronic view of scripture. Simply put, it is a way of looking at scripture as a complete story - with one major primary theme: God in Jesus reconciling the world to himself. Teaching a diachronic view of scripture to postmodern culture, though, presents some unique challenges. In prepping to teach, I wrote out the following thoughts. I would be glad to get any thoughts you have on this to...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sanctified Diversity: Learning how to Keep in Step with the Gospel

By
Last Sunday (March 26, 2017), I preached a message at Trailhead Church in Edwardsville, IL , called Sanctified Diversity, looking at Paul's rebuke of Peter for not "keeping in step with the truth of the gospel." The clear implication of this passage is that it's not enough to only know the truth as a follower of Jesus. You must also lean in and learn to live out its implications in the difficult spaces of life.  There are few areas that our culture needs us to lean in with gospel grace, humility, and empathy more than in the area of racial and cultural diversity. It's just not optional. We can be orthodox in our words and heretics with our lives, undermining the integrity of the message of the gospel because we are not walking in its power. To be true to the gospel, we need to do more than just believe its truths. We need to walk out their applications in our lives.  My sermon was called Sanctified Diversity . You can follow that link to listen to it on Tr...
2 comments
Read more

We are Losing by Trying to Win

By
Most people have heard of Jonathan Swift's classic novel, Gulliver's Travels. In it, Gulliver travels from one strange place to another, encountering tiny people, giant people, talking horses, and all kinds of adventures. Most people today think of it as a children's storybook because the scene where he is tied down on a beach by little people who feel threatened by him has made its way into almost every children's cartoon. But Gulliver's Travels is far from a children's storybook. It is an insightful and often cutting look at human nature. Swift was a careful observer of human behavior and lampooned it mercilessly. Swift was an Irish writer and clergyman and said that he wrote this novel to "vex the world, not divert it." I think we could use some of that vexing - and could do with some learning from it. In Gulliver's last adventure, he runs across creatures called "Yahoos." They are nasty creatures who horde shiny rocks and hur...
Post a Comment
Read more