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How do you teach values or morals to your children in the 21st century? Actually, the same way it has been done at any time in history. As a parent or teacher, you use the environment around you to identify what is good and true and expose what is wrong and harmful.
The Bible says this very eloquently in Philippians 4:8: "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things."
Perhaps one of the best teaching opportunities for our consumer-focused younger generation is to challenge the choices they make, especially in entertainment, that can have an undue influence on developing minds.
Today there are 31.6 million 12- to 19-year-olds in the United States —the largest generation ever—with plenty of buying power. In 2000, U.S. teens spent an estimated $105 billion and influenced their parents to spend an additional $48 billion. The choices made by teens are thus quite relevant to merchants. Perhaps there has never been a time when so many young people have had so much leisure time plus money in their pockets to just have fun.
Choices, choices, choices. What movie, CD or video game should I spend my money on this time? What's cool, and what's going to be exciting and fun?
Not all options are good
One author succinctly summed up what's on TV: "Most television programming is insipid, illicit, and idiotic" (Douglas Groothuis, Ph.D., "How the Bombarding Images of TV Culture Undermine the Power of Words," Modern Reformation, January-February 2001, p. 39).
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