It is written: “ As surely as I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.” So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
-Roman 14: 11,12 (NIV)
What caught my eye in the USA Today, Tuesday, April 27, 2010, was a front-page article entitled “Young Adults Less Devoted to Faith: Survey shows steady drift from church life.” In the outset, the writer pointed out “that most young adults today don’t pray, don’t worship, and don’t read the Bible. If this trend continues, ‘the Millennial generation will see churches closing as quickly as GM dealerships.” The columnist based her findings from a survey conducted by a Lifeway Christian Resource group. The intent was to focus on 1,200 members from18-29-year-old in order to see their views on spirituality and faith; amazingly the results showed that 72% said they were “really more spiritual than religious.” Among the 65% that called themselves Christian, “many were either mushy Christians or Christians in name only – most of them were just indifferent. As far as measuring their Christianity, the fewer were found to be committed to faith.”
Key overall findings from the survey, highlighted the following:
1) 65% rarely or never pray with others, and 38% almost never pray by themselves either,
2) 65% rarely or never attend worship services,
3) 67% don’t read the Bible or sacred texts,
4) Many are unsure Jesus is the only path to heaven: half say yes, half no.
5) even though some believed that they will go to heaven because they accepted Jesus Christ as savior:
a. 68% didn’t mention faith, religion or spirituality when asked what
was ‘really important in life,’
b. 50% didn’t attend church at least weekly,
c. 36% rarely or never read the Bible. Only 17% read it daily.
These findings are astounding (to strike with sudden wonder-to amaze) in that it is a challenge to clergy and laity to grow “passionately Christian dynamic churches.” Why is this necessary? As the survey pointed out, many in the Millennial generation are veering (turning aside from a course) to “moralistic therapeutic (having healing or curative powers) deism – ‘God wants you to be happy and do good things.’…this isn’t what Christianity is all about.”
After reading the article several more times, I felt an alarm system go off as these question kept cropping up, just why are young people as a whole steadily drifting away from church life? Why has there been a steady rise of doubt that Jesus is the only way to Heaven? Why is there a steady stream of people being alienated from following the examples of Jesus as passed down from the patriarchs of the Old Testament?
Following the poetic style of Rudyard Kipling, I composed the following poem as a means to see into perhaps the real hindrances to faith in the 18-29 group:
When
When you can look within yourself and question what really takes place; finding out what keeps your nerves on edge, realizing all that matters is how you can keep your cool and nor hindering others to lose theirs; coming to grips that you can’t be influenced by facts unsorted, blinded by the lust of the eye that sway logic and brings on spiritual death; or tempted to get what you want without realizing the harm it brings to others;
When you can lay aside your cares and worries, hear the mocking bird chirp melodies on limbs near and far, touch a rose petal, notice the rippling movement of water in a stream, or take a deep breath of fresh air and look up to the sky and mull with a sound: “Wow! What a view!” Taking stock of the moment from nature that surrounds cannot change the will of the soul dampened with doubt and confusion;
When you can move away from those that unthinkingly and purposely belittles the poor, the disenfranchised, the alien, or those that blasphemes the name of God without a flinch or shame to be found; When even your closest friend that you call a buddy, a pal that sticks closer than glue; invites you to question what you know is right and leads you down a road filled with enslavement – become the wiserand run away as fast as you can.
When the stand you take for good causes you to be alone and forsaken, as loneliness creeps in and no peace can be found; your pockets seem to have holes and the refrigerator is bare – the automobile becomes a snare and you cry out in a moment, “is there hope anywhere?”
When you’ve reached the end of your rope, breathe in and breathe out; realize that even this is a miracle from the God who loves you beyond a doubt and is still waiting for you, my child, to come around; taking stock of who He is, just as putting confidence in a chair that you sit in, or trust in a pilot that flies a plane; this loving God -in- Christ can be yours! It’s just that simple and plain; for there’s hope in no other name.
When you can look within yourself and question what really takes place; finding out what keeps your nerves on edge, realizing all that matters is how you can keep your cool and nor hindering others to lose theirs; coming to grips that you can’t be influenced by facts unsorted, blinded by the lust of the eye that sway logic and brings on spiritual death; or tempted to get what you want without realizing the harm it brings to others;
When you can lay aside your cares and worries, hear the mocking bird chirp melodies on limbs near and far, touch a rose petal, notice the rippling movement of water in a stream, or take a deep breath of fresh air and look up to the sky and mull with a sound: “Wow! What a view!” Taking stock of the moment from nature that surrounds cannot change the will of the soul dampened with doubt and confusion;
When you can move away from those that unthinkingly and purposely belittles the poor, the disenfranchised, the alien, or those that blasphemes the name of God without a flinch or shame to be found; When even your closest friend that you call a buddy, a pal that sticks closer than glue; invites you to question what you know is right and leads you down a road filled with enslavement – become the wiserand run away as fast as you can.
When the stand you take for good causes you to be alone and forsaken, as loneliness creeps in and no peace can be found; your pockets seem to have holes and the refrigerator is bare – the automobile becomes a snare and you cry out in a moment, “is there hope anywhere?”
When you’ve reached the end of your rope, breathe in and breathe out; realize that even this is a miracle from the God who loves you beyond a doubt and is still waiting for you, my child, to come around; taking stock of who He is, just as putting confidence in a chair that you sit in, or trust in a pilot that flies a plane; this loving God -in- Christ can be yours! It’s just that simple and plain; for there’s hope in no other name.
When faith takes hold like a seed in the ground; doubts will disappear and your eternal future secured, then and only then will you have grown up and become a man or woman - transformed never to doubt again!
Selah
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