A new study released August 25, 2008 by the Barna Group called Young Adults and Liberals Struggle with Morality.

Questions were asked about eight behaviors with moral overtones that the participants may have engaged in during the past week. What I found extremely fascinating (not surprising) is the growing acceptance of profanity, gambling, intentional exposure to pornography, lying, getting drunk, sex before marriage, retaliating against someone, and gossip. The most alarming outcome of the survey was the moral patterns among young adults under the age of 25, who were twice as likely to engage in behaviors considered morally inappropriate by traditional standards.

The new label being thrown out there for 18-24 years olds is Mosaics.  I’d say ‘colorful’ is a great way to describe their moral compass. Mosaics appear to have had little exposure to traditional moral teaching and limited accountability for such behavior. If this age group has had little exposure to moral teaching, what does that say about the influence of their parents and grandparents?

Wives, husbands, moms, dads, and grandparents —
We have an obligation to get our marriages on track by working toward Christ-centeredness and stop the drift toward self-centeredness. We are responsible for shifting the moral trajectory of our families. It is not the government’s job or a teacher’s job — it is our job. If we don’t make the necessary changes in ourselves to stop using profanity, stop drinking, stop gossiping, stop engaging in sex outside of marriage, stop lying, stop gambling, and stop the desire for retribution — it’s likely our children or grandchildren will be labeled ‘The Doomed Generation’.

Seriously, it is okay to read the bible as a family and use it as our moral guide. It is okay to teach our kids about Jesus. It is okay to attend church services, and it is okay to talk about God and the beauty of what he created when we take family vacations. It is okay to have a no swearing rule in our homes, say no to questionable shows on TV, and put blocks on certain cable channels. It is OK to install pornography filters on computers, say no to R rated movies, and work on learning what forgiveness is all about. It is okay to tell our children sex is special and meant for marriage, and they will be emotionally and spiritually healthier people if they wait. It is okay to tell them we are not happy with their decision to live with someone before they get married. It is okay. Our children may not like us… but that’s not a problem.

They’ll thank us for it later.