And, We're Back! ...Or Are We?

After taking a bit of a blogging hiatus, I was inspired to take up the keyboard yet again after perusing the most recent issue of the magazine By Faith, and coming across an article entitled "Neither Fruitful Nor Multiplying: Are humans going extinct?"  Being heavily invested in next-generational ministry, the creation mandate of Genesis 1:28 ("be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth...") has always been something I've been passionate about, and so I was quick to read through it.  The whole article is worth the read, but there was one point in particular that stood out to me.  After citing several statistics demonstrating the global decline in reproduction the article quotes one researcher stating that as an economy industrializes, "Having a child goes from a source income - think of a farm-based economy or craft economy...where children contribute to the family by working - to a dramatically higher source of expense."  "In other words," the article goes on to explain, "just as a kind of selfishness might motivate families in poor, preindustrial societies to have large numbers of children, a kind of selfishness might motivate couples in wealthy societies like ours to have fewer children."

Wow!  If one is to assess and evaluate the motives of reproduction, it begs the question of the purpose and design of procreation in the first place.  If that doesn't make your head spin enough, the next question that must follow in this train of thought is to ask what responsibilities are necessitated by reproduction, a furthering of generations?  Did God command reproduction in order for the race of Adam to carry on a name? a reputation? a fortune? an ideology? or what?

As Linds and I have a little one of our own on the way, this article pushed my mind ponder these kinds of questions all over again.  As a missionary focused on reaching out to the rising generations, I think these questions are very important to consider.  As God's instruction to multiply was given to Adam and Eve before the Fall, it must be concluded that progressive generations are a foundational part of God's design for humanity.  Scripturally speaking, the intent of human generation was to produce further image bearers of God to tend and cultivate the rest of creation (Genesis 1:26-17).  Already one can feel the inherent need for intentionality in bringing up the rising generations in relationship with God.  How much more so AFTER the fall, when older generations, subjected to the penalty of death, are no longer around?  Our responsibility, then, is to engage the emerging generations by graciously drawing them into their own unique roles and positions in his continuing story of redemption.  No big deal, right?  Ha!  Therein, I believe, lies much of the theological foundation for church based youth ministry.

From the way you see adolescents approached in the world around you, what would you deduce about what your local culture's belief, purposes, and motives are toward the rising generations?  Is your culture or church living up to it's responsibility to raise up the next generation?  What is there to affirm?  What is there to resist?

- Drew