Information Related to "Borderline Christians: A New Generation"
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As
Christians growing up, we are bombarded with every kind of example you
could imagine. And many of them are good ones. We may attend church services
every week, listen to the sermons and take part in the teen classes where
we are taught positive lessons and shown examples of who we are supposed
to be—who Jesus intends us to be.
So why is it, then, that when we know the right decisions, we often
make the wrong ones?
In an attempt to answer this question, we need to understand how society and human nature impact our decisions. These do not excuse wrong choices, but they are powerful influences.
Beyond all the complex elements of peer pressure and our own desires, it comes down to this: When we rationalize our behavior, the line blurs between right and wrong, between what we want and what God commands.
For example, when it comes to underage drinking, society tells us that when you're hanging out with your friends, it should involve some type of alcoholic beverage. We know as youth that we shouldn't drink because it's illegal and that, even where permissible, we shouldn't drink when unsupervised. But again, we rationalize that we can handle it, that it's no big deal because it's not like we're using drugs or something "bad."
In some situations parents unknowingly set bad examples. Some allow their children to drink to excess at home, thinking, "If they're doing it at home, at least they're not out getting drunk at some party where I can't watch them." This type of approach doesn't work because it promotes the idea that bad behavior is acceptable in certain contexts—and the proper context can always be rationalized.
I'm not as bad as . . .
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