Freedom To Hear And Believe
We close every semester giving 5-7 minute persuasive speeches. This is the “scariest” speech students give for a number of reasons. Many fear offending classmates who might disagree with them. Just telling students their speeches have to be controversial evokes shivers. I remind them their speeches should not be offensive, only persuasive.
What are they thinking about this semester? Here’s a short list: combatting pollution; animal testing or not; how parenting styles affect teenagers’ mental health; legalizing medical marijuana; and managing mental and physical health while in college.
Since the beginning of 2020 college students’ levels of stress, anxiety and depression have escalated dramatically. One 2022 survey of college students found that 77% “experienced moderate to serious psychological distress.” No doubt, rigorous academic exercises have always produced psychological distress. But the added stressors of social media as well as the growing number of treatment options have complicated how college students seek help for anxiety and depression.
I’ve talked with a number of colleagues and friends who have noted the rapid rise of anxiety and depression among teenagers. We’ve wondered what impact COVID along with the mandates and lockdowns may have had on teens.
Last year I asked a doctor whether he had noticed a significant change. He said among his patients “almost every college student feels like they have either anxiety, or depression, or ADD.” He added, “It may be that many are convinced they’re going to die of COVID and it’s just a matter of when.”
Then he surprised me with another line of observations saying, “But I think the bigger issue is spiritual oppression.” Well, that got my attention! He explained, “If peace is a fruit of the Spirit, then loss of peace happens when the Spirit is quenched.” Ok, that makes sense to me. I remember my early years of college when I quenched the Spirit regularly!
Then the good doctor brought his thoughts and observations home, saying, “I believe academia in general is now firmly in the grasp of the evil one, as is the world in general, but never before to this extent in our country. I believe most students are truly ‘lost.’ They’re confused about where they came from, what they’re doing now, and where they’re headed.”
I remember talking with a retired administrator last year about the current crop of students. He actually said the same thing, that we’re seeing a significant rise in spiritual warfare. I agree with both men and have become even more convinced the driving force of our social and cultural degradation is demonic. Some would scoff at that and say that we just want to go back to the 1950s. Frankly, going back 20 years would be more than enough time to prove how our moral values have changed radically.
The values in the moral mainstream today were tangential at best 20 years ago among the majority of Americans. Are we witnessing the extreme moral degradation and godlessness the Bible speaks of characterizing the “end times?”
Religion in general and Christianity in particular have lost the respect of most Americans in the last 20 to 30 years. Spiritual speech about God, Jesus, and the Bible has been cancelled by many gatekeepers because such opinions may offend others. Perhaps transparency and diversity will open doors for freedom to hear and believe.
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Daniel L. Gardner is a syndicated columnist who lives in Starkville, MS. You may contact him at PjandMe2@gmail.com.