are plaguing our young people.
One of the biggest reasons I see for why this is happening is that whenever
someone wants to take on the real enemy, and stands up for a spiritual
principle, he or she gets beaten up by baby-boomers who seem to think they
have a monopoly on true compassion.
This happens inside and outside the Church. A judge who stands for
real marriage gets marginalized; celebrities who express their faith in God
and traditional morality get demonized; people who speak against disorder
on social media lose their jobs for speaking the truth. And in the Church we
continue to try to cater to all these false movements instead of rallying around
the strong spiritual ideals we find in our religion.
A lot of the folks in my generation who I know would stand up and inspire
the young people have been taught that it is through catering to those who
are leaving that we will grow the Church, and so they weaken their message
again and again. Right now it can seem you are a bigger commodity to this
church as an atheist than as someone who believes in the message. And any
time someone stands on real principle, he or she gets marginalized.
If we want this lost generation back, I think those in leadership really need
to stop focusing on the ones leaving and start focusing on the ones who are
struggling to stay, the ones who still believe in the vision. These folks are part
of the answer and could be incredible tools for the Church if their spirit was
harnessed.
Many are standing on the sidelines waiting for a strong spiritual vision to
rise up and take the lead. Some are even waiting for this to join the ministry. I
hope to see this soon, because the longer we wait, the less young energy we will
have to rejuvenate the Church.
The Rev. Ron Schnarr
Caryndale, Ontario, Canada
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