As plans for their new school are underway, Lifesource Church’s youth pastor Jamie King explains some reasons why there is such a strong appeal for youth in Griffith.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
With around 20 per cent of Griffith’s population affiliated with non-Catholic Christian religions, according to the 2016 ABS Census, Lifesource also has an average age group of 31 years of age.
“Kids are very good at faking life… it’s easy to say ‘I’m OK’ when your whole world is falling apart,” he explains.
Catering to the youth in today's changing world, Mr King says answering the ‘why’ questions is extremely important in engaging minds with the word of God.
“I think kids just want answers, and rather than us telling them this is how, it’s about giving them the reasoning behind why we believe what we believe, giving them the knowledge to make informed decisions, and they appreciate that.”
While balancing conservative stances and current societal challenges can be difficult, Mr King says all answers can be found in the bible.
RELATED:
“Stay up to date is very important, and we can’t be afraid to talk about these things, because if we are there’s a problem.”
Some of the most conflicting issues facing youth today include the same sex marriage postal vote, euthanasia, abortion and global warming.
Same sex marriage postal vote
“Truth be told, a gay couple could make better parents than a heterosexual couple… that pertains to character, and character is not the issue, its the model that’s the issue.
“In a same sex relationship you have two people trying to fulfill the same role in a child’s life, and that’s the real problem. It sexual immorality, its sleeping with people outside of marriage, and there is a reason God made it for married people, it has practical application.
“It makes for stronger families and nations, which is part of the reason why a lot of governments are against it, because if you have the family break down or rearrange against what it has always been, then you make for weaker families, communities and nations.
Euthanasia
“I can completely understand all arguments, because there can be seemingly no hope for this person, yet against all of this non-hope, I don’t believe in euthanasia. Jesus prayed for people and he healed them, he healed the sick, he cast out demons.
You may not hear much about it today but it still happens. We pray for people all the time in town and in church and people get healed.
As long as there is life and hope in their body, God is able to fix them. Does he always? No. But you never know what God does.
When you pray, even if you can’t see changes, God is doing something.
Abortion
There are many different verses in the bible that speak of life from the moment of conception … there is life, and there is a human being right there, and that is what the bible says and it forms the christian stance, so abortion – no.
Playing God: and it comes to deciding whether or not someone should live or die.
Global warming
I do believe we are destroying our planet. We are destroying and things are also breaking down, but I think we should be proactive in trying to protect and save our environment.