“And there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD.” Judges 2:10.
The Adventurer Club is a Seventh-day Adventist Church–sponsored ministry for children ages 4–9, in which the local conference, local church, church school, and home work together “to help children learn more about the Bible, health, and nature and to help them develop their people skills” (Adventurer Manual, p. XIII). Yet, instead of safeguarding this sacred purpose, children are now being taught to dance and rap in ways that closely resemble the very culture that is seen in the world.
The Ontario Adventurers, part of the Ontario Conference of Seventh-day Adventists located in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada, hosted a three-part drama titled “Esther the Brave” during their 2025 Camporee. Between scene changes, a rap team composed of young Adventist children performed rap music and dance routines to entertain the audience of other children. The crowd loved it and went wild. What was once condemned as worldly and corrupt is now being embraced at Seventh-day Adventist youth events.
Throughout the performance, parents and Adventurer leaders could be seen smiling, applauding, and openly enjoying the presentation. This response is deeply troubling, as these are the very individuals whom God has entrusted with the spiritual care, instruction, and protection of young children. They were not merely spectators; they were the organizers, approvers, and enablers of what took place. The rap display was planned, rehearsed, and officially endorsed. It is a shame what many youth programs have become. Today, Camporee events combine worldly music, rap, dancing, and theatrics with the worship of the Creator.
Who would allow this to happen? Who is authorizing it? Who would permit our children—those with the most impressionable and vulnerable minds—to be left unguarded at these gatherings? When the same styles of music and dance found in nightclubs are brought into our youth events, they are not made sacred or holy. They remain the same profane influences, merely repackaged and masquerading as something righteous.
Unfortunately, countless churches now promote a comfortable, stylish, and modernized version of the faith designed to accommodate the tastes and entertainment expectations of the unconverted. Rap, rock, and pop music are reshaping churches and turning them into worldly dance clubs that are devoid of God’s Holy Spirit. No amount of prayer can sanctify such displays, because God does not dwell in performances that imitate the spirit of the world rather than reflect the holiness of heaven.
Instead of shaping our youth after the manner of the world, we must deliberately turn them toward Christ-centered training that disciplines the mind, refines the character, and prepares them for sacred service. Only then can they become the “army of workers” God intends—rightly trained to carry the message of a crucified, risen, and soon-coming Saviour to the world and hasten the end of sin, suffering, and sorrow:
“With such an army of workers as our youth, rightly trained, might furnish, how soon the message of a crucified, risen, and soon-coming Saviour might be carried to the whole world! How soon might the end come—the end of suffering and sorrow and sin! How soon, in place of a possession here, with its blight of sin and pain, our children might receive their inheritance where ‘the righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein forever;’ where ‘the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick,’ and ‘the voice of weeping shall be no more heard.’ Psalm 37:29; Isaiah 33:24; 65:19” (Education, p. 271).
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The Bible never defines “worldly music” by genre, nor does it condemn rap, drums, call‑and‑response, or dance. Scripture evaluates the intent, message, and fruit of music—not its cultural form. In fact, the Bible affirms percussion, movement, and joyful expression in worship. Much of the discomfort some Adventists express toward rap or rhythmic praise doesn’t come from the Bible at all, but from the denomination’s inherited Eurocentric worship norms, where European classical styles were treated as “reverent” and African‑diasporic expressions—drums, syncopation, gospel choirs, expressive movement, even laughter—were labeled “worldly” or “irreverent.” That history is rooted in racism and colonial missionary attitudes, not theology. So when kids at a camporee joyfully participate in a positive, Christ‑centered call‑and‑response, the question isn’t whether the style is “worldly,” but whether the fruit is good. If it builds community, uplifts their faith, and reflects joy in God, then it aligns with Scripture far more than the cultural biases that condemn it.
This is very disheartening and painful to watch. The church (globally) clearly has abandoned the belief that we are living in the great day of atonement and this is yet another unfortunate manifestation of that. We are in dire need of revival and reformation.