From time to time, I like to check in on my name’s sake at the NY Times. Since that David Brooks is a lot more famous than this one, I like to see if he is dragging our name through the mud. In his column on Sept 12th, he did no such thing.
In his column, “If it feels right”, Mr. Brooks recounts the problem with moral relativism in the youth of this country. Now, this is no new insight. Many have been bemoaning the rise of moral relativism for decades. But Brooks’ quotes a survey which shows that its not that youth don’t believe in “right and wrong”, they just see “right and wrong” as irrelevant. At one point interviewees were asked to tell about a time when they faced a moral dilemma. Most couldn’t even think of something.
“Smith and company found an atmosphere of extreme moral individualism — of relativism and nonjudgmentalism. Again, this doesn’t mean that America’s young people are immoral. Far from it. But, Smith and company emphasize, they have not been given the resources — by schools, institutions and families — to cultivate their moral intuitions, to think more broadly about moral obligations, to check behaviors that may be degrading. In this way, the study says more about adult America than youthful America.“
For a long time, I’ve been saying that our culture is trying to teach “moralistic behavior,” all the while saying that “morals aren’t important.” Its important to be “Respectful, Responsible, Trustworthy, Fair, Caring, and a good Citizen.” But why? Why does Character Count? No one is allowed to answer that question, because individualism prevents us from giving the answer.
Mom and Dad, listen to me. YOU need to teach your children why character counts. YOU need to fill in the blanks in your kids’ moral values system. If Jesus isn’t the foundation for all moral choices, then Character really Doesn’t Count. If Jesus isn’t the foundation, what ultimately matters is me. Now, how can I be a good citizen (for instance) if all I care about it me?
Character is rooted in the God of the universe who, in Jesus, freely gave his life for us. That’s why Character Counts.
