At a Christian high school graduation ceremony last week in Louisiana, The valedictorian (a gifted young man headed to an Ivy League college) spoke eloquently for about ten minutes on the subject of a life call and the need for personal discipline and passion.

His definition of success?

“Success isn’t having a second summer home or a third car in the garage; success is having some extra spending money at the end of the week, so you and your family can enjoy the really important things in life.”

That’s success:
Disposable income.

My friend and his wife who were there reported, “We hoped for another face in the crowd that registered the kind of surprise we felt. Nope. Nodding heads, smiles, lots of assent. Very sad.”

Christian Smith wrote about this phenomenon in Soul Searching. He labels the belief system of so many of today's youth "a moral, therapeutic Deism." His research indicates, without surprise, that they're actually getting it from adults. Rules, good feelings, and a sense that God rewards us with happiness, pleasures, and toys. Tell that to Samuel Thomas and his orphans in India.