Why?

One of the most powerful words in the English language is the little three-letter word "why?."  Many of the most significant discoveries in the scientific community have begun with that word "why?"  Many of the most significant ethical decisions have been the result of asking "why?"  If you remember when you were a little child one of the first words you learned was "why?"  In fact, you probably drove your parents "nuts" with that one word used over and over again.  "Why, Daddy?" and "Why, Mommy?" drove your desire to learn.  And then you went to school and the asking of "why?" increased.  And today, as an adult, there is still that insatiable desire to answer the question "why?" 


I have wondered why our society is deficient in its literary skills; why our children do not seem to know those excellent pieces of literature that have guided our civilization.  This past week I read an article titled, "9th Grade Reading Lists: 1922 vs. Today."  It was written by Annie Holmquist and can be found at the following website: www.intellectualtakeout.org/blog/9th-grade-reading-lists-1922-vs-today.  As I read this article I began to get a clearer understanding of "why?" The article begins: "Have you ever thought that high school graduates today...  well, just don't seem to know or understand as much as they once did?"  I think we have all asked that question once or twice, haven't we? 


The article continues, "According to a new research report from the Urban Institute, such a thought is not simply a result of generational pride.  Data from The Nation's Report Card (NAEP) confirms the assumption that recent generations of high school students are not doing as well as they once were."  Let's just stop right there.  Perhaps you have read or heard reports in your local papers or on your local newscasts of how deficient the students who attend your local schools are in English skills, math, science, and history.  The basics. 


But, let's continue: "Take reading scores.  As the chart below demonstrates, 4th and 8th grade reading scores have experienced an increase in the years since 1992.  High school seniors, however, have experienced a steady decline in reading scores over the same time period.  Is it possible that these falling scores are the result of diminished rigor in the high school curriculum?  Having recently dug up a curriculum manual for Texas high schools from 1922, I decided to explore this question by comparing its 9th grade reading recommendations with those the San Antonio Independent School District recommended for the 2015-16 school year.  Both syllabi included recommendations for poetry, fiction, short stories, drama, and non-fiction. Both syllabi implied that the books on the lists were simply suggestions, which might not necessarily be used in their entirety.  To give an idea of the difference between the two, I plugged the fiction titles from both lists into a text analyzer which measures reading difficulty.  The results?  Reading materials in today's freshman literature classes measures around a 5th grade level.  In 1922, however, freshmen literature fare often measured at an 11th or 12th grade level.


"When we see how the difficulty of reading material has declined in the last one hundred years, is it any wonder that high school reading scores have been trending downward over time?  If American students are ever going to compete on an international level, or even become the well-informed individuals who will lead the next generation, are we going to have to step up our game and get them reading beyond what a grade school child can handle?"


Okay, so you are asking, "What is on each list?"  In 1922, the following books (reading level) were included: Captains Courageous by Kipling (8.0), Silas Marner by Eliot (9.7), The House of the Seven Gables by Hawthorne (11.0), The Deerslayer by Cooper (11.2), The Last of the Mohicans by Cooper (12.0), and Ivanhoe by Scott (12.9).


In contrast, these are the books on the 2015-2016 list: The House on Mango Street by Cisneros (4.5), Artemis Fowl by Colfer (5.0), The Chocolate War by Cormier (5.4), Freak the Mighty by Philbrick (5.5), To Kill a Mockingbird by Lee (5.6), Beloved by Morrison (6.0), and Harry Potter Series by Rowling (6.7).


A person learns to write because he/she is exposed to great writing.  A person learns to do critical thinking skills because he/she is exposed to books that cause those skills to be created and developed.  If our young people are not reading the right books, is it any wonder that they do not know how to form a sentence, let a lone a paragraph? 


But there is another "why?" that is important.  Michael Lipka wrote a very fascinating article titled "Why America's 'nones' left religion behind."  You can find this at: www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/08/24/why-Americas-nones-left-religion-behind.  I high recommend this article for pastors, youth leaders, Sunday school teachers, parents, in fact, anyone who seeks to better understand what goes on in the minds of young adults today.  The article begins: "Perhaps the most striking trend in American religion in recent years has been the growing percentage of adults who do not identify with a religious group.  And the vast majority of these religious 'nones' (78%) say they were raised as a member of a particular religion before shedding their religious identity in adulthood."


The article then proceeds to give a list of some of the reasons why these young adults, many of whom grew up in the church, have walked away from the church.  "One-in-five express an opposition to organized religion in general.  This share includes some who do not like the hierarchical nature of religious groups, several people who think religion is too much like a business and others who mention clergy sexual abuse scandals as reasons for their stance. ... One-in-ten religious 'nones' who say they were raised with a religious affiliation are now classified as 'inactive' religiously.  These people may hold certain religious beliefs, but they are not currently taking part in religious practices.  And most of them simply say they don't go to church or engage in other religious rituals, while others say they are too busy for religion."


Why do young people walk away from the church today?  I believe it is because they have never gotten excited over having a relationship with Jesus Christ.  They have not seen an excitement over serving Jesus within their homes.  The Bible is just another book for them.  It is about as relevant as reading today's newspapers - which they don't read anyway.  We have made being a Christ-follower so easy that many have simply walked away.  For many there is simply no challenge to following Jesus. 


It is time churches wake up and realize that the most important ministry within our churches is that of working first with parents - they need to be trained in what serving and loving Jesus really means within a home-setting.  Second, we need to work with children and teens.  We need to commit financial resources and the best people we have to work here.  The future of the Church is dependent upon it.