One Generation Tolerates, The Next Celebrates

There’s a sobering truth that echoes through Scripture and history alike:
What one generation tolerates, the next generation will normalize—and eventually celebrate.

The drift never feels dramatic in the moment. It’s subtle. Quiet. Cultural. A compromise here, a silence there. And before we know it, the things that once grieved the people of God become part of their rhythm of life. What was once a warning becomes a way of life.

Tolerance Is the First Step Toward Acceptance
In Judges 2:10–11 (LSB), we read a heartbreaking pattern:

“Then all that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know Yahweh, nor even the work which He had done for Israel. Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh and served the Baals.”

A single generation removed from the miracles of the Exodus, the giving of the Law, and the conquest of Canaan—and yet they "did not know Yahweh." Why? Because somewhere along the line, God's people grew silent. They stopped reminding their children of who God was. They tolerated the idols of their neighbors. They allowed compromise in the name of “peace,” “progress,” or “open-mindedness.”

Sound familiar?

Today, the same pattern repeats itself—not with golden calves or Baals, but with redefined morality, rebranded sin, and a reimagined gospel that prioritizes feelings over faithfulness.

• What Was Hidden Is Now Worn Like a Badge
• What one generation wrestled with in the dark, the next generation wears in the light.
• What was once shameful is now celebrated.
• What once brought conviction now invites applause.

It begins when Christians choose silence over boldness. When parents avoid uncomfortable conversations with their children. When pastors fear offending the culture more than they fear compromising the Word of God. The moment sin becomes a subject we refuse to touch, it becomes a reality we can’t avoid.

The next generation doesn’t just inherit our beliefs; they inherit our boundaries. And if we lower the standard to avoid conflict, they’ll remove the standard entirely to avoid conviction.

The Cost of Compromise
No one wakes up and says, “Let’s lose the next generation.”
But when we trade truth for comfort, that’s exactly what happens.

• When we tolerate sexual immorality, our children will celebrate it.
• When we laugh at what God hates, our children will love it.
• When we minimize sin, our children will be mastered by it.

And eventually, the church becomes indistinguishable from the world, not because the Word changed, but because we stopped standing on it.

What Can We Do?

• Speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). We must boldly declare God’s standard, not with arrogance, but with compassion. Silence isn’t love—truth is.

• Raise the next generation on the full counsel of God (Acts 20:27). Don’t just give your kids Bible stories—give them Bible convictions. Teach them the why, not just the what.

• Model holiness in our homes and churches (1 Peter 1:15–16). The next generation needs to see that holiness is not just possible—it’s beautiful.

• Repent where we’ve tolerated sin (Revelation 2:20–21). God gave Jezebel time to repent. Therefore, we must examine our own hearts, churches, and culture. Repentance is the road to renewal.

• Pray for revival—but prepare to stand (2 Timothy 4:2–5). A church that fears God more than man is a church that will last. We may be a remnant, but we will be a faithful one.

If you’re wondering why the world looks darker, ask yourself:
What did the last generation of Christians stop confronting?
Because what we do in moderation, our children will do in excess, except go to church.

So, Church, let’s not tolerate what Christ died to conquer.
Let’s not entertain what the cross was meant to crucify.
And let’s not hand off a watered-down faith to the next generation.

Let’s give them the truth.
Let’s give them Jesus.
Let’s give them something worth standing for.

In Love,

Pastor Jody