Note the verse does not say "teach a youth to emulate the culture associated with the way he should go," nor does it say, "teach a youth the outline of the text on which the way he should go is based," nor does it say, "teach a youth only about the fun parts of the way he should go."
"Teach a youth about the way he should go." This verse is about teaching a child the one and only one right way he or she should live his or her life.
In studying history and mythology, I've come to conclusion that most people simply adopt the religion most popular amongst their neighbors, whether that religion is Islam in the Middle East or Christianity in America. In an age of digital communication and an abundance of religious choices, children of American culture may be tempted to turn away from a faith that states, without apology, that Jesus Christ is the son of God and the only way to right relationship with God.
In a culture where tolerance is held as the highest value and saying, "There is only one way," whether through our speech or actions, is immensely unpopular, it is more important than ever that we raise up children in the way they should go.
It's no secret that many American teenagers and young adults leave local churches shortly after graduating high school or entering college. If they had been taught about the way they should go as children, would they be departing from it now? While every individual has a choice to turn his or her back on God, I would estimate that churches would not see a mass exodus of young men and women who just recently left their parents' home if the central focus of teaching children and teenagers was the way they should go.
"The way we should go" is not simply, "Tolerate others and live the best you can." "The way" is defined by Scripture, which is without error (another unpopular tenet of Christianity). "The way" includes placing God before all else, even family, friends, and vocation. "The way" includes loving God with all our being. "The way" includes serving whether it gives us warm fuzzies or not.
No matter how difficult living according to Scripture and loving God with all our being, there is something about "the way" that endures through every season of life: childhood, adolescence, young adulthood, and beyond.
My wife and I don't have any children yet, but we hope to have some in the next few years. This verse gives a sobering command not only to raise up my and my wife's children in the way they should go, but to follow that way as well. What teacher can teach a language he or she does not know? And what help is a teacher that does not understand the subject?
Many teens and young adults who leave the church return after they have children of their own. But do they return only to immerse their children in the culture of Christianity, hoping that by social osmosis, their children will grow up to be "good people"? For some parents, yes; for others, having children leads to a conviction that finds them living out the Scriptures--either again or for the first time. Regardless, cultural assimilation is no replacement for a personal relationship with God and emotionalism will not sustain a person through the trials of life.
Whether you are a young person, an adult without children, a parent, or have already raised your children and watched them step out on their own, this verse is relevant right now. In any season of life, we should be striving to live according to God's commands and helping others do the same.
EDIT: And my post is, once again, way longer than I intended it to be. D'oh!
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