By Ewere Okonta
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Let’s get one thing straight: this is not your regular, polite Wednesday devotion. This is your wake-up call—raw, real, and rightly uncomfortable. Because someone needs to say it: we are losing the plot, and we’re doing it with full Wi-Fi.
They told us science would save the world. That with enough data, we could predict anything. That algorithms were neutral, machines were objective, and robots had no agenda. Then the internet came along and promised to connect humanity. To break barriers. To give voice to the voiceless.
Well, guess what? It did all that—and then some. Now, our children are being raised by YouTube and TikTok, not by fathers and mothers. A 10-year-old somewhere is asking ChatGPT how to lie convincingly to his parents, while his parents are busy using the same AI to write birthday wishes on WhatsApp groups.
Is anyone still home?
Once upon a time, parenting was sacred. It was a communal project—remember that? The village auntie would scold you in the market, and your mother would thank her for doing it. Grandmothers laid moral foundations. Fathers were the standard, not just financial sponsors. Now? Now, you try correcting someone else’s child, and they’ll tell you, “It’s none of your business.”
But who is making it their business?
Social media. Influencers. YouTubers who haven’t raised a plant yet give parenting advice to millions. Instagram moms whose children are props. Twitter threads that pass for therapy. And let’s not forget the motivational speakers who shout at you in traffic-light videos, calling you a failure because your 8-year-old doesn’t own a startup.
We are raising a generation that knows how to hack systems but not how to handle failure. They can code in Python but can’t wash a plate. They have opinions on gender, race, climate, and capitalism—but can’t look you in the eye to say “Good morning.” Something is broken. And it’s not just the screen time settings on your phone.
Let’s talk about the church.
Remember when Sunday School was about memory verses and learning humility? Today, it’s a full-blown media production. The pastor has a social media team. The choir has rehearsals for Instagram Reels. Sermons are written with viral potential in mind. “Thou shalt not bore the algorithm” is the new gospel.
But here’s the kicker: we’ve confused spiritual authority with social authority. Pastors are trying to become influencers, and influencers are acting like pastors. We now preach more about prosperity than purity, about trending than transformation. Holiness is now a niche sermon, not a lifestyle.
Meanwhile, politics has crept in like a thief. Slowly. Stealthily. Politicians now speak like preachers, quoting scriptures they don’t believe. They kneel in churches during campaigns and stand on podiums to lie the next day. And we—yes, we—clap. Because our values have been diluted into entertainment.
Let me ask you this: Who is really raising your children?
Be honest. Is it you? Or is it Netflix, Google, and some vlogger in California who doesn’t even believe in parenting? When last did your child hear a bedtime story from you? When last did you pray with them, not just for them?
Let science give us inventions, but not convictions.
Let technology connect us, but not confuse us.
Let religion guide our hearts, not just feed our ego.
Let politics serve our roads, not invade our homes.
We must stop outsourcing parenting to culture wars and content creators. Values can’t be downloaded. Discipline can’t be delegated. And love—real love—can’t be livestreamed.
Yes, this is your midweek sermon, but it’s also your mirror. Look in it. What do you see? Are you raising a child or watching one grow on autopilot? Are you present or just nearby?
Dear parent, wake up.
Dear pastor, wake up.
Dear politician, stop pretending to be a savior—fix the schools first.
Dear scientist, thank you for the vaccines, but leave our values alone.
Dear internet, we appreciate the convenience—but we refuse the control.
God is not trending, but He is still in charge.
Family is not an app, but it is still sacred.
Parenting is not content—it is commitment.
And if this sermon bothers you, good. That means you’re still alive, still thinking, and maybe, just maybe, ready to reclaim what matters most.
Let the church, the lab, the state, and the cloud know: the home is not for sale.
Amen—but don’t just say it. Live it.
This is my Midweek sermon from my holy pulpit!
Ewere Okonta is the CEO of EOB Media. He is a family values advocate. He writes from the Department of Business Administration, University of Delta, Agbor.
gts2007students@gmail.com