Postman posits that childhood, as we knew it under the old Disney model, was essentially a childhood of protected innocence that Jesus taught. In a day when children were thought of as insignificant, our Lord taught:

"Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God" (Luke 18:15-16, ESV).

And again Jesus said, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matthew 18:5-6).

Postman was right. Jesus invented "childhood" as a protected time of innocence in which little ones must be guarded, trained, and loved, not abused nor led to sin. According to Jesus, the kingdom of God itself is like unto children, therefore to remove childhood, as Jesus taught it, is to remove the motif of the presence of the kingdom of God in our midst. Postman's prophetic Disappearance of Childhood creates a culture where there is a simultaneous disappearance of the Kingdom of God.

So what is the role for Christians today?

Bring your children to Christ. Their hearts are open to Him. Pray for your children, and let them hear you speaking their names before the Lord. Lay your hands upon the heads of your little ones and speak the name of Jesus often.

Do your best to guard your little ones from the merchants of ungodliness. Jesus warned that if I don’t take action, He will! Against me! Christ is the ultimate Defender of children! I would rather throw all of my computers and televisions out of the window and be called a "kook" than to let a little child see, hear, and be inculcated in a culture of decadence.

Don't worry about your children not getting exposed to the culture. They will hear more than you ever will want them to hear. They will see more than you ever want them to see. Give them the Christian gift of "childhood" before they are thrown out into the sensuality-driven society in which we now live.

I appreciate the innovations in technology we have at our disposal. They can be used for good, but images of human beings in provocative poses do not help any of us. They always hurt the weakest. Usually children, especially girls, are the ones to suffer. As the morals of women are undermined, then the soul of our nation becomes sick. Unless there is a realization that this is so, with repentance in our hearts, then eventually this sickness leads to death.

How I pray God will raise up a generation of preachers who will confront and expose the promoters of ungodly images and show the horrible consequences of this sort of sin. Vanity Fair ought to be ashamed. Disney ought to have seen it coming. Annie Liebovitz ought to denounce her own work, repent, and ask forgiveness. Miley’s parents need to take her home, love their daughter, and give her the years the star-making machine is taking from her. Oh, how I pray for that family.

May God raise up men in our pulpits, and men and women in our homes, who will lead our little ones to the Lord, teach them His Word, and protect them. May the Lord Himself raise up gracious men, and especially women, who will step into the lives of our little girls, who are being exploited by the purveyors of iconoclastic filth, and lead them back to the shelter of a Christ-commanded childhood. There under the shade of God's plan for our lives the enchantment of childhood with a sweet purity that leads to happiness will be restored. This is what Christ offers. This is what our hearts long for.

The book referred to in this article is Neil Postman’s Disappearance of Childhood (Random House, 1994).