John MacArthur warns culture 'systematically designed,' 'weaponized to destroy children'
Pastor John MacArthur has warned that culture is “systematically designed” and “weaponized to destroy children” and stressed that God will severely judge parents who fail to raise their offspring “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."
"What we're facing today is fierce — I will confess — [but] of all the things that disturb me in this culture, of all the horrific, sinful, wretched, wicked, corrupt influences that go on in this culture, I think the thing that distresses me most is the war on children,” MacArthur, the pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, said in a sermon delivered over the weekend.
"... This culture is weaponized to destroy children. It's systematically designed to do that."
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Abortion has resulted in 62.5 million babies "slaughtered in the womb" since Roe v. Wade, MacArthur said, adding that even if a child makes it to birth, they will be bombarded with anti-Christian teaching in the world.
"It is likely that the child will be sent to a public school and come under the influence of those whose agenda is anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-Scripture," he said. "As you know, our country [and] the politicians who lead it are making laws that are devastating to children under the pressure of sexual freedom, homosexuality, transgenderism. The desire is to make that normal and to punish people who speak against it with laws in the category of hate speech. The lies of systemic racism and the race hustlers dominate the ideologies of universities and even churches.”
The entertainment industry, social media, and big tech “literally pump out things that destroy children,” the pastor said, adding: “Children are under a relentless assault by all the forces of evil, and they are defenseless. And we have a society and a culture that wants to make sure that those who are pumping out this destruction are free to keep doing it without restraint.
"Children are defenseless," he emphasized. "When their parents sell them to a human trafficker, who drops them 8 to 10 feet over a wall into Sodom and Gomorrah all by themselves. Or when the Disney Corporation creates characters that are transgender to seduce children into accepting wickedness as normal. Or when parents insanely offer their children gender identity options. Children are under assault now."
It’s the God-given responsibility of parents to raise children to fear and love the Lord, MacArthur stressed, pointing out that "God judges when one generation fails its responsibility to pass on righteousness to the next.”
"We're going to have to answer to [God] too, for the little ones He gives us," MacArthur said. "When they arrive, they are [H]is. And our life commitment is to make sure that as they grow and we influence them, they come to faith in Christ, right? That's raising your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."
A recent study from Barna found that 31% of teens and young adults “strongly agree” that what is “morally right and wrong changes over time, based on society,” compared to just 25% in 2018. A previous study from Barna characterized Gen Z as the “first truly ‘post Christian’ generation,” with only 4% adhering to a biblical worldview.
Singer Kira Fontana, who worked as a successful vocal coach to major labels and shows such as "Glee" and "The Voice" before leaving the industry to focus on Christian music, recently warned that the content coming out of the secular entertainment industry is “darker than most people could ever imagine” and is “poisoning” children like never before.
“If you look at the content of the lyrics of the songs that are played on the radio, it’s unbelievably immoral and dark and anti-Jesus. When I started to see the sheer percentage of songs and videos that were leaning heavily in that direction, I came to recognize that it could not be an accident. People in very powerful positions are backing it; there are gatekeepers who are wanting this content that we hear now to be prevalent in our society.”
“It’s akin to poisoning our community, and our kids are drinking from a very, very, very destructive cup,” she said. “I saw the effect on kids as I worked in the city, and that effect is spreading. LA is the communication center for this planet; when you go to other countries, you still see content made in Los Angeles. It became a really heavy responsibility.”
“People can try to minimize what comes out of Hollywood and say, ‘Oh, it’s just entertainment,’ but it has a tremendous effect on the psyches and souls of our young people,” she said. “The Church needs to stand up against this darkness because it’s truly having a devastating effect on the next generation.”
Recently, pastor and author Michael Youssef highlighted the Church’s responsibility in light of this reality, warning that if the Body of Christ fails to adhere to biblical truth, the consequences will be devastating for future generations.
“The home is number one, the church is number two and school is number three,” he said. “Even if the school is working against the kids, if they have the strength in the home and in the church, they will make it. But when the church avoids talking about issues or goes along with culture, then kids are confused."
Satan is “working overtime” to deceive children," Youssef said, adding: “If these words are terrifying, I'm glad they are because it's time for us to build the fences around our children and their hearts and seal them with the Holy Spirit.”
“Children must know that there is a Satan, and he hates God, he hates God’s children, and he’s conspiring against them every minute of every day. Therefore, they have to galvanize themselves with the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, in order to fight.”
