The Commentary

The National Union of Teachers conference in April heard of schools hiring bouncers for classrooms. The magazine of the NASUWT, previously reported on the problems which teenaged gangs bring to many schools.

The main conclusion was that, because gang problems often have their origins in the communities in which the schools are located, schools cannot be expected to spearhead combating gang culture, but can only work in conjunction with other agencies. Related to poverty and poor parenting, the evidence is of gangs being formed around divisions of race or background within communities and that, therefore, teachers should address equality, diversity and community cohesion within the classroom. But this alone can’t solve the problem.

All this is very right and laudable. But surely there were two problems which were being overlooked.

Culture and cyberspace

The first is cultural. Those who address anti-social behaviour in young people frequently think in terms of ‘community’. But increasingly the idea of a geographical community has an old-fashioned ring to it; a kind of relic of Old Labour thinking. For decades now the spirit of the age has been moving away from community towards the individualistic. Many ordinary people no longer feel they belong to a community. Schools and other amenities are simply service providers for ‘me’ and ‘mine’. If there is an ‘us’ to which they feel they belong, it is likely to be no bigger than their immediate family or close friends, who may or may not live in the locality. Secular postmodern thought has drummed into us that there is no overarching truth or meaningful shared story for all people. Hence there is no basis for community. In a way, Pomo encourages the ‘gang’ outlook.

That brings me to the second problem. What is the greatest influence on teenagers these days? It must be the electronic media; what they receive through TV, texting, websites, video games, Facebook, Youtube, etc. If youngsters feel part of a community at all, it is just as likely to be a virtual community set in cyberspace as anything else. And how are teachers, or anyone else, meant to compete or consult with that? The problem is that cyberspace is a wild, uncontrolled world. Edgar Allen Poe wrote: ‘The nose of the mob [read gang] is its imagination. By this at any time, it can be easily led’. Well, it is the lawless electronic media which dominates the imagination now. Those like Tim Kretschmer, addicted to violent video games, who shot dead 16 at his school in Winnenden, Germany, back in March, often like to leave an electronic message somewhere.

Building God’s community

But, while postmodern society fragments, thankfully God is building his church. And the troubles of our times are providing many opportunities. Recently Tearfund published interesting figures on church attendance. Their research bucks the accepted trend. It demonstrates that there has been a significant increase in the number of people who attend church at least once a month after years of decline. Similarly, the proportion of UK adults attending church at least once a year has increased from 21% in 2007 to 26% in 2008. This means that, through festivals like Christmas and Easter, the church still has the opportunity to share the gospel with a quarter of the population. The credit crunch, too, has had a positive effect. The Times has reported that, concurrent with the recession, sales of the Bible are booming. The online bookseller Amazon recorded a 25% increase in Bible sales in the year to February. So, Christian, there is still all to play for spiritually in our land. Take up the challenge!

John Benton

© Evangelicals Now - May 2009
Please consider supporting this ministry by subscribing.