Never Trust Anyone Over 30

“Never trust anyone over 30.”  It is a declaration that is rooted in the turbulent 60’s.  Environmental activist and New Left leader, Jack Weinberg, is credited with making the statement in 1964.  While Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin and even the Beatles expressed disdain for anyone of 30, it was Jack Weinberg who spoke it first on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley.   It became a rallying cry for a generation that called for change.  It was not just the about Vietnam War, immigration and the environment were also big issues.  Hippies and other protesters pointed out the hypocrisy of those over the age of 30.  The insinuation was that once you passed a certain age you lost perspective.  The causes you once viewed as so important got lost as you climbed both the chronological and economic ladder.

During my years in youth ministry I heard my share of claims of hypocrisy aimed at adults over a certain age.  Typically the line of demarcation was the point at which you were old enough to move into a leadership position, whether in the church or government.  In the minds of many youth, those in position of authority had checked both their brains and moral standards at the door when they assumed their positions.  Many teens were aware of the lifestyle the leaders lived behind the veneer of their positions.  Yes, the kids would use the word “hypocrisy” to describe the behavior of older church members, especially those in leadership positions.

From my perspective, we are all hypocrites in God’s eyes.  We all can join Paul in saying, “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do” (Romans 7:18b).   Hypocrisy is part of our human nature, but then so is grace.  If we acknowledge and confess our hypocrisy, God is always quick to forgive.  Herein, I believe, is the key to overcoming the generational gap and sharing the heritage of faith.