Missing the Point

It is clear that our Savior loved children - He invited the children to come to Him and there is an enlightening passage in Matthew 18, in which we see Jesus teaching the people the importance of loving children and being good models for them. We can read:

8 If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. 

9 And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire. 
10 "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. 
11 For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.

I think most parents would say that they would go to great lengths to protect their children; that can be physical protection - or spiritual protection.  We live in difficult days - a time when our children are being bombarded with messages that are contrary to Scripture, a time in which the COVID pandemic has impacted their relationships and their mental well-being, as well as educational capacity. Strong adults can provide security for kids today, and we have to make sure that we are relying on the power of Christ to be the source of spiritual protection they need.

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Our Lord taught about not only our becoming like little children in our humility, but also seeking to protect our children. Matthew 18 says:

2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 
3 and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 
4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 
5 Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. 
6 "But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

The Internet was abuzz this past weekend with a message from someone who could be considered an old friend to young people who are perhaps in their teens and twenties, and parents who had small children back in the late 90's and early 2000's.  The host of the popular kids' show, Blue's Clues, the innocent, endearing program in which real-life Steve and his cast of animated characters, including the blue dog named Blue, walked through a number of "clues" in each episode.

Well, Steve hasn't disappeared, he just hasn't been in front of the camera much.  And, he released a video explaining his departure from the original program.  According to Entertainment Weekly, Steve said:

"You remember how when we were younger we used to run around and hang out with Blue, and find clues, and talk to Mr. Salt, and freak out about the mail, and do all the fun stuff? And then one day, I was like, 'Oh hey, guess what? Big news… I'm leaving,'" Steve recalled, before reminding the all-grown-up fans of the beloved partially animated series about the time he departed for college, not returning to the franchise for, "like, a really long time."

"Can we just talk about that?" Steve asks in the clip.

Oh, by the way, Steve really did go to college and as the article notes, "he was able to challenge himself, and use his mind. Now, that he's older, he's getting to do many of the things he wanted to do all along."

Steve also had a word for presumably each viewer:

"Look at all you have done and all you have accomplished in all that time," he says, directly addressing viewers in the style he did back on the show. "And it's just… it's just so amazing, right? I mean, we started out with clues and now it's what? Student loans, and jobs, and families, and some of that has been kind of hard, you know? I know you know."

Even though it's been a while, Steve explained he wanted you to know that all the help you gave him along the way is still benefitting him today.

"And that's super cool," he added. "I guess I just wanted to say that after all these years I never forgot you. Ever. And I'm super glad we're still friends…"

Our children were growing up during the heyday of Blue's Clues, and it was a wholesome show that helped to expand the mind.  

The show went away and was rebooted a few years ago.  A recent incident regarding Blue's Clues and You shows that just because it's considered children's programming doesn't mean it's appropriate for children.  Movieguide reported that:

In 2019, Nickelodeon announced the new program BLUE’S CLUES & YOU, and in 2021, the network added the new song, “ABC Song w/ Blue!”

Although the song has not premiered on television, it is on the show’s official YouTube channel and declares that “P is full of Pride.” The “P” has a rainbow design with a heart that represents the LGBT pride flag.

Entertainment Weekly featured a defense of the offensive video, featuring Nina West of RuPaul's Drag Race:

West exclusively tells EW that "representation" and "inclusivity" matter most during Pride season, and that "LGBTQIA+ families deserve a safe space to raise their children and celebrate their individuality and grow without fear."

That sentiment, West feels, holds true even amid backlash against her video project with the kid-focused network — featuring an animated version of West leading a sing-along through the Blue's Clues Pride Parade starring nonbinary animal characters carrying intersectional Pride flags — which detractors have recently slammed for "flagrantly" pushing "gender confusion and sexualized themes" at children.

The EW story did feature a tweet from Christian commentator Allie Beth Stuckey, who wrote:

The predatory Blue’s Clues segment doesn’t surprise me, because kids are always the unconsenting subjects of leftist social experiments, from population control to the redefinition of gender and sexuality to communism itself. History shows this. It’s gross, but it’s true.

The Movieguide article also linked to a Christian Post story that included other instances of Nickelodeon's attempt to indoctrinate children about sexuality:

Last June, Nickelodeon published a tweet that seemed to imply that SpongeBob SquarePants was a member of the LGBT community. However, the network did not confirm whether that was the intention or not.

In 2020, Nick Jr. shared a post on social media encouraging parents to help kids understand the meaning of the LGBT flag and Pride month.

In 2016, the Nickelodeon show “Loud House” introduced a biracial, same-sex couple. The couple was said to be the network’s first-ever married same-sex couple.

Last year, Nickelodeon teamed up with a transgender actor to launch its “trans youth acting challenge” initiative. The initiative aims to encourage transgender and nonbinary kids with acting aspirations to “realize their dreams.”

The article also pointed out Disney Channel examples, and Movieguide linked to another of its stories describing the Cartoon Network as "at the forefront of dismantling the biblical view of gender and telling kids they can choose from a long list of 'gender identities.'"

I'm glad that Steve has never forgotten his viewers, but have children's programming producers forgotten their audience?  Those who promote the LGBTQ agenda certainly understand that pliable minds are more likely to adopt their agenda, and producers seem all too anxious to play along.

It's incumbent on Christian parents to be discerning and understand the landscape - that gay chorus out of San Francisco wasn't wrong when it declared in a song that they were coming for our children. We can see this played out in the educational system, where curriculum that teaches harmful ideas about sexuality have been introduced in certain districts.  And, other districts, such as Loudoun County, Virginia, are codifying practices such as using pronouns based on so-called "gender identity;" you also find in some areas an openness to allowing boys to compete in girls' sports, to which a legislative firewall is being built.  

But, parents are rising up - you regularly see school board meetings where groups of parents are openly challenging school board policies.  Critical race theory has gone from an abstract concept to a flashpoint in our culture, and people are weary of being divided by race.  Even a pioneer in Christian children's programming has become provocative in his embrace of CRT, but more about that in the future. In a time in which we need to come together, these theorists are actually doing the reverse.  There are times that call for discernment, and fortunately, Christians have resources, such as Plugged In from Focus on the Family and Movieguide in order to help direct us.