“Millennial” is a term for those between the ages of 18 and 30. We had “baby boomers,” “baby busters,” “Gen X,” “Gen Y,” and now “millennials.” The focus on the millennials has occurred because so many of them have left the religion / church of their youth / parents and have become unaffiliated. Leaving the religion of one’s parents is nothing new and will not end. But in our day, this phenomenon is almost a generational decision or so it seems.
Thus Barna Research Group has put together studies detailing why these young men and women who have opted to go with a “institution-less” Christianity or turned their backs entirely on Christianity. To be fair, as I have pointed out before (most notably from a book by Naomi Riley, Got Religion?), millennials are leaving all forms of organized religion: Islam, Judaism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Mormanism. Why are they leaving and what can we, as Christians, do to bring them back and/or stem the tide of loss?
To help answer that question, Barna’s president, David Kinnaman wrote a book You Lost Me: Why Young Christians are Leaving Church …and Rethinking Faith. As he categorizes the reasons why millennials gave for leaving the faith, he presents the summary under six broad reasons (pgs 92-93). In a previous Daily Droplets, I shared the first two. Here are two more…
3. Christianity is perceived as being anti-science. Kinnaman writes: “science appears to welcome questions and skepticism, while matters of faith seem impenetrable” (pg. 93). I don’t know about you, but my parents brought me up to investigate scientific matters and go where the evidence leads. That’s what we have to encourage in our children. God is the author of science as much as He is Scripture (Psa. 19:1-6). King Solomon was both a scientist (1 Kings 4:33) and a theologian (see Proverbs and Ecclesiastes).
Because my parents taught me to pursue truth (Prov. 23:23), I began studying the old-earth creationism of John Clayton. Eventually, I realized his views did not square with common sense, science, or the Bible. I read material by young-earth creationists such as Henry Morris, Michael Oard, and Carl Froede. Could the text of Genesis allow an “old-earth” interpretation? When you study the text, you come to realize that it cannot. I was greatly assisted by the men at ApologeticsPress.org but I don’t believe something just because they say it. I am interested in truth.
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There is no discord between true scientific research and true biblical interpretation. We need to recognize that. God never calls on us to believe something that is illogical, irrational, or that is not supported by evidence. So, maybe we in the older generation who work in the scientific disciplines would do well to share with our young adults and teenagers how our faith influences our work and/or view of life. We might save a soul from the prodigal’s path.
4. Christianity is viewed by millennials as “repressive,” specifically in the area of sexuality. Cleary there are some behaviors that God says are wrong. We need to make sure our children understand that it is not the church that determines morality nor is it the elders or the preacher who defines what sin is. In fact, we would go even further and say it is not the Bible per se that defines right and wrong. It is the nature of God. God is holy (Isa. 6:3) and anything that violates the nature of God is “sin.” In order for us to know what is sin, we have to listen to God. That’s where the Bible finds its purpose. Sexual relationships before or extra-marital are sin because it offends the nature of God. He said so (Hebrews 13:4).
At the same time, we also need to help our children understand the practical side of a healthy, monogamous relationship. The evidence is abundant and overwhelming that a two-parent family, built after you get your education and after you get married is the healthiest and most successful pattern for living and best antidote to avoid poverty. That’s what we’ve got to teach our children.
The millennials are reclaimable, just as the prodigal son was. We just can’t panic and change the Gospel to suit their “needs.” We have to help them understand that the Gospel as it is is already suitable to their needs.
–Paul Holland
