Blame Your Parents!
“What one generation tolerates, the next generation will embrace.” – John Wesley
Everyone complains about the “younger generation”. As a GenXer (I think?) my generation was looked down on. I was part of the TV generation. We were warned that TV was warping our minds. We saw the rise of technology. Anyone remember the Commodore 64? Yep, I had one of those bad boys. We had a fascination with entertainment and technology. Fast forward to the Millennials or Gen Z. They haven’t known anything but technology. A phone that you can put in your pocket? They’ve never known anything different. They have been brought up in a world where information is not hard to find. Want to know who invented the game of Billiards, simply say, “Hey Siri”! And now, of course we have AI technology.
This is not a blog about “that younger generation” and how easy they have it. To be honest, I enjoy many of these new luxuries. I’m self taught on several things now because of YouTube. It is nice having all of that information available.
It’s so easy to look down on the next generation. It’s nothing new. It’s happened for centuries. It’s always happened. The point of this blog isn’t so much the advances and the technology.
What’s important is our view of the Bible, our view of sin, our view of values, our view of morals. Those are the things that should transcend. And, here is where it gets serious … John Wesley was right, it is our toleration, that leads to the future’s embracing. We can’t blame the next generation if we’ve tolerated it. Think about what that generation will tolerate, and the generation after that will embrace.
What can we do? Well, the most important thing is to make sure we are looking through a Biblical Worldview. It doesn’t matter what my opinion is. It doesn’t matter what the Boomers, or GenX, or the Millennials, or GenZ thinks. What matters is what does God say. What matters is what the Bible says.
There have always been gaps in understanding from generation to generation. Something new isn’t necessarily bad. For that matter, neither is something old. They’re just different. We should teach and train the younger generations, but we should also not be afraid to learn from them. I think the issues come when we focus our energies in the wrong directions. Honestly, who cares if the Gen Zers are using their phone all the time if they have the right worldview? Yes, social media can corrupt a mind. It can change thinking to an ungodly worldview. But, dare I say so can any other form of media. The point is that a proper worldview changes the lens that we are looking through. Want to change the younger generation? It’s not going to come by taking away their phones and technology. It’s not going to come by building a huge fence around them. It’s going to come by infiltrating their hearts and their minds with a proper worldview. Then, and only then, will they be able to face this world and all of it’s challenges.