Hersey: Maybe We Have Something to Learn from Millennials

I often hear comments from some of my older adult peers that young folks have lost their way when it comes to holding traditional Christian beliefs.  The criticism is that even teens and young adult who have been brought up in the church have not been properly instructed in basic doctrine.  And even if they were taught the core doctrines they have diluted them as they have tried to blend Christian believe with the world view.  I recently read a new report from Ligonier Ministries that examined the state of theology in the United States.  The survey was conducted by Lifeway Research and based on interviews with 3,000 Americans.  This is the third such survey, with previous studies done in 2014 and 2016. 

What is especially troubling, to me, is that many Evangelical Christians are “deeply confused” about some core Christian doctrines.  Overall Jesus is still viewed as the Savior of the World.  For example, a majority agreed that Jesus died on the cross for their sins and that he rose from the dead.   On the negative side, they rejected the Bible’s teaching on (1) the gravity of man’s sin, (2) the importance of the church’s gathering together for worship, and (3) the Holy Spirit,”  More than two-thirds (69%) of Americans disagree that the smallest sin deserves eternal damnation—and 58 percent strongly disagree. Ligonier finds this “alarming.”  A majority of US adults (58%) said that worshiping alone or with one’s family is a valid replacement for regularly attending church. Only 30 percent disagree.  A majority of US adults (59%) say that the Holy Spirit is a force, not a personal being.

Other disturbing findings include:  “Most people are basically good” (52%) and “God accepts the worship of all religions” (51%).  Strangely, while most evangelicals strongly believe in justification by faith alone, they are confused about the person of Jesus Christ. On one hand, virtually all evangelicals express support for Trinitarian doctrine. Yet at the same time, most agree that Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God, which was a view espoused by the ancient heretic Arius.

Surprisingly, Millennials provided one of the bright spots.  The number of Americans ages 18 to 34 with evangelical beliefs (as defined by LifeWay Research) “rose significantly” from 14 percent in 2016 to 18 percent in 2018. Ligonier also noted a “large increase” in Millennials affirming that salvation is found in Christ alone (62%, up from 53% in 2016) and that Jesus Christ will return to judge the world (64%, up from 55% in 2016).  “There has been a significant change for the better among Millennials across a range of questions when compared to previous State of Theology surveys—so much so that they score higher than any other age group in several areas,” stated Ligonier. “Whether this is an anomaly or will continue unabated in future years remains to be seen.”

If there is a message here, it is in the need to be constantly in the word, checking our personal beliefs against what God actually tells us in the Bible.  Additionally there is the need to be in constant conversation with others on issues of faith.  “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17).  Perhaps some of that conversation needs to be across generation.  Maybe we have something to learn from Millennials.