Minneapolis pastor Dave Johnson writes in today's Out Of Ur blog about a guy he knew growing up named Ray who was a pillar of the church - yet was completely barren of spiritual fruit in his life. Johnson writes, "The Spirit’s fruit, like love and joy, rarely showed up in him in any discernable way, and he didn’t much like it if showed up in yours."
He wonders what the deal was with Ray - how a lifetime of church involvement (including a stint in leadership) had seemed to change him so little.
I ask a variation of this question often. My particular slant on the question is, "Why do kids who grow up in families with committed Christian parents choose to go faith-dormant (or worse - to walk away) as they enter adulthood?" There's no easy or single answer to the question, of course. Some families have a different dynamic behind closed doors than their public, church faces (hypocrisy or abuse), others assume that if the kid isn't balking at church stuff, that they're on board and growing spiritually (and maybe they're not). Some kids take the whole thing for granted, and their faith never really becomes their own. Other kids are compelled to explore the darkness for themselves - hearing their whole life long that there is a world full of darkness out there (forget the darkness in our own hearts) is not quite the same as experiencing it.
I ask this because I watch our own kids battling in varying degrees with what following Christ is going to look like in their lives. And because I work at a Christian college and see the same sad saga repeated in so many of the students' experiences.
For a crusty crank like Ray - and for a generation of kids who grew up in the church - the questions are the same. For these people who've been vaccinated with a good dose of religion and know a lot of information about Jesus and how to play American Evangelical Christianity - how can they encounter both who they really are and Who He really is?
3 comments:
These are probing and worthwhile comments and questions. Thanks. Having lived in Christian community for over twenty years and seeking to respond to some of the issues you raise I have some similar questions. There is so much that is unreal, inauthentic, and hypocritical in many Christian contexts that young people aren't interested. While they can't expect perfecttion there should be some real demonstration of living truth and love.
Seems like we need to be moving in the directions of being more intentional followers of the crucified and risen One, and to establish communities where young people can raise their questions and express their doubts in a loving environment that takes them seriously, while living a credible picture of Jesus that will help them encounter who he really is and who they really are.
Greg - You're right. One thing that I love about kids and young adults is that their hypocrisy detectors are operating at peak capacity. This is a gift that actually may serve to keep them from following lock-step without engaging the truth for themselves. And they crave genuine community - healthy community by definition serves as a secondary hypocrisy filter in their lives.
What a gift you've been given to spend two decades of your life in community!
The college kids I know feel safe to talk one-on-one with people who'll really listen without judging and who will pray first, talk second. But church - or chapel, for that matter - seems to be a place to keep up the show that everything's just fine in their lives. I'd love to hear more about how your community fosters that safe environment for doubts and faith struggles.
Thanks for these insights. Excellent feedback.
In our community we attempt to offer a shelter for people. We try to get to know each other and have real relationships that foster trust. There is some one-to-one time that allows for things to come up in a non-threatening way. We eat and work together - try to have something of a life together in a Christian environment that encourages rasing questions, expressing doubts, careful listening, and seeking credible answers where they may be found.
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