Let’s Get Loud

Whenever teenagers take a stand against the culture, people want to know what’s going on.
Those who speak up shape the culture. That’s why it’s important for Christians to let their voices be heard in the media and other arenas. In fact, there are far more people who embrace biblical values than those who attack them, but unbelievers happen to control the press.

There are 33 million U.S. teens, and the enemy continues to prey on them. But as Christians, we must protect our heritage and the future of teenage America.

Corporations, media conglomerates and purveyors of popular culture have spent billions to seduce and enslave our youth. But there is plenty we can do to combat the problem.

In March, BattleCry sponsored a rally to give teens and youth the opportunity to come together and take a stand for Jesus. More than 22,000 participants gathered in San Francisco for the event.

Those young people stood up in the stadium and declared their allegiance to Christ. “I want the cross!” many of them shouted.

I wish we all could have been there to experience God move in the hearts of so many participants. Their eyes were opened wide to the cultural forces trying to shape their generation.

But before the stadium event got underway, the teens met at City Hall to have a BattleCry Rally. They were met with opposition by protestors who were less angry than last year but more perverse than ever.

The demonstrators rewrote the lyrics to Christian songs and sang the vulgar words to more than 1,000 teenagers who had come to express their passion for God and commitment to purity.

Some protestors carried posters so perverse that when CNN reporter Christianne Amanpour interviewed me moments later she asked, “What do you think of the posters?” I said, “I can’t see them. What do they say?” and she said, “I can’t repeat it.”

Whenever teenagers take a stand against what the culture says is cool, people want to know what’s going on. For example, the rally generated coverage from The O’Reilly Factor, The New York Times, CNN Presents, Fox News and ABC’s Nightline. Close to 11 million viewers watched the event on TV, and 4.6 million people read about it in several national newspapers.

Unfortunately, the city of San Francisco imposed a noise ordinance on the stadium, and we couldn’t turn on the sound system until 10 a.m. For some reason, the powers that be didn’t want to hear young people worship God and intercede for their peers.

But we were able to broadcast the worship session live in the Bay area on KFAX Radio, and the participants brought radios and headphones to hear the music. Not only was worship loud and at some points a cappella, but thanks to the National Religious Broadcasters television network, it could be heard across the country.

America’s teenagers never asked for a cultural war or the temptations Satan dangles in front of them, such as violent video games and Internet pornography. But we must realize how far-reaching the crisis is and work together to stop it.

The strategy is simple: Those who consistently speak up against negative influences will win. Let us equip you to join in the battle for America’s youth. Log on to battlecry.com to learn how you can make a difference in the lives of others.

We are to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Let’s make sure we are not shining brightly in our basements but on a lampstand for the world to see. We need to pray and reach out to young people with the love of Christ.

Ron Luce founded Teen Mania in 1986. He and his wife, Katie, have seen more than 2 million youth attend events they host called Acquire the Fire, and they have sent more than 50,000 teens across the globe on mission trips. Ron and Katie live in Garden Valley, Texas, with their three children: Hannah, Charity and Cameron. To read past columns in Charisma by Ron Luce, log on at charismamag.com/luce.