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Where to Go From Here
By Brittany Ulman
Is all hope lost?
In times like these, most people would probably respond with an
emphatic “yes,” and to an extent, they would be right. But it’s not why
we might think.
This hopelessness we feel, it’s not because of the virus. Nor is it
because of the political climate. In fact, it has nothing to do with
what we see. It’s because as a country—and certainly as a world—we’ve
walked away from the only true source of hope. Nix that. We’ve sprinted
so far away from it for so long, it’s not even a blip on our radar
anymore, even with today’s technology.
But that’s not the worst part. What’s worse is our lack of belief in
such a hope and the fact that we’re searching for it in all the wrong
places. Rather than turn to the One who holds such a hope, we’re
turning to politicians, stimulus checks and vaccines. Not only is this
leaving us without a hope now, it will inevitably leave our younger
generations without a future—at least a future that means anything.
Some blame it on the younger generations, some on the older generations
and others on both. No matter who you think is the culprit, we all
should be able to agree on one thing: somewhere along the way, our
society broke down and no one has bothered to stop and investigate, let
alone try to fix it.
Don’t get me wrong, many people—many truly Godly people—have tried and
succeeded in shedding some light in this broken world, and that has
made a difference. Yet, when was the last time we had a movement toward
good? Not society’s definition of good nor a temporal pivot toward
wishful thinking, but a bonafide movement where the Body of Christ took
up its cross, followed Jesus and took His Good News to the end of the
earth.
Yeah, it’s been a while.
As a result, we have generations of people who feel hopeless and lonely
like never before. Before I move ahead though, let me make it clear
again: this hopelessness is not because of the virus and social
distancing. Yes, these things have augmented the problem, but this is
much bigger than COVID-19.
Before the virus, researchers started to notice a trend amongst
Millennials (those born between 1981-1996). According to a 2019 study
from YouGov, 30% of Millennials said they always or often felt lonely,
that’s in comparison to 20% of Gen Xers (1965-1980) and 15% of Baby
Boomers (1946-1964). Break it down even more, and 25% of Millennials
said they had no acquaintances, 22% with no friends, 27% with no close
friends and 30% with no best friends. And this was before the virus.
True friends matter; they’re the ones who stick by you no matter what,
tell you what you need to hear and fight for you. If we don’t have
acquaintances, let alone friends, what do we have? “If either of them
falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and
has no one to help them up,” Ecclesiastes 4:10. Jesus Himself had only
a small group of friends.
Similar to YouGov’s findings, a 2018 Cigna study reported Millennials
scored a 45.3 in terms of loneliness, compared to 45.1 for Gen X, 42.4
for Baby Boomers and 38.6 for the Greatest Generation (page 6).
These statistics are shocking considering the amount of time today’s
younger generations spend on social media. And unfortunately, that is
what most people point to as the problem. Millennials and those younger
than them simply aren’t socializing in person like previous
generations; get rid of things like Instagram and SnapChat, or maybe
smartphones altogether, and things will change.
There might be some truth to that, but it’s not the answer. The answer
lies not in how much young adults like social media, but on how little
they love God. And that’s not just speculation.
According to a 2018-19 Pew Research study, 49% of Millennials claimed
to be Christian*, a decrease from 65% in 2009. What remained was 40%
identifying as unaffiliated and 9% as “non-Christian,” compared to 27%
unaffiliated and 7% non-Christian in 2009. (In 2018/19, around 1% of
respondents answered, “Don’t know/confused,” and 2% responded the same
in 2009.)
Those statistics align with another study Pew conducted in 2014
regarding Millennials’ outlook on religion and Christianity in
particular. In this study, Pew reported 53% of younger Millennials and
52% of older Millennials seldom or never read the Bible (only 25% and
29% reported reading it at least once a week, respectively). When asked
about their stance on the Bible, 44% of younger Millennials and 42% of
older Millennials said Scripture is not the Word of God. On another
point, 62% of younger Millennials and 64% of older Millennials
said they seldom or never participated in prayer, Bible studies or
religions education groups. Again, all before the virus.
With these statistics in view, the reason behind so many Millennials
feeling lonely and hopeless is evident. Does social media play a part?
Perhaps. But hope is not dependent on how much or how little time you
spend on social media, it depends on how much space God has in your
heart.
So what is the solution? Well, what does Jesus say?
“And Jesus said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been
given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I
am with you always, to the end of the age’” (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV).
The solution is clear: love as Jesus loved, one person at a time. Jesus
was many things—teacher, servant, creator, healer, Savior—but in all
things, He was relational. He sought individuals, not numbers. He
wanted personal, not casual. He asked for all of us, not some of us
part of the time. As a result, Jesus started what would be the most
fruitful movement in the history of Christianity. Through His small
group of 11, He sent forth disciples who then went out to make
disciples who then went out to make more disciples. You get the picture.
Jesus was in the disciple-making business, not the church-building
business, as far as buildings are concerned. For Jesus, the Church is
more than a physical building, it’s the body of Christ teaching as He
taught and loving as He loved. One soul at a time. The call is clear,
what will our response be? Will we let today’s young adults continue
down their path to running away from God, or will we be the next
movement ushering people to Christ?
We have the greatest news ever told, it’s about time we start sharing it, as Jesus intended.
*Pew Research Center classified Christian as those of the Protestant,
Catholic, Mormon, Orthodox Christian and “Other Christian” faiths;
non-Christian as those of Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and “Other”
faiths; and unaffiliated as those identifying as Atheist, Agnostic or
identifying with “nothing in particular.”
Ballard, Jamie (2019, July 30). Millennials are the loneliest generation. YouGov.
English Standard Version Bible. (2001). Crossway Bibles.
Pew Research Center (2014). Religious Landscape Study. Retrieved 25 January 2020, from
Pew Research Center (2019, October 17). Religious Landscape Study Updated. Retrieved 25
January 2020, from
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