Believers… That is a term that not only identifies us with Christ but defines us as His followers. I have the privilege of working with teenage believers on a daily basis. I have spent numerous hours talking, counseling, praying, and believing with them for God’s will to come to pass in their lives. It has become very apparent that we are living in a “lost” generation. That is a bold statement and there are exceptions, but this generation is lost on many different levels, particularly spiritually and morally. As I look back over the course of previous generations, many things were done to foster change in this current generation. Unfortunately, change is not always for the better.
Generation X, my generation, disconnected from church. I have had the opportunity to speak with many of my peers regarding this subject who cited several reasons why they no longer attend church. Two of the most notable examples revolved around these concepts: the church cared more about their appearance than their spiritual health, and the church was irrelevant to their modern life. Jesus Christ’s primary concern was people, and it saddens me that some people in my generation feel disconnected from religion. Because of this great disconnect, my generation did not see the importance of keeping their family plugged into church. As a result, most of the teenagers that I spend time with have not had the joy of growing up with a church family.
Without the Christian influence in the family, children are raised with increasingly inappropriate materials. Consider a modern prime time television show. If a television network decided to broadcast a modern program back in the 1950’s, it would have shocked the television audience. The Federal Communications Commission would swiftly fine the network for broadcasting borderline pornographic content. The standard for what is appropriate for families has dwindled over the course of my generation. John Wesley said “What one generation tolerates, the next generation will accept.” We tolerated the demise of public moral standards, and because of this, this generation has grown up exposed to PG-13 and R-rated content. It is common for a teenager to go on a neighborhood killing spree on his XBox, followed by an hour of profanity-laced music and internet porn. Because of this saturation, this generation has become morally numb.
My generation was more concerned with tolerance than standing up for its beliefs. This was the believers’ greatest tragedy on the modern stage of humanity. No matter the activity or the statement, you will offend someone out there. Just because someone does not agree with the popular opinion, it does not mean that they are wrong. Alex Hamilton once said, “If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.” My generation became so concerned with the voices of activists and philosophers that we “toned down” the gospel. By watering down God’s word, we have done the world a great injustice. Generations have witnessed Christians retreating on their beliefs, denominations accepting lifestyle practices that were once considered abominations, and ministers changing the gospel to conform to their choices, rather than conforming their choices to the gospel. Because of this example, believers are championing causes that are contrary to what the word teaches.
The world is looking for answers and guidance. The greatest things we can do is to take a stand for Jesus Christ regardless of contrary opinions, take a stand against anything that goes against our moral convictions, and to forsake not the assembly of one another. The greatest example we can set for this generation is to let our actions speak louder than our words, and to live for Christ, unashamedly.
Okay, next to my family and my kids, this is my Passion topic! It’s what gets my jucies flowing.First and foremost, I believe that those statistics are proof that the church has fallen asleep. The church has narrowed itself into a corner and unless willing to adapt to some change, this statistic I fear will grow. Churches have been doing what they do because that’s the way it’s always been done. Some churches hold tight to Tradition. The church can never compete with culture. They will never win. Its just the way it is. But the church can certainly change from “doing” to having a strategy.If You read my “About” section on my blog, you’ll see a line where I wrote, “I bleed Orange.” I encourage you to check out http://www.whatisorange.com to learn more about that and to see where my firm stance on what the church should be doing.We (as in Us, Moms, Parents, etc) put So much responsibility on the Church for those poor statistics. I see it as a 50/50 deal. Parents need to wake up and realize that they are the primary spiritual leaders in their kids lives. The church is a “Partner” to you as a Parent. Or at least it should be. There in lies the problem. Churches are failing to see that they need to come along side of us as parents and support us and understand that what happens at home is far more important than what happens at church. I am a product of Christian parents, christian private schools and church all my life. I saw friends come and go within the church. From my experience, The leadership within the church are all on different pages. Nursery, elementary, youth and “big” church are all doing their own thing. There is no strategy. They are silo’d. I beg of the church to align themselves together with parents and have a strategy for how to get a child from birth through college not ever wanting to leave the church! It is possible. It just means people are going to have to adapt to change and let some things go. Sorry for the rant. I warned you that it was a Passion area for me. I could say so much more…. : )