Why do teenagers and young adults hate Christianity ?

[Larniavc]

If we don't make any mention of evil, people won't know what it is Jesus saves from.

And I think a lot of young people (me included b'times) think "yeah, but I'm not evil". If you don't already believe you are evil or cannot be convinced that you are evil (think about how that sounds- having to be convinced by a Christian that you are evil) the consideration of Christianity as something of importance or relevance in life ends right there.

 

[dzheremi]

No believer has ever “gone to church” in the history of Christendom.

Not everyone has the luxury of attending a parish church, that is true (the community I used to be a part of in New Mexico worshipped in a private home for over 15 years, for example), but to say that they don't go to church is a bit silly. I know that by this you are advancing a kind of dematerialized ecclesiology, as is common across this website, but it's possible to have such an ecclesiological vision and still meet in a building called "XYZ Church", which I think most people would call "going to church". I would wager that most 'invisible church' types still do so, since the scriptures remind us over and over of the importance of being in communion with one another.

 

[Offline4Better.]

No believer has ever “gone to church” in the history of Christendom. The “church” is the body of Christ made up of called our believers who gather in Christ. Christ is the head of the body, the church.

The church met in thier houses, as we read in scripture. The church is a living body of believers not an organization of man or a corporation.

The functioning of the church is to gather in Christ abd freely minister abd edify one another as they are led, no man made control over all eith a one man exalted above all called “the pastor” on a thing called a altar or stage.

There is to be body ministry where all can edify not a one man pastor gift over all, (1 Corinthians 24:26-38, 1 Peter 4:10,11,).

This kind of wonderful gatherings where they also had a full meal and fellowship is wonderful.

Yes, the religious forms of men can be weary to many. But the true gatherings in the spirit are wonderful .

All of it applies in soo many ways we can barely understand.

Yes

No man knows the things of God but by the Spirit

1 Corinthians 2: 11, 12,14 “For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. …14. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

No, this is not right. No man knows the things of God but by the Spirit, (1 Cor. 2:11,12,14 KJV).

And

1 John 2: 20. But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. 27. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.”

And

2 Corinthians 13: 5. Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”

Hebrews 13: 20. Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21. Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

Find a gathering of believers who wait on the Lord, preferably who gather in homes and have body ministry and plurality if elders not a one man over all and who have a meal together. And who hold to the doctrine of Christ.

That is true, the church is where any gathering of two or more believers is. Church could even be a gathering of three Christian friends walking down the sidewalk. About the AI, I use a combination of my life anecdotes as testimony to how God has worked through me. The artificial intelligence was a stepping stone, but now when I make devotionals, I use discernment, to make sure what the machine spits out lines up with scripture. Then, I write how the scripture has connected to my life, or relates to world events.

For instance, sometimes I lack patience. But, I remember the Gospel, and realize that I should not judge others, lest I be judged. The 1st and 2nd Corinthians are good books in the Bible for me to dig in a bit more, same with Hebrews.

 

[bèlla]

Find a gathering of believers who wait on the Lord, preferably who gather in homes and have body ministry and plurality if elders not a one man over all and who have a meal together. And who hold to the doctrine of Christ.

That's what I experienced at the synagogue. Sabbath services ended with bread and wine followed by a meal everyone attended. It wasn't pot luck nor did anyone sit alone. We were invited to break bread with strangers and no one ate until everyone was seated and the prayer was finished. It reminded me of the passage in Galatians. Witnessing everyone on one accord was beautiful.

We had two services. One like the one you described that was led by laypeople and more involved. To help us understand the importance of community we had events in the synagogue, public outings and homes. We experienced shabbat with members and their families and holidays too.

I remember feeling fed on a natural and spiritual level. There were weekly lessons and additional classes if desired. We studied together as a group and I'd liken it to little chicks. They taught us everything directly and paired us with mature members during service should questions arise. And inclusion was foremost. It didn't matter if you were single, married or had a family.

I recall a Friday night event for families and wasn't sure if I should attend and they insisted I did. There were couples, singles, families, young and old. The music was incredible and that's probably the lone time I'll experience a conga line in a religious setting and I had a blast.

