Obsessing on the future is an occupational hazard for me. One of its benefits is that you never run out of things to ponder. One of the frustrations is that it takes so long to find out if your assumptions and expectations are accurate.
Reflecting on what might occur in the future is of more than casual interest to me. After twenty-plus years of studying leadership, social movements, personal development, and cultural change, I've come to realize that the future doesn't just happen; visionary leaders create it. These leaders are effective, in part, because they anticipate the possibilities and shape them to their own ends. I wish we had more Christians who filled that visionary leadership role.
One reason why this is on my mind (notice how cleverly I worked in the title of this column) is because of our continuing research among teenagers and adolescents. My recent focus has been on the interaction between the nature of their behavior and the factors that influence their behavior. Let me explain some recent findings.
My new book on young people (Real Teens) describes the fact that most of us misinterpret what's going on with teens these days. We note that three-quarters consider themselves to be Christian, most of them were raised in Christian homes, almost all of them own a Bible, four out of five pray to God each week, a majority participate in a church youth group, more than three out of five say they are deeply spiritual, and a majority claim that having a good relationship with God is one of their primary life goals.
All of that sounds great. We love teenagers because of their energy, enthusiasm, creativity, curiosity, potential—and the mere fact that God created them and loves them, therefore we should, too. We want to give them the benefit of the doubt and to help them succeed. We want to encourage and love them into the kingdom and into God's presence.
The Flip Side
But we've got to examine the flip side of their nature as well. Less than one out of ten have a biblical worldview, they're several times more likely to embrace relativism than absolute moral truth, they're comfortable with "unchristian" morals and behaviors, most of them proudly state that they know the core teachings and principles of the Christian faith and thus won't change any of their religious views in the future, and a minority have any desire or expectation of participating in the life of a church when they get older. Just one out of three can be considered to be born again—that is, have a personal relationship with Christ that's important to them and base their expectation of eternal life with God on the basis of grace alone. Fewer than one out of every twenty are evangelicals—that is, believe that the Bible is literally true, that a Satan exists, that Jesus lived a totally sinless life, that salvation is possible only by God's grace through a personal profession of faith, have an orthodox biblical view of God, and meet the born again criteria.
If you focus on our youngest two generations (the Mosaics and the Busters) to understand what they think and how they behave, you cannot help but notice a massive gap between what the Bible indicates is healthy and productive and what our young people have adopted as values, goals, beliefs, and lifestyles.
What's really on my mind (there it is again, cleverly rephrased) is the question of why kids (and millions of adults) have embraced the label Christian but don't accept the substance of that faith. "It's because of our sin nature," you might respond, recalling all that fine theology you've learned over the years. That's true, but what influenced most young people to choose ultimate evil over ultimate purity? "Satan," you might snarl with the ferocity reserved for (and deserved by) the enemy. That's true, too; but in practical terms, why hasn't the church been able to demonstrate the advantage of living for and like Jesus Christ?
This is the subject of my latest research efforts. Did I mention that this has been on my mind for some time now? (Did I mention how seamlessly and effortlessly I'm able to integrate the title of this column into this article?) No doubt we can attribute all this to Satan—well, at least the minority of us who believe in him can—but what does his presence look like in a teenager's life? Can we do anything about it?
What's Influencing Teens?
My current research is revealing some frightening realities. For instance, as we assess what influences the minds and hearts of young people, we're discovering that the dominant influences are movies, television, contemporary music, information, and experiences delivered through the Internet, books, parents, and public policy officials. (Those are the dominant influencers; schools, peers, and perhaps radio would round out the top ten.) The substance and volume of the messages sent by these sources of influence overwhelm anything that's offered by alternative sources. If you want to grasp what makes America tick, exegete the content of the top seven sources of influence.
Notice that the church, which should be the top-ranked source of influence, doesn't make the cut. "But what about the millions of born again Christians in America? Certainly their lives are a living testimony to the ways of Christ." The sad truth is that the church (i.e., the aggregation of followers of Christ) simply doesn't live "Christianly" enough for anyone to notice that faith really makes a difference in life. Even after the September 11th tragedy—which should have been a big moment for the Church to answer the big questions of the millions who attended services and other church events in hope of finding big answers—there is almost no residual affect of the church's presence.
For years I've been saying that America won't see spiritual revival and renewal until we endure some persecution. It turns out I was wrong. We got the persecution, but we didn't get spiritually healthier or wiser as a result. It's not necessarily because churches have no answers. It's because our answers aren't as plentiful or persuasive as the answers that come from our media, relationships, laws, and textbooks.
What Should We Do?
The idea of media abstinence is conceptually appealing but impractical. The notion of adding more church services so we can preach more often doesn't really address the root problems or reach most of the people who need help. Boycotting corporations who promote the garbage that is rotting our minds and souls has generally proven to be ineffective. Writing letters of complaint to offensive organizations seems to polarize rather than purify and lead to caricatures rather than comprehension.
Perhaps the answer lies in a two-fold strategy. First, we may want to re-think our abstinence from working in the media. A successful screenwriter who is Christian recently said to me, "When I was growing up, my church told me 'Don't go to Hollywood, it's full of sin.' I tell Christian kids, 'Go to Hollywood. It's full of sin.' How else can we be salt and light if we don't enter the battle?" Can we do a better job of raising an army of Christians who excel in producing, directing, writing, marketing, and managing the informative, artistic, and entertainment content while integrating a biblical worldview in their work? Can we prepare a generation of young people to intelligently and strategically enter politics as a mission field? Can we empower believers to bring their faith with them into the marketplace without losing their professionalism?
Vocational energy alone won't do it. As we develop a generation of passionate and talented young people who recognize their calling to the dens of influence in Hollywood, New York, Washington, D.C., and Silicon Valley, we also need a longer-term strategy for renewing the local church. There are some incredible churches around America; but honestly, most churches are timid and tired. They lack the leadership, the vision, and the courage to mount and sustain a moral and spiritual revolution in this country. Somehow we have to reinvent the process of faith development and expression in modern culture—never compromising what Scripture calls us to do and to be, but continually adapting so that we're an authentic expression of Christ every moment of every day. Our communities of faith must continue to teach truth—with words and behavior—in clear, continual, and compelling ways. We must have viable systems of accountability for those who embrace the name of Christ.
I wholeheartedly believe that the Mosaic generation is the key to igniting the moral and spiritual revolution that America so desperately needs. There are a few of us old geezers who can help shape and energize the movement, but it'll be fought and won by the younger generations. My generation's contribution was to so badly screw up reality that the choice is now more clear than ever: serve God or serve Satan. Spirituality affects every dimension of our lives; we either inform every choice with biblical faith or we pay the price.
. . . . .
I'm in the early stages of developing a strategy for addressing these issues more strategically and intentionally. Do you have any ideas? I'd love to hear them. We're in this battle together. It's not about me and it's not about you. It's about the body of Christ working together to recognize and resist evil. Depending upon your theological leanings, we may not win the battle this side of Heaven. But that's no excuse for refusing to engage the enemy.
That's what's on my mind. (Smooth, huh?) Whaddya think?
