Thursday, March 01, 2007
Gang: how not to fight back
"Youths learn skills to resist lure of gangs" talks about being trained to resist gang recruitment.
However, they miss the point of gang's appeal. It's about finding a place in the world as men [for young men and old(er) boys] and gang offers a sense of belonging ("virtual family") and adventure (doing manly things even if it was illegal or all the more reason if the act was illegal) and some goal (say, expanding the gang family). Unless something like a real church can draw them in, the lost boys will remain lost.
As The Anointed One puts it:
Copyright 2007, DannyHSDad, All Rights Reserved.
However, they miss the point of gang's appeal. It's about finding a place in the world as men [for young men and old(er) boys] and gang offers a sense of belonging ("virtual family") and adventure (doing manly things even if it was illegal or all the more reason if the act was illegal) and some goal (say, expanding the gang family). Unless something like a real church can draw them in, the lost boys will remain lost.
As The Anointed One puts it:
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost. [Luke 19:10]Question for me is, how to show my sons The Way and, all the more importantly, the Way Maker....
Copyright 2007, DannyHSDad, All Rights Reserved.
Labels: anti-gang, church, fatherhood, gangs
