Gen Z (part 2: There's hope)

Perhaps, after reading the last post concerning Gen Z, you felt a little down. Where is the hope for Gen Z, if that is what we are like?

Well I want to offer some signs of hope, because everything is not looking hopeless. Every generation has their flaws. And every generations specific flaws are rooted in the common, broader issues. Sometimes, however, they show themselves to a greater extreme. Many have named this age, the age of decadence - where there is a decline in morality. In some sense, this is true. But as I believe I expressed in the last post, there is a decline in nominal Christianity, which seems to explain that people are realising that they aren't true Christians, and so they adopt the label "atheist" or what we might call a "none" (no religion).

So people might not hold to a specific religion, and less so, Christian ideals, which might be why we see such a decadence. But before I go into signs of hope, particularly for Gen Z Christians, let me point something out: God is in control. And I know it is becoming more and more of a cliche. But God is sovereign. And God does not like chaos. With a world completely overwhelmed by sin, he flooded it. With a large number of people trying to build a tower up to God, he confused their languages so they could not defy him. So don't worry about the world ending because some people are less "Christian" than previous generations. If you believe that people can determine the world falling into ruin, I don't think we believe in the same, controlled, sovereign God.

So, on that note, I think it is necessary that we see some good things about iGen Christians:

1) They expect to be a counter-cultural minority. In an age where the world is becoming less moralistic and law-abiding, younger Christians are not surprised by the backlash they might face for being a Christian. In fact, they expect for persecution to arise because of their faith and they are more willing to take it.

iGen Christians are hardly ignorant of the media's hatred of them. Considering they spend so much time on media, they recognise this world's standards are different to those of God. They are well aware that the world hates God himself, and thus brace themselves for the many possibilities that await (laws against "homophobia", laws against pro-lifers, anti-free speech practices). Which means the new generation is more ready to face what it means to be a Christian, possibly even more that their predecessors

2) Gen Z really wants to have churches that get the gospel right. Largely, this is because the gospel is powerful and life changing already. Young Christians seem to be attracted by the music, the merch, the games, and hanging with friends. But truly committed Gen z Christians really want to see the gospel-proclaimed.

And stats show that when churches get the basics of the gospel right, the iGen are more prepared to deal with cultural issues that face them now. And this seems to indicate something encouraging for all Christians. The Gospel does not just save your soul and secure your eternal life to be with Jesus, it allows you to live you life as a Christian, and will dictate everything you think, say and do. When Christ dies for all who come in faith (a.k.a all those whom he predestined), then it makes all the babies in the womb worth birthing. When the gospel provides eternal life, then it gives the lives of those being euthanised value: to come to know the living and true God. Younger Christians can learn how to tackle the huge issues in our society simply by adressing the very simple truths of the gospel narrative.

3) Gen Z Christians really want to serve. In the last post, we talked about how Gen Z Christians have a desire for social justice, or justice in general, to be met. We might consider the #MeToo movement that has been super popular on social media for a while. Younger Christians want to be an integral part in the gospel being proclaimed, and the best place for them to do that is in their own churches.

Apparently, according to various studies, younger Christians who not only went to church, but were actively involved in their church, were more likely to attend church for years in the future. And I think it gives younger people a purpose. They are not only going to hear about Jesus (passive) but serve Jesus (active) and I think that is partially why some churches thrive in great numbers - because there is a discipleship of the younger generation. So there is so much hope present in Gen z Christians.

4) Young Christian want mentors. I only want to briefly touch on this, because it is pretty self-explanatory. This is perhaps more specific to Young adults because they are more likely to be living on their own - however, many teenagers look up to their youth leaders and the elderly in their church, because of their wisdom (especially if these people have lived long lives as Christians).

This is truly a sign of hope, because it shows that iGen Christians are wanting to grow together with those who have already lived through it. They are not only hanging around those their own age who cannot offer much experience, but they seek to gain the wisdom of the last generation. This is encouraging.

5) Younger Christians are able to distinguish the gospel from moralistic teaching. They don't just want to know how to live rightly, but what to believe. And they want leaders in the church to take Jesus seriously. They don't just want to hear how they should live, but how Jesus life impacts our lives.

Think about it, Jesus lived a perfect life. If all we have in this life is to live morally and uprightly, then we will forget about Jesus' perfect life. Not only that, we will forget that we will never measure up. When Gen Z Christians realise that they always fail to do the right thing, they learn to trust that Jesus' perfect life, death and resurrection ensured that our lived never needed to be perfect in order to be forgiven by Christ. They want to learn truths, not just moral applications. We want to see Jesus in everything, not just our imperfect selves - which is an obvious sign of hope.

In Conclusion

It's really easy to look to the faults of the present generation. And there are reasons for concern. But we must also thank God for the signs of hope they offer up, because God is in control. Why should we fear, when mere man is not able to defeat our omnipotent God. Thank God that there are definite indications of his spirit in this current generation.