And The Truth Parents and Pastors Must Know
Today we’ll address the first of the six lies of adolescence. Remember, by the name “adolescence” we are not simply referring to the biological changes that take place in a person over a small period of time (i.e., puberty). In our culture the word is more than a convenient catalog of the days, months, and years of being a teen. Adolescence refers to a mindset, and now an entire sub-culture, that has been established by certain lies that need to be laid bare.
1. Teenagers are incompetent.
The first lie of adolescence says teens are not quite competent, in some ways not really complete humans. Thomas Hine said, “The concept of the teenager rests…on the idea of the adolescent as a not quite competent person, beset by stress and hormones” (The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager, p.4). Someone who is “incompetent” is a person who fails to have or show the necessary skills to do something. This lie presumes that teenagers don’t yet have the necessary skills for life. The church version of the lie maintains teens do not have the wisdom or ability for spiritual life.
To be sure, growth and maturity is a process. There is no reason to expect teens will have the wisdom and competence that they will when they are 30, 50, or 70. But the lie of adolescence implies that because teens are not as mature as they will be someday, it is okay for them to remain childish. Many parents defend their child’s incompetence like it is a right while others even insist that it is unreasonable to expect them to grow up!
This low expectation has far reaching consequences. Because we believe the lie that teenagers are incompetent we don’t expect them to be responsible, so we don’t give them responsibility, and the downward spiral is perpetuated. We’re not surprised when they fail. We anticipate their excuses. And now even medical doctors are dispensing excuses for their incompetence.
For example, one diagnosis of teenage incompetence comes in the form of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). ADHD is a behavioral disorder found mostly in boys that renders them incapable of paying attention for any significant length of time. Those with ADHD are easily distracted and physically incapable of sitting still. Currently, ADHD is understood to be “a persistent and chronic syndrome for which no medical cure is available.”
There have been some very excellent advances in medicine and technology in our day. Of course, some of those advances have enabled us to become really good at packaging our bologna. ADHD may just be old bologna in new packaging. When I was growing up, failing to pay attention was called rude, and 1 Corinthians 13:5 exposes rudeness as a lack of love. Getting low grades in school didn’t mean that you had a disorder, it typically meant that you were sluggard. Proverbs 6:6-11 clearly designates laziness as a moral problem, not a medical disorder.
I am not denying that there are legitimate disabilities that make it difficult for some people to learn and that may even make it hard for some people to sit still. In fact, I don’t love sitting still for long periods of time. Maybe I have adult ADHD (which of course is now a sanctioned diagnosis from medical professionals). But isn’t it obvious what happened? The kids diagnosed with ADHD grew up and, low and behold, it didn’t go away. But the reason their inability to pay attention didn’t go away is because it’s not an adolescent problem, it’s a heart problem.
For the majority of young people, hyperactive behavior, unwillingness to pay attention, habitual forgetfulness, etc., is just plain selfish. Selfishness says that my plans and what I want to do with my time are more important than what you want me to do. Not paying attention to someone else has more to do with focusing on yourself (cf. Philippians 2:3-5). That is selfishness and pride, not a disorder. Selfishness is a sin.
The lie of certain adolescent incompetence paints a pathetic picture of teens. But to believe that every teen is incompetent ignores thousands of years of capable and accomplished young adults. Consider David the shepherd boy as he defeated the giant, Daniel the exile who stood up to the Babylonian king, Mary the young mother of the Messiah, and even Jesus Himself as a young man in the temple confounding the wisdom of the Scribes. The Bible specifically exhorts young people, “Don’t let anyone despise your youth, but be an example of the believer” (1 Timothy 4:12). Scripture assumes teens are capable of spiritual competence with the Spirit’s help.
Of course, saying that teens are incompetent not only casts an ugly shadow on teens but it also calls God’s competence into question. Is adolescent incompetence so powerful God cannot overcome it? Or does He just not care about teenagers to begin with? We must press to this final point of trusting God at His Word and looking for His grace in our young people. Buying into the cultural lie that adolescents cannot be spiritually empowered to live wisely merely reveals a deeper problem, namely a belief that God cannot or will not use our teens for His own glory.
14 Comments
As a teenager, I see a lot of what you mentioned regarding the ADHD (not that I myself am afflicted by it). I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard peers explain away their laziness by claiming to have ADHD or ADD. They have learned to accept laziness as a fact of life, as an unrepairable aspect of living which they can’t control. And thus they are essentially satisfied to be stupid, too lazy to make an honest effort at climbing out of their self-inflicted intellectual ditch.
Even in a “protected” enviroment like our school, there is still so much of the wrong that is excuse because of teenage ignorance. Thanks for the reminder, it remended me of what I don’t want to become.
I completely agree that many behavior problems seem to have simply been relabeled as chemical disorders and discipline (which you’re increasingly not allowed to enforce in educational settings) replaced with medication. I received a few surveys for diagnosing adult ADD in college. After reading through the questions, I found that I apparently had an advanced case of ADD in my “Greek and Roman Comparative Sociology” class (subtexted “A Vain Quest to find Meaning in Postmodern Insanity”… by me) but no symptoms whatsoever in my Artificial Intelligence class - the symptoms were that vague and common to students who were simply bored. But seriously, not only does this sort of treatment cause serious havoc with a child’s physical, emotional, and spiritual development - leading to a very heart-stunted adult… Not only does it give both parents and children very bad instruction on how to raise a family… It also causes serious problems for those people who do have an imbalance in their brain which (if untreated) causes uncontrollable fits of hysteria.
