A Christian association recently studied the attitudes of nearly 4,000 young people aged 11-18. Of every one hundred of these youths, 80 attended an evangelical church weekly, and 86 said they had made a commitment to trust Christ as their Savior and Lord.8 Here are some of their findings: (1:11)

66 percent of those surveyed said they had lied to their parents or another adult in the last three months. Almost that many (59 percent) had lied to their peers.

55 percent said they were confused.
50 percent said they were suffering from stress.
46 percent said they were always tired (1:12)

Many others said they were cheating, smoking, gambling, watching X-rated movies and engaging in premarital sex.9 (1:13)

The researchers ask, 'What is happening to our kids? Why aren't they adopting our values? And what can we do about it?'10 Confidence in organized religion has been falling. In 1993: (1:14)

The PPRC Index, a figure that provides an overall assessment of the state of American religion, was 649, the lowest ever...The index reflects belief in God, church membership/ attendance and confidence in the clergy, the church and religion itself. 11 (1:15)

Sexual abuse of children is the most evident and alarming sign of spiritual starvation. What are the statistics?

One out of every four American women is sexually abused before she reaches 18.
Girls are twice more likely to be sexually abused than boys (1:16)

Family members-- fathers, stepfathers, uncles, grandfathers, and brothers-- are the most frequent abusers of children under age 11.12 (1:17)

The statistics on mental illness, depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, violence, and crime are equally alarming. Our youths are the most vulnerable. One third of all crime is committed by children and youths 10 to 17 years old. Among the top killers of our youths are homicide, suicide, and AIDS (1:18)

According to a highly respected textbook in abnormal psychology, about one fifth of the American population suffers from mental disorders or drug addiction.13 (1:19)

Consider the increase in crime in England and Wales per 100,000 population:

1955 1,000
1961 1,750
1971 3,400
1981 5,600
1991 10,00-- ten times the rate of 1955 and forty times that of 1901.14 (1:20)

Source: For 1857-1980: B.R. Mitchell, British Historical Statistics (Cambridge, England, 1988), pp. 776-778; for 1981- 1991: Home Office Criminal Statistics.15 (1:21)

What caused the decline of the Roman Empire? About two centuries ago, Edward Gibbon, the author of the classic The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire, listed these reasons, which look disturbingly familiar: (1:22)

Loss of dignity and sanctity of the home, and an increased divorce rate (1:23)

Higher taxes and spending of public moneys (1:24)

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