A Confused Culture

IN A CONFUSED CULTURE, TEENS CREATE THEIR OWN RELIGION February 20, 2006
Are teenagers abandoning the true Christian faith?
Kenneth Nahigian grew up in a Christian home. Devout and dedicated to his faith during his pre-teen years, he began exploring other religions while in high school. Interestingly, he returned to his faith his first year in college, but then began to ask questions again. Doubts assaulted his mind, and before long, he found himself backsliding again, no longer devoted or even believing in the Christian faith.
His story does not stand alone. There are countless stories of teenagers who have fallen away from the faith or even began to integrate the destructive ideas of the culture into their beliefs. In a study by Barna Research, 63% of church going, supposedly Christian teens said that they believed Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Jews, and all other people pray to the same God, even though they use different names for their god. In other areas of truth, such as the divinity of Christ, the resurrection, and the reality of absolute truth, many teens simply do not hold orthodox views. Many would contend that Christ is not the only way to God, that they are not sure there really was a resurrection, and that there is no absolute truth. And yet, these same teenagers would classify themselves as Christians if asked.
A great chasm exists between the reality of what it means to be a believer in Christ and what many of today's teenagers perceive. Are they, in fact, creating their own religion? Have they integrated the values of a morally degenerate culture into Christianity, and as a result, created something that is no longer Christian?
Although these types of beliefs run rampant in our nation, other studies make it clear that teens are still searching for a meaningful connection to religion. In a study by the leading trans-denominational Jewish teen movement, it was found that 68% of teenagers say that religion is important to them. Of these teens, 92% said that they were seeking a better connection. Teenagers are searching. They do want to experience something real and authentic. So why is there this seemingly irreconcilable gap between their desire for something deeper and their actual perception and understanding of God?
Barna Research also found that many church going teens are not being challenged by the preaching and teaching of the true Gospel. There are countless American teenagers who do not understand what it truly means to be a follower of Christ, but have only been taught to "accept Christ" and then continue living the same lives they were living. With a shaky foundation, they encounter the culture head on and find it difficult to hold onto the faith they barely know.
Easily swayed and not truly understanding why they believe what they say they do, teens try desperately to hold on to a semblance of Christianity, but end up entangling Christian values with those of the culture surrounding them. Many of these same teenagers continue to faithfully attend church and youth group, yet have been so branded by the morality of the world that they find it difficult to truly believe in what they are being taught.
This progression continues, and teens begin to doubt. They are reluctant to truly believe in the divinity of Christ. All the while, these same teens continue searching for something deeper and for a way to genuinely connect with their beliefs. Without a strong and steadfast foundation, however, it is almost a futile pursuit.
There are two value systems battling within them. For example, they debate creationism and evolution. They know that if they choose to believe in Creation, they must face a world that is hostile to their beliefs. They ponder the notion of an absolute truth, unable to reconcile the idea of only one road to heaven with a world espousing moral relativism and a "do what's right for you" theology. They struggle with sin, trying to understand how they are supposed to "forsake it all." Surrounded by immorality, the concept of living a holy life before God seems almost impossible. Every day, they face a world that upholds the pursuit of pleasure as a virtue. Sex is everywhere, drugs are everywhere. Today's teenagers have faced abortion, school shootings, suicide, teen pregnancy, the teaching of evolution as truth and the debunking of Christian ideals in nearly all facets of life. Is it any wonder that they have created a Christianity that is so far from everything it was intended to be?
There is no step-by-step, simple solution to this problem. There is certainly no magic wand to wave and make everything perfect. There are, however, practical steps that we can take to begin to bring teens to an understanding of true Christianity. Because many of them have not been taught the foundations of the faith, that is where we must begin. There are three things that must happen if we want to help teens build this foundation:

1. Meet Teens Where They Are
We must meet teens where they are. Every individual is at a different place. As parents, pastors, youth leaders and adults, it is important that we build relationships with teenagers and find out where they are in their own faith. Do not be quick to judge, but try to understand the world they live in and the different issues they face day after day. Invest time in them and show them that you care. Love and understanding is the platform from which we must speak truth into their lives.

2. Build a Strong Foundation in Your Own Life
If we want to help teenagers build a strong foundation, we must have one first. This is absolutely essential. We cannot take people where we have not been or teach what we do not know. We must make sure that we truly understand concepts like sin, repentance, discipleship, spiritual warfare, prayer and what it really means to follow Christ in all things. It may mean that you need to become better acquainted with the creation vs. evolution debate as well as issues like abortion, euthanasia, and moral relativism. Your teenagers have questions about these topics. As a youth leader, perhaps you can bring in someone to talk to your teens about these issues. As a parent, be ready to answer questions and lead your teenagers to the truth.

3. Be an Example
This generation has seen and heard enough hypocrisy in the church. A lot of times, your greatest message is your life. Build relationships with teenagers, take them out to lunch, invest your time in them; and as you do so, show them what it means to walk this Christian life. Show them what it means to have an authentic and vibrant relationship with Christ.

Because more and more teenagers believe in a "new Christianity", we must grab a hold of the hunger they do have and lead them to the reality of Jesus Christ. As we implement these principles, teenager by teenager, we can change mindsets and teach this nation's youth to have a foundation this world's value systems cannot shake.


Sources: OMG! How Generation Y Is Redefining Faith In The iPod Era Report, AgapePress, Theocracywatch.com, Dallasnews.com, news-leader.com, prnewswire.com, godspy.com. msnbc.com, irish.typepad.com, decaturdaily.com, pluggedinonline.com
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