I learned the true meaning of oneness in that space and it's more than words. I've been to other places but they were special and I never forgot. After a while I've come to accept that's what my soul requires and what we're pursuing. I don't know if that's a house church per se. But it will include the elements we can't find elsewhere that are integral to our growth and maturity.

~bella

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

Young people aren’t buying far-right religious beliefs​

Young people aren’t buying far-right religious beliefs

Younger Americans aspire to build a world marked by love and justice. But they don’t see much of that in church. Read Union President Rev. Dr. Serene Jones’s op-ed featured in Religion News Service below or online here. Far-right politicians and influencers are on a rampage to impose their views...

utsnyc.edu

 

[Offline4Better.]

Young people aren’t buying far-right religious beliefs​

Young people aren’t buying far-right religious beliefs

Younger Americans aspire to build a world marked by love and justice. But they don’t see much of that in church. Read Union President Rev. Dr. Serene Jones’s op-ed featured in Religion News Service below or online here. Far-right politicians and influencers are on a rampage to impose their views...

utsnyc.edu

Amen to this. As a young man, I do not buy into far-right stuff either (or far-left). It is best for Christians to take a nuanced approach, and see both sides. Also, as a disgruntled moderate Christian, it is sad to see politics pervert our Christian religion. Both sides of the political sphere have strengths and weaknesses. Hence why a 3rd or 4th party makes sense to me in this moment.

Open-access Journal article on 3rd party (free to read):

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/378792210_A_HOME_FOR_THE_POLITICALLY_HOMELESS_THE_AMERICAN_SOLIDARITY_PARTY_CATHOLICS_AND_THIRD_PARTIES_IN_US_POLITICS

 

[lismore]

Here are two passages of scripture that might help answer the OP.

Matthew 10: 34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person's enemies will be those of his own household"

2 Timothy 3:1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

Jesus talked about the gospel causing division in families. The passage in Matthew talks about men turning against fathers, daughters against mothers and daughters in law turning against mothers-in-law because of the gospel- a clear prediction of a generational shift.

And the bible also predicts in Timothy that in the last days terrible times will come, one of the signs of living in the last days is many young people turning from what is right, 'disobedient to their parents'. God Bless You All

 

[RDKirk]

Amen to this. As a young man, I do not buy into far-right stuff either (or far-left). It is best for Christians to take a nuanced approach, and see both sides. Also, as a disgruntled moderate Christian, it is sad to see politics pervert our Christian religion. Both sides of the political sphere have strengths and weaknesses. Hence why a 3rd or 4th party makes sense to me in this moment.

Open-access Journal article on 3rd party (free to read):

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/378792210_A_HOME_FOR_THE_POLITICALLY_HOMELESS_THE_AMERICAN_SOLIDARITY_PARTY_CATHOLICS_AND_THIRD_PARTIES_IN_US_POLITICS

I think, rather, to see neither side, but see Christ's one path.

If you'll note, at some point someone tested Jesus' view of every political position of His day, and He rejected all of them.

 

[Robban]

Well, if Christians go around just telling other people, "You're evil!" then that doesn't help and it certainly isn't the gospel. We need to make clear that by nature, we are all evil, we have all broken God's commandments, both by doing things He commands us not to do, and by not doing things He commands us to do. Because of that, we all deserve only God's punishment. The good news is that there is a Saviour, Jesus Christ. When we believe in Him, He saves us from the punishment due for our sins. If we don't make any mention of evil, people won't know what it is Jesus saves from. A balance is needed.

I take it as evil is something that comes from thought, speech and deeds.

Repentence from a Jewish perspective is about connecting with the source of life and all things,

repentence is something all and everone need to do. Why?
Wrote Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi;

A common misconception is that Teshuva (repentence) is simply an antidote to sin,

and thus applies only to sinners and lowly people.