There are real cases of ADHD. Like most brain disorders it is rare, somewhat crippling if untreated, and doesn’t mysteriously go away when you finally realize that your actions have consequences that you have to live with. Unfortunately, because of the over-diagnosis that you’ve laid out so well, there is something of a backlash against cases of ADD developing in some areas - a general stigma that they might be “faking it” or that they need to just “grow up” - true in most cases, but damaging in those instances where they need proper treatment. It also serves to divert research from rarer cases which actually need attention to the more common cases that you’ve covered. Anyway, I’m not entirely sure where this post has gone to… must be my internets ADD. I loved the article and I’m looking forward to the continuation.
Helpful anecdotes and and an important reminder on the possibility of actual, physical conditions. Your thoughts, along with some other percolations, have prompted an intended addendum to this post, perhaps early next week.
Now that I’ve had time to know where my post should have gone, I’d like to point out that the possible existence of an actual, physical condition makes very little difference, both to the real problem and to the real solution. Let’s take a few possible scenarios:
1) The person is a selfish sluggard. They are bored at school and act out in a sinful manner that is diagnosed as ADD. The Problem: They are living a life that shows a very visible trend of willful sinful behavior. The Solution: You can treat the symptoms with drugs or with discipline but the end results are remarkably similar - both creating a child who is obedient on the surface but containing the same heart inside that they had all along. The only solution is the Gospel.
2) The person is undergoing emotional distress. They are experiencing some physical, emotional, or spiritual trauma either internally or from external forces that is afflicting them and causing them to act sinfully. This uncontrollable behavior is diagnosed as ADD. The Problem: There is something that is affecting them so powerfully that they find it hard to control and they act sinfully in response. The Solution: In and of themselves, this person is obviously incapable of dealing with their problems through their own strength. The only solution that can do anything but help relieve some of their symptoms (and in some cases, even this is impossible) is the Gospel. The strength that God gives to people in these sorts of situations is immeasurable and is the only effective solution. (I would highly suggest listening to “Panic Attacked” by John Street from Shepherds Conference 2006 - the stories and lessons that he gives on this subject are remarkable and powerful.)
3) There is a physical abnormality in a person’s brain. It causes a chemical imbalance which manifests itself in the person’s life in uncontrollable fits of emotion and activity, inability to form lasting relationships, and sinful behavior such as lashing out in anger, disobedience to authority, and self-focus. The medical condition is diagnosed as ADD. The Problem: They have a physical problem that makes them make more susceptible to temptation to sin in situations that would not affect another person as heavily. The Solution: Please keep in mind that outside of Christ no person has the ability to not sin. Even with a Christ-altered heart, this person may have a harder time resisting certain temptations. In this case, medical treatment to help treat the condition and help them conduct a normal life is a very good thing. However, as with all the other situations I’ve listed, salvation through Christ is effective in combating sinful behavior, no matter what the provocation and, in fact, it is the only effective solution since it works on the heart rather than just working on the malfunctioning mechanism that is simply acting to increase situations of temptation.
Again, it doesn’t matter what the cause or provocation in a person’s life is, the problem is sin. And thus, the only effective solution is the Gospel.
Trinian, you’re the man. Sounds like you should be involved in youth ministry or something. Hint, hint, nudge, nudge, wink, wink, no what I mean, no what I mean. The more and more I study history I find Scripture to be more and more true (it is true whether or not I agree with, or know it because it is God’s Word, which is perfect and infallible). Every attempt by man to make another way other than Christ leads to misery and death just as Rom. 3:13, 16. 120 million deaths due violence from wars in the 20th century alone, more than any other time in History. We are desperately wicked and overcome with incurable death. Christ is the only WAY, the only TRUTH, and the only LIFE. Praise God for His sovereignty and giving His elect salvation through the Gospel, Jesus.
Oh Sean, your the man too!
Oh dear, I think that was supposed to be “You’re the man”. Why are contractions so hard for people to understand? Unless of course Sean owns something called “the man”, in which case I sheepishly recant my correction.
And the bad thing is my wife is a college English teacher and I am college senior. Boy I feel dumb.
Hey Andy you also put “no what I mean.” It should be “KNOW what I mean.”
Poor Andy, the consuming Babylonians hordes of grammar have descended upon your battered Assyrian paragraphs. The end comes soon; but it will not swiftly come, because that would be splitting an infinitive.
So Trinian, you think you have this grammar thing down, huh? First of all, it should be “Babylonian hordes” not “Babylonians hordes,” unless, of course, they are the hordes the Babylonians own, then it would be “Babylonians’”. Secondly, there is some discussion as to whether “not swiftly come” is a split infinitive or not.
Isn’t grammar fun!?
In defense of my husband, might I point out that your grammar-obsessed tendencies are rooted in random rules from random people? After all, who decided we couldn’t have double-negatives…? Chaucer certainly enjoyed them, and Charles Dickens was a fan of the page-long sentence. Seriously, people. Right…now I’m going to actually read SKH’s blog.
Feel better now? ;)