I have not strayed from the faith, but I have strayed from the church in my young adulthood. I think that such temporary parting of the ways is understandable and can be expected in the development into full adulthood. The reason--the young adult wishes to know the extent to which his beliefs are merely based upon traditional habit rather from conviction and belief. Take for example several doctrines of the church: the virgin birth and life everlasting. Both of these are in the Apostles' Creed recited frequently in church. A young adult may decide that he needs to pray about these things for a while in order to retain integrity. Therefore it is quite understandable that there is a time of separation in which things are sorted out and more fully explored. So as it developed in my mid-college years, there was a spell in which I did not attend church. I know this sounds absolutely crazy but in a sense I felt that the Lord was leading me to do this. It was essential that I understand that my beliefs were not left-overs from prior generations but were living traditions of faith in my own life. Consequently, I think Christian parents need not be overly concerned if their young adults have a period of independence from the church. This can be preliminary to a refreshed and profoundly adamant faith.
Print Page
