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1390937484_35334_oWhen my wife became a U.S. citizen, she had to take a test and fill in answers the majority of Americans would not know. I remember, because when I quizzed her beforehand, I needed a refresher on civics—the rights and duties of American citizenship.

I’m not alone.

If recent surveys are accurate, the millennial generation is less likely than previous generations to show interest in the rights enshrined in our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Freedom of religion and freedom of speech have fallen on hard times among American young people. In fact, some polls indicate that teenagers are increasingly likely to approve of the use of force when freedom of speech causes trouble.

Incredulous at the results of some of these surveys, Joel Belz, an editor for World, decided to do a “reality check” by interviewing a number of teenagers at the nearest mall. He talked to 35 of them. He writes:

I couldn’t find a single teenager who had a clue where freedom of speech is declared to be the right of any American citizen. . . . “I’m not sure,” responded Tom, a lanky redhead who said he’s just starting his senior year in a local public high school. “Isn’t that something that comes with our being part of the United Nations?”

I find it hard to believe that civics are no longer taught in schools, both private and public, and that these lessons about America’s freedoms are test material. But there is a disconnect somewhere, and it feels like it’s across the country.

My eighth-grade son asked me recently about the NFL protests and President Trump’s comments. Before I told him what I thought, I asked what his friends at school were saying. I wasn’t surprised to hear that, in a deep red state, most of his friends were on Trump’s side. But I was deeply disturbed to discover that some had suggested the players get fired, or that people who don’t stand for the national anthem do time in jail. Jail!

Thank goodness we had a long car trip ahead of us, because we needed to untangle a cluster of issues. First, we discussed a football player’s initial act of kneeling as a protest against a pattern of police brutality against people of color. Second, we discussed reasons why many people interpret the act of kneeling as a sign of disrespect toward the flag or military. Third, we discussed the president’s pushback, both the substance and the manner. Finally, we discussed the freedom to peacefully protest as well as the freedom for other citizens to protest the protestors.

As our conversation unfolded, I realized that I was less concerned about telling my son exactly what to think about the NFL controversy. I was more concerned with making sure that he had a better understanding of the founding freedoms that make this country a great place to live. I wanted him to understand that the purpose of the first amendment’s protections is to ensure there is freedom for unpopular opinions to be expressed.

I care about what my son thinks about the football protests, but I care more about his intuitions regarding free speech. We are not the old Soviet Union, where we jail political dissidents. We are not North Korea. We are not Germany in the 1930s, where failing to give the salute could lead to public beatings. I am grateful for people like my brother, who have gone to war in order to preserve our country’s freedoms, who uphold the ideal of a society where true patriotism can flourish, and where unpopular dissent can be expressed, too.

As a Baptist, I come from a long line of men and women who knew what it was like to be on the outs when it came to society’s freedoms. In Western Europe, the authorities drowned us. In England, they jailed us. (Jailing John Bunyan backfired though, as that’s how God gave us The Pilgrim’s Progress!) In America, they chased Baptists out of early colonies. It took Baptists, together with Thomas Jefferson, to ensure that the free exercise of religion would be a fundamental right of the new American experiment.

So, back to civics and the need for students to be educated on the rights and duties of citizenship. I’m with Joel Belz. I don’t believe civics is no longer taught in our schools. But if there’s a disconnect somewhere, I wonder if it’s in the way civics is taught.

Are we showcasing the beauty of our rights and duties?

Are we contrasting our freedoms with the many countries around the world where dissenters are punished or ostracized?

Has our society’s commitment to multiculturalism led to a decline in celebrating the beauty of American freedoms?

Have we lifted up the responsibility to see past political and partisan spin and listen carefully to people who come down on different sides of an issue?

Are we in danger of political groupthink, where our ideological echo chambers make it difficult to comprehend, even for a moment, the perspective of someone on the opposite side of a political or cultural issue?

Let’s not shirk our parental duty in explaining the rights and duties of citizenship. It’s time we had good civics conversations with our kids. We need to make sure that we not only inform them of the freedoms we have in this country, but also inspire them with these freedoms. In order to cherish and pass down our freedoms to the next generation, we need to step up and commend, once again, our country’s fundamental aspirations.

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