  Yesterday at church we observed Christian Education Sunday.  This is a service dedicated to showing what the children have learned in Sunday School.  At the end,  Bibles are presented to certain age groups,  a Study Bible for those graduating from high school,  a Teen Bible for those going into high school,
 etc.  This year I got the NIV Teen Study Bible published by Zondervan because next year I will be in high school.  I already have an English Standard Version ( ESV)  that I use and will continue to use,  but I was flipping through this one afterwards.
 I can’ t believe how much the Bible itself suffers from people trying to impose a modern American teen perspective on it.  It’ s a Study Bible,  so it has notes and different things added to it in order to ‘ help’
 the reader.  At the beginning there is a ‘ teen version’  of 1 Corinthians 13: 4- 7.
 One of the definitions of love is this ‘ Love doesn’ t hate the girl who goes out with the guy you like.  It seems as if this Bible is giving its thumbs- up for teens to ‘ go out’
 It’ s advocating the most childish behavior by accepting it as normal.  Yes,  you might say it’ s good that they’ re telling kids to ‘
hate the girl who goes out with the guy you like’  but if they just said ‘ It’ s dumb for you to date’  we wouldn’ t have the problem in the first place!
 My parents don’ t allow me to ‘ go out’  which is fine by me.  Even if they let me,  I wouldn’
t want to.  The whole ‘ dating’  system of junior high and high school is ridiculous.  But enough with that example.  Throughout the Teen Bible there are extra pages on things such as school,
 guilt,  parents,  dating,  death,  and others.  They feature a dictionary definition of the word and an alternate ‘
teen’  definition.  Then they give a little bite of Scripture for each one.  Here are some of the ‘ teen’  definitions:
 School — a place where teens have to learn stuff adults never use but say teens will need someday’  Prayer — talking to the ceiling and wondering if anybody’ s listening’  Church —
what you have to get dressed up for so you can be bored for an hour at a morning service’  Parents — adults whose actions often drive teenagers crazy’  Siblings — a monster,  younger or older than you are,
 who lives in your house but couldn’ t possibly be related to you or any other human being’  Yup,  that’ s what it means to be a teen.  But you would think the church of all institutions would try to fight against that mindset!
 They’ d least of all except it as normal!  I can think of Bible verses that automatically make all of those ‘ teen’  definitions wrong.  ‘
Honor your father and your mother’  comes to mind immediately.  ‘ Love thy neighbor as thyself’  doesn’ t quite compute with their definition of siblings.
 Look at the definition of church!  Those who put this Bible together don’ t seem to get the fact that they’ re demeaning the Bible and Christianity by doing this.  I’ d rather have all teens thinking of church as boring than having those who are devoted to it slighted by this demeaning of it.
 It’ s mortifying how low the dignity of the Bible has to sink to be considered ‘ cool’  Perhaps I’ m over- reacting,
 but if I am it’ s not just to this.  It’ s to the whole idea of what teenagers are supposed to be like!  I,  by my age,
 am bound to this idea of a teen.  People see me and they see a teenager.  No matter how different I may be,  until I am 20,  I am a teen,  and must bear all of the assumptions that come with it.
 I love my parents.  And the last thing their actions do are drive me crazy.  They’ ve made a lot of sacrifices for me and I know it.  I trust them and know that what they do is for my best.  Even if I get annoyed sometimes,
 I know that I’ ll be grateful later.  They’ re my best friends.  I talk to them a ton.  They listen.
 They know me better than anyone,  and I hate the idea that people think that I have the same definition of ‘ parents’  as the one above.  Just because I’ m 14!
 Also that definition of school,  too,  is annoying!  If it was really true that we learned stuff we didn’ t need in school,  than why would we be there?
 I love to learn.  I love to read,  especially.  Many of the closest friends I have are in books.  Why?  Because adults view me as a ‘
teen’  so they don’ t talk to me,  and most others my age talk about clothes,  guys,  dating,
 the mall,  etc.  in which I have absolutely no interest.  Of course there are a few exceptions.  I wouldn’ t have any friends at all,
 otherwise.  Can you tell I’ m rather passionate about this subject?  I’ ve written about it before.  (
See Teenagers in the 21st Century,  Parts 1,  2,  and 3— that’ s from several weeks ago)
 It’ s something I think about a great deal.  Maybe I’ ll make this post into an essay.
