One of my kids, when asked what he wants to be when he grows up, used to reply, “Engineer.” Sometimes the impressed inquisitor probed further and inquired, “What kind of engineering do you want to do? Mechanical? Computer?” But their awe would fade when he clarified, “I want to drive trains!”
If we have kids, we want good stuff for them, right? We resonate with John, “I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” As Christians, we want them to become wholehearted followers of Jesus.
Would you say you want them to be radicalized for Jesus?
Recent reports have indicated that ISIS, inspired by the Israel/Hamas war, have upped their recruitment efforts targeting younger people. The principals in several recently foiled terrorist plots have been 14 years old and even younger.
Of course the appeal is complex, the blame multifaceted. As Christians we can say, “It’s the Devil’s handiwork.” Yeah, but through whose hands does he work?
In addition to the grim conviction that no child deserves to be targeted by ISIS, two questions trouble me:
- To what degree is my country, by continuing to sell military equipment and ammunition to Israel, complicit in the creation of the next generation of radicalized Islamists?
- To what end are my own kids being radicalized and what role do their mom and I play in that process?
To be sure, there’s a part of me that wants them to become rich enough to happily and gratefully send my wife and I on wonderful, exotic trips. But more than that, I want them to rise up like, and with, Jesus as powerful, peaceful, loving and radical forces for the Kingdom of God. I see no other alternative if evil is to someday be overcome by good.
Got kids? Got thoughts?