Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Sept/70

Contributor - Maaike Wiltenburg

Title - Alienated Youth (the reason why)

Topic - Youth

It is with much interest that I have been following the articles on "Alienated Youth". I have just finished reading G. Balt's article and felt almost compelled to write. I am not a youth anymore, but I am vitally concerned with the young people, as they are the Church of tomorrow.

However, I wish to "attack" this problem of alienation from another angle. I would join Rev. Hogerwaard and discuss the "assumption that a person has the truth in himself" (Pioneer, April 1970,).

"A person has the truth in himself" - yes or no. If you were to ask this of the MacKay report, it would say yes. Ask me and I would definitely say no. I would urge all -to, read the articles about the MacKay Report on religious education in the public schools. It will be an eye opener for many. Our schools and many teachers uphold a purely secular and humanistic idea which, in short, states that all children are born good and that if given everything good and if allowed his way in developing his capacities to the fullest he will become a good productive citizen. Education functions under the pragmatic idea that man is the centre of everything and all the rest of the things in this world must be subject to him. Everything must serve the wish of man. If something is of no further use to man, he may discard it. All is relative, even truth. Yes, even religious truth. In our public schools God is being done away with, because man has seen fit to pronounce God irrelevant. Our educators are finding that, given a chance, man can find all truth within himself.

I have written the former paragraph because I have heard echoes of our system of education in the articles about "Alienated Youth". From kindergarten to university our young people are being subtly led to think that this world owes them something. They have been given their way in so many ways - develop at your own rate, work at your own speed, choose your own course, come to class when you want, graduate when you want, grade you own paper, select your employer, etc. Unions in their democratic way, add to this even more.

G. Balt refers to Fromm's conclusion "that man has lost his central place" and offers to restore him to this place by having the church "attract youth", by having the church "create individuals whose concerns are social, to mould societies whose goals are human".

S. Vandermolen states "that to deny me the right to have topics of this nature discussed in our church is to go against the basic beliefs of democracy in which we all believe".

Is this not a good example oi our schools' way of teaching without knowing it, these two writers have begun to think in a humanistic, pragmatic way. 1 am not "attacking" them personally, I wish only to expose the public school system of education as it exists today. S. Vandermolen states it correctly and evidences the fact that our children are being led to be "very critical" of everything, to challenge 'authoritarian moralism", to be "impatient with dogmatic 'daddy-knows-best' answers". Our schools aim to have each child find out what is best for him or her, to establish personal truths, and to discard anything that is not relative to personal growth.

The schools place man at the centre of the universe.

The church places God at the centre of our existence. Both seek to educate the youth. Who will succeed in winning the heart, mind, and soul of our youth? In my opinion G. Balt and S. Vandermolen are sincere people, who are sincerely wishing to be Christ's followers. I would urge them, and all others, to put God at the centre of all things.

The church has not failed. It always has and always will perform its only task, and that to bring the Word of God. It cannot "create" good Christians, it has no status quo stand re social issues". God alone can create followers for Himself, God alone can make us "love one another", God alone can give us "the vitality of Christ". I would urge all to put SELF aside so that GOD may sit upon the throne of our lives. If our young people would do this they would not be alienating themselves, but they would see that God has plans for- them too. If they would stop worrying about being alienated they would be able to see that God has put man in the world as a servant to serve the Creator.

With God on the throne and with Christ in our hearts we cannot be alienated from anything. Ask the Lord for that "personal Christian experience" and become a sojourner rather than an alien in His world.

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