The spiritual disconnect of this generation of young church-goers is startling. But this disconnect hasn’t come out of nowhere—it begins with a generational loss of the spiritual legacy that should be passed on to the coming generations through family and church.
Every generation has the same decision to make: will I serve the God of the Bible or a false god? The “god of this world” may shift his seductions slightly from generation to generation, but the basic challenge is always the same. Christians must be vigilant to recognize these attacks and respond with biblical truth. Now, while statistics indicate that churches and Christian homes are failing to reach kids, God has given us all the resources we need to turn the tide!
In my new coauthored book Ready to Return, I shared research from America’s Research Group that is eye-opening and shocking enough that it should cause parents and Christian leaders to diligently consider how they can address this unfortunate situation.
Here’s just some of what we learned about the beliefs of 20-somethings who regularly attend church today:
Our studies have shown that these millennials—twenty-somethings—are not as interested in Christ or Christianity as previous generations. And those who do remain within the church have major biblical literacy issues. They don’t understand what Scripture teaches or how to apply doctrine to cultural and societal issues. Many don’t understand the gospel and what it means to be a true Christian.
All of God’s truth in Scripture fits and works together, seamlessly and without flaw. What we’re facing today, however, is a generation that cannot link theological “cause and effect” together. Instead, they approach God’s Word “buffet style,” picking and choosing what truths and beliefs are most attractive to them, while rejecting those truths that are more likely to be mocked by the culture as “politically correct” as defined by the culture. They’ve been taught by our culture to rely on our own experience rather than on objective truth, and that’s how they approach God’s Word and Christianity. And this will continue as long as they remain untrained and unequipped in biblical truth and apologetics.
Today, there is a desperate need to teach the current and the next generations to stand uncompromisingly, boldly, and unashamedly on the whole Word of God, beginning in Genesis.
If you want to learn more about this spiritual disconnect within millennial church-goers, and see what you can do to combat it, I encourage you to read our new book Ready to Return. This book is a must-have for every church leader and parent, and makes a great addition to any church library.
Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken
This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.
Answers in Genesis is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.