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Rejection & Youth Culture
Rejection is one of the most hurtful experiences of human life - and one which is producing a troubled youth culture in parts of Britain today. Yet rejection can be overcome, if we're willing to face it and address it's causes.
That was the theme of a message delivered by speaker and author Mal Fletcher to the Hillsong Church London, in the downtown Dominion Theatre this week.
(To download/hear the message, click here).
'This week we mark the tragic death of Martin Luther King Jnr.,' said Mal. 'Most people remember him for his speeches, or his leadership of a great social movement.'
'At his core, though, he was by his own admission a man of God, a minister of the Christian gospel and a man for whom faith was everything.'
'He understood more than most the power of rejection, and what it does not only in the lives of indidivuals, but in communities and societies. And more than most, he knew that only the promise of a better tomorrow can eradicate the pain of rejection in the present.'
TIME magazine recently published an article outlining the major problems facing British youth culture today - especially in her larger cities. Britain has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in Europe, and the highest rate of teen alcoholism.
'So many of our problems with youth culture stem from a fundamental problem with rejection; with alienation from parents and the wider community,' added Mal, who is director of Next Wave International
He made reference to the different responses people make to personal rejection. In the end, he said, the most powerful forms of rejection can only be overcome by faith in divine promises.
'If you listen to the speeches of Martin Luther King,' he said, 'You will hear reference after reference to Old Testament prophecies; each one calling for change based upon a revelation of God's prefered future for his people and his world.'
'King's authority when facing the rejection of his people was not based merely on his personal charisma or leadership skills. It was grounded in his belief that divine promises about our future have real power in the here and now - if only we will believe them and act upon them.'
Read the editorial on this site 'Martin Luther King Jnr - The Power of Promise Over Rejection'.
Download/hear the message on rejection. Click here.
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Keywords: Martin Luther King Jn | Luther | King | TIME | TIME magazine | youth culture | British youth culture | teen pregnancy | teen alcoholism | promise | rejection | alienation | society | youth alienation | Mal Fletcher | Next Wave International | next wave
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