In truth , teshuva is the soul s return to and restoration of its original purity,


and applies to every soul that has descended into the human state .
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sins and transgressions should be offered up before the Lord in the form of confession in prayer


Not by hanging out your washing so all the neighbors delight and disgust

Has anyone wronged a fellow he should see to make amends

 

[All Becomes New]

I think the tone of this post from a Christian is big part of the answer to the OP. Mind reading, assumption, lack of mercy and condescension.

You can think what you want. I know the man has had countless opportunities to change his ways and he never has. He even goes as far as saying he is more sure religion is false now than before. That means his heart is getting even colder. Jesus would rebuke him if he was around today, much like he rebuked the Pharisees.

 

[RoBo1988]

And I think a lot of young people (me included b'times) think "yeah, but I'm not evil". If you don't already believe you are evil or cannot be convinced that you are evil (think about how that sounds- having to be convinced by a Christian that you are evil) the consideration of Christianity as something of importance or relevance in life ends right there.

I am not familiar with David Wells, other than this quote:

"Our task today is to tell people — who no longer know what sin is...no longer see themselves as sinners, and no longer have room for these categories — that Christ died for sins of which they do not think they’re guilty." - David Wells

"Sin" is to miss the mark. It's a heart condition, that may or may not manifest itself in action. Radio Bible teacher J. Vernon McGee used to say that most of us think of sin as something from the 6 o'clock news. Current culture confirms this.

If we understand that the mark we're missing is God's standard of holiness, and not ours - " I don't cuss, smoke, spit, chew or date the women who do", that's when lives will change.

 

[Larniavc]

"Sin" is to miss the mark.

But 'sin' as a metaphysical reality only really means anything if you already believe in God. The question from to the OP is why young people are turned off by Christianity. Unless you already believe in God and Hell exist there is no value proposition in believing in it.

So when a young person who does not already believe in God gets told they are evil, abominations, deserve eternal punishment if they don't love Jesus, and by the way don't be LGBTQ+ and do follow set of rules that seem arbitrary at best is it any surprise that they say "yeah, no"?

 

[dlamberth]

Rather than pointing towards unbelievers like it's their problem for not accepting Christian beliefs, I suggest that Christians look at themselves to see why that might be.

 

[All Becomes New]

Rather than pointing towards unbelievers like it's their problem for not accepting Christian beliefs, I suggest that Christians look at themselves to see why that might be.

It is not going to matter with a person like him. He said himself it was not that he suffered spiritual abuse. It is on him to accept the Truth and he doesn't. People want all Christians to be tolerant and loving or whatever. But when someone has been given a chance to believe time and time again and they deny or circumvent issues then you know what is going on inside them and it has nothing to do with how Christians are treating him.

 

[chevyontheriver]

I am not familiar with David Wells, other than this quote:

"Our task today is to tell people — who no longer know what sin is...no longer see themselves as sinners, and no longer have room for these categories — that Christ died for sins of which they do not think they’re guilty." - David Wells

I met David Wells a bunch of years ago, back when I was a bit green in my salad years and I think he was a bit green too. But he's right here. Jesus died for sins people don't even consider themselves guilty of. We don't need to shout 'SINNER!' but we do need to let them know that they do have a way out as provided by Jesus. If they think they are fine without that there isn't much more we can do but tell them anyway as directly and winsomely as possible and then watch and pray.

 

[JustaPewFiller]

Hmmm - well certainly a topic for lively discussion.

I think there are several parts to the answer and large part is down to demographics and how church conducts itself.

One is changing demographics of church attendees. Let me ask you this. If a new teen / young adult attended your church, how many members would they find that were close their age? For my church, the answer is 1. The young man runs the AV booth and is the son of a couple who attend. Everyone else would be old enough to be parents or grandparents.

This is backed up by data -

Average U.S. Pastor and Churchgoer Grow Older - Lifeway Research

The average age of a U.S. pastor and churchgoer Is getting older, according to Faith Communities Today. What does this mean for churches?

research.lifeway.com

The other age group where congregations differ dramatically from the U.S. as a whole is 18-34 year olds. Young adults make up 23% of the population but only 14% of churches. These age group coincides with the period in which most churchgoing teenagers have dropped out of church, according to Lifeway Research.


