What does Gen Z actually believe, Social media "poisoning", + Parenting in a changing cultural climate
What I'm reading the week of April 28, 2024
Gen Z and the Draw to Serious Faith
There’s something different about this generation. A lot of doom and gloom comes from older generations looking at headlines about Gen Z. But, in the trenches where Gen Z actually is? It’s a different story. Here are some notable quotes from this article:
“Young people are swimming in pools of superficiality, with torrents of information flooding through their magical devices. Adrift in a sea without navigation, in a world where moral strictures have been blown up in the name of freedom, many long for paths of formation, growth, and maturity.”
“Young people want to be courted by the church, welcomed into fellowship, entrusted with responsibility, and shown they matter. But more than anything, they want to be ushered into splendor, not superficiality. They’re looking for an antidote to the shallow life of swiping and scrolling through endless entertainment.”
Obviously this is attention-grabbing as a headline. What about the article? Does it actually grab attention and present a quality argument and point? Yes, I think it does. Aimed primarily at women, but applicable to all, this article calls into question how we are discipled by social media.
Melissa asks, “How might your hours on social media shape how you think and who you are?” And later in the article, writes,
“I’m not advocating that we all quit social media and try to pretend like it’s the 80s. But, could we be more careful about what we allow to influence our hearts? Could we be more discerning, more in tune with God’s ways and less involved in the world’s ways? Could we take a hard look at how much stock we put in the word of social media influencers and advertisers?”
Three Truths for Parents and Children in a Changing Cultural Climate
Identity. It all comes back to identity. Who are you? Who defines that? What gets to step into that space and speak into who you are?
Joey Turner here writes,
“It is vital for us parents to remember who we were, and who we would be, if not for God’s work through Christ. Parents, when you look upon the world and all of its cultural degradation with compassion, grief, lament, and intercessory prayer, you do so because you believe that if not for the work of Christ in your life, you would be in the same boat. Teach your children to not scoff at the world’s sin, but to grieve it, and to cry out to the one who changes hearts for mercy.
Remembering who were before the saving work of Christ in our lives must drive us to labor sacrificially in love and in prayer for God to have mercy on those who do not know him, as he had mercy on us.”
What a powerful reminder for all of us to look out at the world not through our own eyes, but through the eyes of our loving and good Heavenly Father who desires all people to be saved.
What do Gen Z Christians Actually Believe?
Here is some data-driven info about the self-report beliefs of Gen Z. The author of this article, responding to the data, wrote this:
“The mission of youth ministry is not to make teenage disciples, but adult disciples whose faith took root during their teen years. This means we invite you into a faith that’s big enough to grow into. And if we aren’t having theological conversations with them, then what do we expect to happen?”
This is a good reminder for me as a youth pastor, but also for everyone who is involved in the discipleship of kids and teens (including parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, children’s and youth ministry volunteers). Theology matters. What we believe about God matters.
I’m trying something new, sharing things I’m reading with the hopes that you’ll read as well and we can learn together. Is this something you like? Something you would com back to each week? Let me know, and feel free to share with others and invite them to subscribe to have this delivered to their inbox each Friday!