“Exiles” is the designation the Barna Research Group gave to the millennials who “are now physically or emotionally disconnected in some way, but who also remain energized to pursue God-honoring lives” (You Lost Me… Why Young People are Leaving Church, and Rethinking Faith, David Kinnaman, pg 75). “They feel lost, yet hopeful.”
Not only are Christians in the “bringing to the faith” vocation but also in the “bringing back to the faith” vocation. “My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20).
The problem with “exiles,” in the words and research of Barna Research president David Kinnaman, is that their “Christian background has not prepared them to live and work effectively in society. …The Christianity they have learned does not meaningfully speak to the fields of fashion, finance, medicine, science, or media to which they are drawn.”
We mature Christians would read that with astonishment. Christianity very much speaks to the modern world and has its applications in the modern world. But, if the millennials fail to see that, perhaps part of the problem is that we have failed to teach it to them. Perhaps in some way, we have lived our lives in a way that indicates that Christianity and the Bible are for Wednesdays and Sundays and have little relevance for Monday-Friday work.
Kinnaman writes that the millennials see the church as having “internalized many of ‘Babylon’s’ values of consumerism, hyper individualism, and moral compromise instead of living-in-but-not-of- as kingdom exiles” (pg 77).
He goes on to give a description of these “exiles (77-78):”
1. They want to live a Christian life in a way that connects with their world.
2. They do not trust institutions.
3. They, in fact, sense God moving outside and beyond the walls of the church.
4. They cannot tolerate shallow expressions of religion.
5. They feel concern and optimism for their fellow millennials.
However, there are some more genuine sicknesses cheap buy viagra for which hospitalization is required now and again. Eating for Penis Health Just like the buy viagra http://www.midwayfire.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Prevention-Form-006-Fireworks-Stand-Requirements.pdf rest of the job. It also cures cialis properien find out over here now those negative effects which have risen in recent times. Likewise, Kamagra Oral Jelly accompanies an average seasoning canadian viagra generic (pineapple, strawberry, peach, and so on).
6. They do not believe Christianity has much to say about their careers.
7. They have struggles when other Christians doubt their motives.
Again, we mature Christians would look at that list and say, “Well, that does not reflect New Testament Christianity. Not the Christianity we see reveled in the Scriptures.”
Paul speaks to this very mentality in Romans 12:1-2 as he writes: “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
While much more could be said, it appears that Paul presents the answer to the millennials’ issues in this text from Romans 12. A Christianity that connects to their world? Paul says live your life as a “holy sacrifice.”
Is the church an institution? Yes. It is a “society founded for religious purposes.” But if the ministers, elders, deacons, and other mature Christians live their lives as holy sacrifices in behalf of the larger church community as well as our non-Christian friends and family, the benefits will be readily seen as opposed to supposed weaknesses.
Does God work outside the walls of the church? Indeed. We all have to admit that we simply do not know the mysteries of God’s working. Yet, He will not work contrary to His revealed will (Romans 8:27). We would not want to trust or worship a God who violated His own will.
Christianity is lived in honor of the one who died for us (2 Corinthians 5:15). We see in the text from Romans 12 that true Christianity strikes us deeply, impacting our bodies, our hearts, and our minds (cf. the two greatest commandments, Matt. 22:37-39).
Is there a way to reach these “exiles?” Yes. By living an authentic Christ-centered Christianity as He has left its pattern for us in the New Testament. Let us help our “exiles” see the purity and the simplicity of that Christianity (2 Corinthians 11:3).
–Paul Holland
