Statistics Of Teen Depression?
Q: Teen Christians campaign against pop culture.
A:"We don't have to be branded by the culture, we are branded by God," he
said. "Be who God created you to be."
But the glossy, glamorous appeal of popular culture too often obscures
that path to God, Teen Mania followers say.
And so, Ron Luce, the 46-year-old founder of the organization, has waged
a modern-day crusade against "purveyors of popular culture," whom he has
condemned as "the enemy." More than two decades old, Teen Mania
estimates it has reached more than 2 million teens with its message "of
living completely for Christ."
The organization is sprawling. In addition to its live stadium rallies,
there are BattleCry shirts and hats, mobile screen savers, books and a
television program. There are international mission trips -- Hutchins
attended one in Tijuana, Mexico, this summer. There is even a Teen Mania
internship, a one-year program called the Honor Academy, based in
Lindale, Texas.
In the live events, Luce couples the earnest appeal of a young father
with a preacher's ability to mobilize a crowd. He weaves disturbing
statistics about teenagers amid his gospel.
"These people think that our war is against other people. They think
that our war is against man. And our war isn't. Our war's against ...
the pain in teenagers' hearts, like depression, alcoholism. Those things
that -- that are, like, tearing our teenagers apart,"