It Happens In Every Generation

Recently I had a conversation with a young friend of mine that began with the statement, "I've decided to not call myself a 'Christian.'" He said he had looked up the word "Christian" in wikipedia and found this definition: "It is used as a label to identify people who associate with the cultural aspects of Christianity, irrespective of personal religious beliefs or practices." While he has a clear commitment to Jesus, he didn't want to be identified with all of the religious trappings. And so he's decided to call himself a "believer." I told him the early believers simply called themselves "disciples." They were the personal apprentices of Jesus, participating in his kingdom mission on earth.

I've found this to be a fairly common conversation with a "millennial." People have been grinding their teeth about the obvious lack of religious commitment on the part of those born between 1981 and 2001. A fairly large chunk of them have chosen to not identify with "Christianity," to declare that their religious affiliation is "none." Their willingness to identify with the institutional aspects of the church is waning. They declare that they are "spiritual" but not "religious." And so we worry that they may end up abandoning Jesus. But is that what is really happening?

From 1967 to 1972 young members of my "Baby Boomer" generation decided to follow Jesus. We were "Jesus People" or "Jesus Freaks." We declared that our faith was not at all about religion but was about relationship. We reacted to the religious expressions of our parents' generation, and we worked to pioneer new expressions of the church (many of which have since become institutionalized). Sound familiar?

And then came the young people we called "Gen X" or more rudely, "Baby Busters." They were the "fatherless generation." They seemed to be a reactionary generation, "Gen X" itself being an anti-label label. They were irreligious, casting aside anything that might be "traditional," transforming Sunday morning worship services into rock-and-roll concerts. Some began to call them the "lost generation." Leaders among them referred to themselves as the "Joshua generation." One generation reacting to that of their parents, exploring their own expressions and experiences of faith.

In a recent issue of Christianity Today, yet another article about millennials told the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (one of my earliest influences as a Jesus Freak) as a youth pastor in his generation. It appears as though a youth movement in Europe had a resulted in a generation that just left home, wandering aimlessly around the countryside, trying to "find themselves." This youth movement began in 1880 and continued into the next generation, resulting in the need for pastoral leaders to reflect on the best way to provide leadership to this bunch of hippies. The answer was, tell them about Jesus. Present the opportunity to follow Jesus and to accept the mission of representing Jesus in all of life.

And so it's simply true: It happens in every generation. In fact, it's always been true that the church is a one-generation church. Every generation needs it's own understanding of Jesus and his mission on the earth. Every generation needs it own expression of faith. Every generation needs its own revival. God has always worked generationally. God has a distinct plan and purpose for each generation, including the millennial generation. 

So for those who are wringing their hands about this generation abandoning Christianity, just tell them about Jesus, the Jesus mission and the Jesus community. I have found that, as a generation, authenticity and community are more important to them than they were for our generation. They are positioned to be another "great generation," in our nation and in the church. And try not to mess it up with a lot of religiousity and churchiosity.