Among the Indian Churches, one-third of the young people said they were dissatisfied with the current church environment. Youths think that church is not having a positive influence on them. They are discontent with the adults in the church, especially with adult failure to live up to the truths they profess to believe.

Parental verbal abuse often wound children so deeply that the effects remain apparent into young adulthood.  Furthermore, it is noted that verbal abuse contributes towards more serious psychological complexities greater than that caused by physical abuse. Parental verbal abuse during childhood can scar brain deeply.

Today, as a community of believers, we are confronted with issues which many Indian parents in the past have preferred to avoid. Despite all of our achievements in education, careers, missionary activities and church, I should say we’re in a mess. We lack love and unity. Yes, we have a crisis today, our families are pitching and rolling like ships on a stormy sea. I am anxious to shed light on why that crisis exists and where the family is headed.

Sunday School Network International (SSNI), a ministry focused on teens and young adults, has been serving Indian churches in North America and around the world for the past 10 years. The goals of SSNI are: to develop Bible based and culturally relevant Sunday School textbooks; to provide advanced training for Sunday School teachers; and to provide networking opportunities for participating churches and groups.

THE PRIMARY GOAL of this book is to help build a strong Christian community of Asian Indians in North America. This goal  is based on the principle that godly experiences and visions of committed Christians transcend cultural and other boundaries. The book contains contributions from authors in diverse fields all of whom share the same biblical values. Their articles are focused on equipping pastors, youth leaders, and families to build a generation of mature believers for the kingdom of God.

PROBLEMS OF CHILDREN IN THE UNITED STATES
    * Teen pregnancy 2, 795 daily
    * Teen abortions 1, 106 daily
    * Miscarriages 372 daily
    * Live births 1, 295 daily
    * Sexually active 7, 742 more daily

It was after the youth meeting, the parents gathered downstairs for coffee, the conversation turned to their children’s latest accomplishments. Mathew’s son was finishing medical school. George’s daughter was already a cardiologist. Abraham spoke once more about how much money his daughter was making at that law firm downtown. One of them turned to Chacko, “What about your son? What is he doing anyway?” Chacko tried to laugh it off. The truth was that he was worried. His son had dropped out of college after the first year. Chacko was very concerned that his son just wasn’t turning out right.

Suicide is an intentional and self-inflicted death. The tendency today is to view suicide in psychosocial rather than moral terms. Most social scientists agree that suicide is the result of complex psychological, and social causes. Psychiatrists, for example, have found deep depression to be common among those that commit suicide. ..

EDITOR

Thomas Idiculla, Ph.D., is the founder and President of Agape Family Ministries International. He is currently pursuing a doctoral program in Clinical Social Work at Boston College, Boston. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Kerala, and Master’s degree in Social Work and Doctoral degree in Sociology from Indore University. He also worked  as Assistant Professor in Social Work at Indore University, and Research Consultant at Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Boston. He received the Young Social Scientist Award in 1992 from the Madhya Pradesh State Government. He has contributed several articles to various Indian Christian publications. Thomas, his wife Suja, and children  Miriam, Stephen, Jeremy, and Aaron attend India Pentecostal Assembly of Boston in Waltham, (Boston) Massachusetts.

ASSOCIATE EDITORS

Sam Kannampally, Ph.D., works as a Post-doctoral Research Associate in the Chemistry Department, Tufts University, Massachusetts. He received his B.S. from the University of Kerala, M.S. from Agra University, and Ph.D. from Tufts University, Massachusetts, in Chemistry. In addition to research publications in his professional field, he is a contributor of articles to various Christian.  His wife, Jessie, and he have two children, Anita and Vineeta.

Philip Thomas, M.S., is the Worship Leader at Full Gospel Assembly of God in Toronto, Canada. He has also served as the Worship Leader at India Pentecostal Assembly of God, Waltham, and (Boston) Massachusetts. He received his Bachelor’s degree (Computer Science) from Brandeis University, MA, and Master’s degree (Computer Information Systems) from Boston University. He is employed as a Consulting Manager at Digital Equipment Corporation. He has spoken at conventions, conferences, youth seminars, and church meetings in the US, Canada, UAE, and India. His wife, Jejee, and he have two sons, Daniel and Joel.