Why Not Tell Us What You Really Think, Ted?

“The Christianity that attracts young people is the Christianity of earthly benefits, not the Christianity of an inheritance in heaven. Speak to many young people about our inheritance in heaven, and you’ll get blank stares. They certainly won’t dive into a mosh pit to express their delight with the prospect of Christ in heaven.

It’s a Christianity more enamored with a good time on road trips and summer missions and great youth meetings filled with entertaining presentations of the same message being spoken in the main sanctuary than with a one-way ticket to eternity.

It’s a Christianity that likes to grind to Christian music and wear Christian labels and repent for yesterday’s wrongs rather than meditate on the ecstasy to come.

It’s a Christianity that rolls at the altar at the beginning of the service and then rolls a joint at the end. A Christianity totally an unapologetically enamored with the foretaste of glory but with only a passing thought of glory itself.

And in the end, it is a Christianity that culminates in disillusionment, lethargy, boredom, and unbelief. One thing young people can sniff out is hypocrisy, and the same religion that once drew them often sends them packing. At some point they see that Christians really aren’t that much happier that anyone else. For all the talk, their walk is the same as those who don’t have the talk.

The adults nod their heads at my characterization of the younger generation, thinking it may be the best point I’ve made thus far, but in reality the adults are like the youth.

Or more accurately, the youth are like the adults.”

(Ted Dekker, The Slumber of Christianity, page 73)

Now there is some food for thought.