Jr Church and seeing Christianity Lite

I got a chance to see why Christians don't influence culture much anymore. I mean Christians are seen as harping on things, (naughty movies and books etc) but as far as being redemptive ambassadors for God's loving Kingdom on earth in the U.S., those are days of long ago...well not sure that happened in the U.S. like it did in the 1st century, or ever will. It is a myth that this is a Christian country. This is a Consumer country. Pop culture wins the day.

Our segmented lifestyle chops off God and spirituality into a bitty section and keeps it there.

Also- It seems like this happens by fourth grade. I found that out as I taught Jr Church today. I would suspect to find this among secular (unchurch kids). And why not? They've been raised on a diet of tv. They haven't been imbued with the Scriptures and so many hours of Vacation Bible school, church camp, Bible teaching, and biblical values and at home. How wrong I was!

I taught the kids a short and fun (I hoped) lesson about "God's math" being that it was a back to school theme. All the kids begin school tomorrow. I told them that we would make backpack tags with their names on them and the math formula 1 + 1 = 3, because when we are with someone else who loves God, Jesus is right there with us. If they felt sad about something at home, or nervous about a test, they could ask a friend to pray with them or for them. They understood the concept, but they really balked with the idea of the tag. I got a lot of lip! They told me this plan wouldn't work for all kinds of reasons.

They couldn't have anything with Jesus on it at school, said one girl, (not that the tag had that on it anyway). Writing that on a tag wouldn't be the correct math answer said a fourth grader, and it would make her look stupid. She wasn't interested in telling others that Jesus was with her anyway. School was school after all. They weren't allow to have things hanging from their bags anymore, said someone else. Those were the rules several piped in. I had a lot of resistance to the idea of taking a spiritual idea outside church. These responses were all from children whose families had brought them to learn about God since they were babies. You would think being a Christian, outside church, would be a high priority, but in reality spirituality just fit into a little box saved for Sunday, as it may for their parents, and for so many people in contemporary life. It's not so surprising how it trickles down.

What is really informing them in a week? How much time and money is spent on secular video games and entertainment compared to their spiritual formation to integrate their christian worldview?

How much television is educating them, internet diversions, ipod, etc. POP CULTURE wins and so Christians make little difference in their surroundings.

I guess I knew it, but it was surprising to see it so well-formed so early on!