ADRIAN KENDRICK
A lot of youth want to dare to be different, but reality reveals that teens just want to blend in. Some believe Christian teens who’ve been raised with morals and ethnics find it hard to fit in. The majority of youth believe it’s hard to say yes to the will of God when everything around them is damning Christ.
There are many reasons why teens struggle with their Christianity daily but peer pressure is at the top of the list.
“There are so many different influences. Hanging out with a group of teens that aren’t Christian, you try to get them to flow your way but they end up sucking you in,” explained Melia Whitfield, 14. “It’s all about being cool!”
Not only does peer pressure play a factor, Youth Pastor Ryan Elie of Lakeview Church states today’s culture decline has an effect on youths’ walk with God. In a society with moral relativism, it’s harder for Christian teens to make moral choices. Church is optional and without that standard choices begin to go down hill.
More progressive youth ministers believe moral decline during teen years stems from churches not adapting to youth culture. While some teens enjoyed learning about God through games and other things that were fun while growing up, Lisa Thomas, First Lady of Lord of the Harvest Church and youth minister says church has now become imbalanced and boring for teens.
“When kids start to become tweens and teens we have lost them because we are not catering to their transitional period,” said Lisa Thomas.
Elie added there is a misconception with many churches that believe just because there are church services teens will attend and hear the word, which is not necessarily true.
“I believe that we have to be real, and relevant,” said Pastor of Lord of the Harvest Church, Monib Thomas. “We have to deal with issues that need to be dealt with such as sex, alcohol and life issues. The church has to come up to the 21st century and have things that catch young people’s attention.”
Churches not only have to compete with teens’ friends and boring, anti-teen services, but parents and church staff must also battle with teen entertainment. Sources reveal that over half of the Christian population attends Hollywood movies rated R. With all the explicit sex scenes and cursing some say this is another reason why Christian teens falter.
While Hollywood may have a hold on Christian teens struggling to live a godly lifestyle, youth pastor Elie believes the root of the problem can be found in the homes of our youth.
“I think the greater influence is in the house. In family relationships, we’re seeing more single parent homes. This generation is one step away from being a God-less generation. The parents of today have stopped going to church and being a godly influence. That’s more of an influence than Hollywood.”
Teens who have had a godly foundation sometimes find it hard to walk with Christ, but youth who have found the Lord later in life have an even more difficult time.
“I thought Christians couldn’t do anything, they sat around the house, wore dresses; just boring,” said 20-year-old, Tasha Nunn. “But when I started going to church and hanging around different young people I realized it’s not like that.”
No matter where teens’ relationship stands some recognize Christ, but continue to live life on the fence, having one foot on God’s side and the other on the Devil’s. It appears they’d rather be cool and have fun while they’re young than live a holy lifestyle.
Data reveals the United States has 95 percent of people confessing they believe in God and 75 percent of those people claim they are Christians. Yet the U.S. still has the highest rates of STDs, teenage pregnancies, homicides, infant mortality, and abortions. Despite statistics, many spiritual leaders believe there is no hope left for this generation.
“It’s God’s will to reach our young people. God protected Jesus when Herod put out a decree to kill all the babies; he protected Moses going down the Nile River. God is not through with our young people,” Pastor Monib said.
“Your environment does not have to be a factor that determines whether or not your Christian walk with God is strong,” added Nunn. “I don’t live in a Christian household, but I’m still living how I’m supposed to according to the Bible. It’s easy to find someone to go to hell with you, but you’ll only find a few people that will go to heaven with you.”
