A Rebuttal to the "Me Generation Notion"

[paul]

Recently several statements have been made of the younger generation being a generation of "me only." When I hear these generalized statements it causes me to fume. Some of my WOF comes out in me. You frame your expectations with the words of your mouth. . Below are a few photos I received this night from our director in Burma. This is one of our schools up north near the China Boarder. Their persecution, hardship is constant and the government is brutal towards them. Yet this "ME" generation is preparing themselves for service through our Bible College, and guess what? there are as many young people like this in America who are willing to sacrifice. The problem is that many churches and Pastors don't know how, or will not engage them.

[Full Quiver]

Paul, I've yet to meet a person that didn't have a little "me only" in them somewhere but I agree that many are more than willing to sacrifice for the cause of Christ.

[Pastorbps]

Do you know what makes me fume? It is people who bury their heads in the sand about America & Europe. For 20 centuries Europe and America have spearheaded mission efforts to the world. We have sent the original missionaries to the countries you now work in and we have and continue to be the primary means of their financial support.
Now Europe has become post-Christian with many nations reporting that less than 2% of its citizens now attend church. Church building are being closed down and sold off to be used as stores and businesses. On top of that, Islam is saturating Europe with immigration and Muslims are building mosques all over Europe.
America is seeing less and less commitment. Many Christians (Of course not all but I think most people understand that) in America are Christians in name only. They don't attend church but on special occasions, they don't work in church, and they are (believe it or not) caught up in a "do for me" attitude. They go to church if they offer something that appeals to them on a carnal level but they see no reason to attend if you don't. Bury your head in the sand if you want to but this is where we are. The younger generation is rapidly headed away from Christianity in America or at least to a form of Christianity which doesn't demand self-denial or sacrifice.
We speak the truth and it isn't so because we say so (Some twisted WOF nonsense), it is so therefore we say so.
Now Paul, what happens to the mission support when the industrialized nations who financially support missions suddenly become "post Christian?" Instead of burying our heads in the sand and saying "It isn't so" we had better wake up to where we live and take the steps to challenge our young people to be givers and not takers, to ask not "What can my church do for me but what can I do for my church." We need rebuke the attitude that says, "If church is boring I don't have to go." We need to teach them about duty and responsibility and that they owe God and not the other way around.
Thank God for these Burmese young people but we aren't talking about Burma we are talking about America. The COGOP has long been mission minded. We may have done other things wrong but that wasn't one of them. We now have many more members outside the US than inside the US. The problem is, most of our financial support for missions comes from the US. Neglecting the needs and challenges we face in the US has led us to a place where we can no longer support the mission efforts in the 120 nations where we currently have churches. We need to face our problems in the US and work to fix them or it will affect mission efforts. What you may have interpreted as complaining about the youth is actually an honest hearted attempt to face who we are, what are mistakes have been, and what are challenges are.
So instead of "fuming" about our honest discussions and criticizing pastors for not knowing how to plug their youth in, I would just ask you to pray God gives us the wisdom to handle our business so we can help missionaries handle theirs.

[paul]

"Pastorbps"]

Now Paul, what happens to the mission support when the industrialized nations who financially support missions suddenly become "post Christian?" Instead of burying our heads in the sand and saying "It isn't so" we had better wake up to where we live and take the steps to challenge our young people to be givers and not takers, to ask not "What can my church do for me but what can I do for my church." We need rebuke the attitude that says, "If church is boring I don't have to go." We need to teach them about duty and responsibility and that they owe God and not the other way around.

No one especially myself is asking anyone to bury their heads in the sand. What I am saying is to stop focusing on those who seem to what everything given to them and concentrate on the many that are more than willing, who have a desire, but need to be engaged into active participation in the church.

There is a revival movement currently taking place in many areas around europe. Mostly among the younger generation. Your statement of only around 2% attending church is accurate. So what is the answer ? In Europe and America..Work, pray and equip the percentage that does have a heart and watch the church grow...watch churches being planted..watch the local church come to life...watch nations return to Christ and unreached nations come to Christ. See the glass half full and not half empty. Then I will stop fuming

[Pastorbps]

It isn't a matter of the "glass being half empty or half full" it is about dealing with reality and challenges. Was Jesus focused on the half-empty glass when he spoke of the 1 lost sheep instead of focusing on the 99?
I think it is burying your head in the sand if we don't face the attitudes we are dealing with instead of saying "Well at least some young people get it."

You spoke of a revival in Europe. That would be great but I just don't believe it. Are you sure we are speaking about the same Europe? I'm talking about Spain, Italy, France, Germany, and the Scandanavian countries which are the traditional reformation and missionary countries. I am not including the former Soviet countries which may pad statistics regarding Europe.

[Full Quiver]

Eastern Europe is still Europe and what better way for revival to spread to the Europe you mentioned than from their cousins in the Eastern block.

[paul]

It isn't a matter of the "glass being half empty or half full" it is about dealing with reality and challenges. Was Jesus focused on the half-empty glass when he spoke of the 1 lost sheep instead of focusing on the 99?
I think it is burying your head in the sand if we don't face the attitudes we are dealing with instead of saying "Well at least some young people get it."

You spoke of a revival in Europe. That would be great but I just don't believe it. Are you sure we are speaking about the same Europe? I'm talking about Spain, Italy, France, Germany, and the Scandanavian countries which are the traditional reformation and missionary countries. I am not including the former Soviet countries which may pad statistics regarding Europe.

Yes I am speaking of France, Scotland and Germany. Schools using The International Curriculum that we use, have graduated over 250,000 students around the world. A good friend of mine in Germany reported of a great move of God in his area. I will be in a global meeting with regional directors from all over the world in February as they report of the move of God in their part of the world.

I am so glad you brought up this portion of scripture. In Luke 15 there are no just one but three parables. " The Lost Sheep" which you refer to. "The Lost Coin" and "The Lost Son."

Jesus was focused on the Glass. Jesus stressed the value of the lost. Whether it was the Sheep, coin or the Son. The ancient hearers of these parables whould have expected Jesus to tell them that the lost son got what he deserved. The story is more about the Father than the son. The idea is that he did not love the lost son any more than the obedient son, but rather, he did not love the lost son any less.

John Maxwell makes a statement ''Believeing in people before they have proved themselves is the key to motivating people to reach thier potential.''

When I refer to the glass half full this is what I am stating. This young generation does not have to prove anything to me. I believe in them, I am not moved by what I see (reality) but I am moved by faith in God and that He has a plan for every one of their lives. no matter what the church or society labels them. God see full potential in them. Even if they are tatted, pierced, and glued to PS2.

[beckrl]

What I see of the youth in the US is a far different response that outside of the US. At the most the youth in the US have grown up with some type of focus on christian religion.
With the growing attitude with each generation that they should be given what every they want. I believe this attitude flows over into their christian walk. Making it every so hard to reach them on an higher level.

In the mission field many of the youth run to the gospel and have a greater desire to put what they have learn to work, I'm not saying that many in the US don't but we can't deny that many have a "Me" attitude.

I believe we as the church feed into that attitude when we try to give them what would be compared to what the world would give them.

As I look over those picture, It would seem they like Tv