While a quarter of religious communities are at least half senior citizens, some congregations are more likely to be lacking youth. Among mainline Protestants, 42% of churches are at least half 65 and older.

Most of us are more comfortable when there are some people our own age around. If the crowd is almost all older (or younger) than us, we may not feel at ease right away. That doesn't make any of us bad or wrong, we cannot help the age we are. It is just human nature, but it cannot be ignored. You cannot plop a 20 year old down in the middle of a group of 70 year olds and expect them to feel like they fit in right away any more than you can plop a senior citizen down in a group of 20 year olds and expect them to feel like they fit right away.

Two - Young people sometimes feel "let down" by what they find in church. To say young people reject church out of hand is not 100% correct. But they do have things they would like to find in church.

Again this is backed up by data -

ChurchTrac Blog

Explore the latest church attendance statistics in 2024 and discover surprising insights into the changing landscape of church attendance.

www.churchtrac.com

Gen Z is looking for two things:

1. Faith practices that are immediately relevant to their daily life
2. Faith practices that make a positive impact on the world around them

Young people are looking for a connection to a faith and a community that will help give them direction while also making a difference in the world.

What Draws Gen Z To Church?​

They're interested in addressing more than just basic theology and religious beliefs, but topics that have immediate relevance in their lives. These topics in include mental health, questions and doubts about God, identity and purpose, social justice, environmental issues, and many more.

This graph from the study reveals the interest level respondents had in each topic presented in the study.

Key Trends:​

• 77.7% of non-churchgoing members of Gen Z are looking for churches that help the poor (Missional Marketing)
• 72% of non-churchgoing members of Gen Z have doubts about the existence of God (Missional Marketing)
• 73.6% of non-churchgoing members of Gen Z are looking for churches that address mental health (Missional Marketing)
• 69.2% of non-churchgoing members of Gen Z are looking for churches that provide opportunities to help others (Missional Marketing)

Do you see anything in that list that is "bad"? I do not.
Do you see anything in that list that would be inappropriate for a church to be engaged in? I do not. I see a list of opportunities that could be used to bring a young generation closer to God and to spread the Word to our communities.

But, I know as church congregations grow older they sometimes become more "inward focused" and don't do the activities Gen Z is looking for. Some even become judgemental about community activities. I've posted before how I work with a ministry that helps the homeless and the poor. An elderly man in our church said in Sunday school that I "might as well feed stray cats for as much good as it does to help those people (the homeless)". He wasn't happy when I reminded him that God loves those people as much as God loves him.
We do not need to tromp 1/2 way round the world to find lost sheep. There are a multitude of lost sheep in most of our towns.

To wrap it up. The younger people are not all bad. We older Christians are not all bad either. But, there is often a gulf between us when it comes to church and Christianity and what we want and expect. I believe it is a gulf that can be crossed but not easily. It will require some change and understanding on both sides. But, sometimes change and understanding are in short supply.

 

[Offline4Better.]

I think, rather, to see neither side, but see Christ's one path.

If you'll note, at some point someone tested Jesus' view of every political position of His day, and He rejected all of them.

It does seem like if Jesus were to return to Earth, he would reject all political parties.

 

[dlamberth]

It is not going to matter with a person like him. He said himself it was not that he suffered spiritual abuse. It is on him to accept the Truth and he doesn't. People want all Christians to be tolerant and loving or whatever. But when someone has been given a chance to believe time and time again and they deny or circumvent issues then you know what is going on inside them and it has nothing to do with how Christians are treating him.

I'm now reminded what my son said when asked why he rejects Christianity: "Christians use the Bible for ego instead of the other way around."

 

[All Becomes New]

I'm now reminded what my son said when asked why he rejects Christianity: "Christians use the Bible for ego instead of the other way around."

That's nice. Repentance is anything but ego. It is ego death. That is why atheists hate Christianity. That is why they try and be atheist evangelists.

 

[dzheremi]

I'm now reminded what my son said when asked why he rejects Christianity: "Christians use the Bible for ego instead of the other way around."

I'm not sure I understand what "the other way around" would be. What is using ego for the Bible, and why is it preferable?