Truth.

Over the years, I have heard a few adults express concern over playing up Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny and other such pretend holiday characters. What if, when my children find out the truth, they apply this thinking to the unbelievable stories I’ve shared with them from the Bible? This unease isn’t necessarily unwarranted, but I think Christians have focused on the wrong fear.

I can’t say that—in my whopping 26 years of age—that I have ever heard a peer say, “My faith was strong. God was at the center of my life. Noah’s Ark was my favorite story. And then I found out that my parents were the ones filling my Easter basket with Butterfinger eggs and new Spiderman underwear. It was all over after that point.”

It just doesn’t go down like that.

Here’s my question: Why are we more worried about the ability of children to distinguish between holiday fun and truth than we are with their ability to find truth in the menagerie of nonsense in which we surround them?

I read the other day that Facebook is becoming less and less popular with young people. Blame it on new phone apps. Blame it on their ever-changing social media needs. Blame it on whatever you want. But here’s my personal theory:

They are tired of the social noise made by grown-ups.

It’s really hard to form your own thoughts and opinions as a college freshman when your former nursery school teacher is ranting about a healthcare system implanting microchips into every citizen.

It’s easy to question the mindset of church leaders when they have Facebook-certified "proof" that the President is the antichrist.

Instead of being relieved that the gospel is being depicted on public television, we talk to our friends and neighbors about actor Satan's striking resemblance to Obama.

It’s impossible not to wonder why fear and conspiracy have usurped poster child status  for Christianity.

I assert that young people feel as if these people who raised them and educated them are suddenly sharing information without a second thought and seem to have no concern for how that affects their development and spiritual direction.

Damaging forum comments, status updates, and a total disregard for common sense wreak more havoc on a confused young person than the Santa Claus lie ever will.

Be a Republican, be a Democrat, like guns, hate guns—but don’t think for one second that you’re not sending some type of message.

I'm not saying that I haven't been guilty of passionate rhetoric from time to time-- but more than offend, I want to challenge the church.

Make sure that the messages portrayed are edifying, worth sharing and that your followers are being led to the real Jesus, not the poorly illustrated one faded behind an opinionated message.