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A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations of an Ungodly Culture
The Rebelution, 1Timothy 4:12 By Ruby Hwang
ChristianityDaily Reporter
Alex and Brett Harris 19year old twin founded TheRebelution.com in August 2005 with a challenge for their generation. With over 16 million hits to their website they are leading the charge in a growing movement of Christian young people who are rebelling against the low expectations of their culture by choosing to ¡°do hard things¡± for the glory of God. Their first book, Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations, was released on April 15, 2008 by Multnomah Books. The blog was designed to go beyond the normal journaling and chatter of typical teen blogs. And The Rebelution really became a type of counter-cultural youth movement among Christian young people from around the country, and even around the world, who are not only rejecting the lies and the corruption of media-saturated youth culture, but they¡¯re returning to biblical and historical levels of character and competence.
The official definition of the ¡®rebelution¡¯ is ¡°a teenage rebellion against the low expectations of an ungodly culture.¡± The word ¡®rebelution¡¯ is a combination of the words ¡°rebellion¡± and ¡°revolution.¡± It carries a sense of an uprising against social norms. As we look around today, in terms of godly character and practical competence, our culture does not expect much of the young people. The media-saturated youth culture is constantly reinforcing lower and lower standards and expectations. This is a rebellion against the low expectations of the society. It¡¯s a refusal to be defined by the ungodly, rebellious culture.
In 1 Timothy 4:12, the Apostle Paul tells Timothy, "Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity." In other words, as young people they are called to be exemplary in all areas of life. The youth generation is falling incredibly short of that calling. Instead of serving as the launching pad of life, the teen years are seen as a vacation from responsibility.
The Rebelution is made up of three fundamental parts. Character, competence and collaboration. It¡¯s not enough to be individual exceptions. It¡¯s not enough to try to ignore the culture. The youths must create a counter-culture, by networking, exhorting and encouraging one another in the fight which is what The Rebelution has become.
The Rebelution Website is a community of Christian young people from around the world who are mutually committed to do hard things in their teen years for the glory of God. The Blog, The Conference, The Forums, and Resources section is to provide opportunities for networking, exhorting and encouraging one another in the fight.
The Blog is where everything starts. In this section find hundreds of original articles, cultural commentary, and teens-in-the-news coverage from Alex and Brett, with new posts several times a week. The Rebelution movement was born on the blog, where it continues to grow and mature. Not only that the blog also serves as News & Announcements Central for the entire website.
The Conference section is devoted to the upcoming Rebelution Tour. It includes the tour schedule, conference message and session topics, speaker bios, and FAQ¡¯s. As the Rebelution Tour draws closer the Conference Section will add more features, like movies, video, and audio, as well as downloadable publicity materials and secure online registration.
The Forum is designed as a place for young people who share the vision of the Rebelution to network and interact. It is not a typical message board with celebrity gossip, heated (and unproductive) arguments, and spam all mixed together. Instead is a meeting place for Christian teens to engage in intelligent and meaningful conversation. It¡¯s an area for future leaders to find their voice.
The Resource section is an compilation of great articles from the best authors of our day, including Randy Alcorn, Mark Dever, Jerry Bridges, Joshua Harris, John MacArthur, C.J. and Carolyn Mahaney, Albert Mohler, and John Piper, as well as timeless truth from men like Richard Baxter, Arthur Pink, J.C. Ryle, and Charles Spurgeon.
Originally just a blog, the Rebelution movement has since grown to include a website and international speaking tour. Go and explore the site, join the discussion in the Forums. Continue to fight in the daily battle against the low expectations of this world and to return God¡¯s standard for the teen years. For The Rebelution website click here.
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