TODAY’S
by Dr. Hudson T. A rm erd ing President, Wheaton College
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for them to follow. Instead, the eld ers reveal a practical skepticism about the moral, ethical, and spirit ual ideals that long have been ac cepted in our society. There has been a lack of integrity in business and government. I t is explained away rather than corrected. That which was formerly thought of as pornog raphy is now seen as having some degree of redeeming social value. Too much of the advice given to the young is often disgusting, permissive and lacking in moral and ethical content. One prominent educational leader told a national convention of young people, “Whether or not a student burns a draft card, participates in a civil rights march, engages in pre marital or extra-marital sexual ac tivity, becomes pregnant, attends church, sleeps all day, or drinks all night, is not really the concern of an educational institution. Colleges and universities are not churches, clinics, or even parents. They are devices by which a limited number of skills, in sights, and points of view are com municated to the young.” Such a view is becoming increasingly common on college campuses. It shows the secu larization and isolation that have come to characterize our society. It is sad that this is not rebuked or countered by the religious communi ty. On the contrary, some well-known theologians have gone so far as to urge people to repudiate such his toric ideals that made this nation great. No wonder that there is both a spiritual and cultural barenness. It is little wonder that young people find it difficult to develop a respect for the hard-won ideals and respon sible freedoms of our civilization. What is there that the church can do? First of all, it must exhibit to 21
T o d a y ’ s c o l l e g e student is a_ sub ject of more analysis and discus sion than the pupil of any previous generation. Of course, there are more students today, but also they are the most active and articulate of any era. They have captured the interest of society. Unfortunately, the bulk of attention has been gained by the rela tively small percentage who represent the so-called “new left.” It is esti mated that no more than two percent are in this activist group. Their en ergy and determination, however, give it a significance far in excess of their actual numbers. The Fed eral Bureau of Investigation has warned us not to underestimate the threat of these dissidents. The major ity of these youths are more interest ed in the process of change, than its results. As such, revolution is their goal. This is why so many of them resort to drugs. This small minority has tended to obscure the wholesome performance of the bulk of today’s students. These young people expe rience much confusion. One 20 year- old asked, “Why should I work hard to be recognized by society? All I have to do is not shave for a few days, lie down in the street, and I’ll become a national personality over night.” There are many hard-work ing and profoundly idealistic young people today. We see them volunteer ing for the Peace Corps and other similar agencies. They often provide us an inspiring example of dedica tion and commitment to the task of doing something about the world’s ills. Although we hear much about a generation gap, surveys show that teenagers overwhelmingly reflect the values of their parents. Unfortun ately, the adult world seems unpre pared to furnish inspiring examples
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