Focus on the Family, A Colorado-based family values organization will be holding a nationwide event focused on high school students discussing matters of Christian faith and morality.
Known as the Day of Dialogue, the event will take place next Thursday with the hopes of having Christian teenagers engage in conversation with non-like-minded friends on these issues.
“It seems like more than ever before, students in public schools are encountering often confusing discussions about topics like homosexuality, same-sex marriage and gender identity,” says Candi Cushman, education analyst for the organization.
“All too often, these subjects are presented in a one-sided way that is extremely disrespectful of parental rights and students’ religious freedoms.”
Cushman also says the event is meant to “create a safe space for students to express a faith–based point of view in a loving and respectful manner, and to proclaim their desire to take the first stand against any form of bullying as Christians.”
The first annual Day of Dialogue was held in 2011.
“Last year, an estimated 8,000 students participated in almost every state in the nation. We expect to at least double that number this year based on sign-ups already coming in from students and youth groups or clubs” Cushman adds.
Focus on the Family’s Day of Dialogue event comes at a time when surveys have shown an increasing disinterest in Christianity among American youth.
A March 2014 report by Pew Research, for example, found that 29 percent of Millennials (those 30 and younger) considered themselves “religiously unaffiliated.”
“Pew Research Center surveys show that half of Millennials now describe themselves as political independents and about three-in-10 (29 percent) say they are not affiliated with any religion. These are at or near the highest levels of political and religious disaffiliation recorded for any generation in the quarter–century,” wrote Pew.
“At the same time, however, Millennials stand out for voting heavily Democratic and for liberal views on many political and social issues, ranging from a belief in an activist government to support for same-sex marriage and marijuana legalization.”
“Day of Dialogue sends youth the message they are not alone and equips the next generation of Christian leaders with confidence that the Gospel of Christ speaks into even the most sensitive cultural issues,” sad Cushman.
