The Perilous Perspective of Gen Z

The current crop of teen-agers and young adults born between 1997 and 2012 has been dubbed Gen Z.  Raised on the Internet and social media, what the majority of these individuals actually believe should cause great alarm in the Christian church.  In 2018 Barna research characterized Gen Z as the “first truly post-Christian generation,” with only 4% holding to a biblical worldview.  Since then, the trends have only worsened.

A new study conducted last year collected data from 1,503 young adults ages 13 to 21 between June 15 and July 17, 2020.  From that study, Barna researchers determined that two-thirds (65%) believe that “many religions can lead to eternal life.”  This figure was up from 58% in 2018.

The moral relativism dominating this generation of young people was further seen in the fact that 31% “strongly agree” that what is “morally right and wrong changes over time, based on society”.  This number increased from 25% in 2018.  Another 43% agree “somewhat” with this perspective.

To look at the situation from a different standpoint, only 10% of those individuals surveyed “strongly disagree” that what is “morally right and wrong changes over time, based on society. 

Malachi 2:15 states that God ordained marriage because “He seeks godly offspring.”  I.e., God expects parents to have children and to raise them to know and honor Him, fully committed to a biblical worldview.  It is apparent that many professing Christians today are failing in this most critical mission.  

One of the primary tasks of the church is to encourage, support, and come alongside Christian parents to accomplish this God-given responsibility toward their children.  Obviously, the parents themselves must be absolutely committed to the unchanging authority of Scripture before they can instill this perspective in their sons and daughters.

In one of his final addresses to the nation of Israel that he had led for 40 years, Moses expressed the urgency of imparting this outlook to their children in this way: “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up” (Deut. 6:6-7).  Hence, the constant, consuming passion of parents must be to ensure their children embrace the unchanging truth of God’s revelation as the foundation for their lives.  The importance of this priority has not changed in 3500 years.