What Gen Z Can Teach Us About Humility and Faith
The other night, two things happened that gave me great encouragement. The first was a conversation a professor shared with me that took place in his classroom. In an introductory class that gives students an overview of the grand story of scripture, the professor broke the students into pairs and asked them to share with each other what they thought about the Bible and what their history was of being involved in a church.
The professor could hear various conversations going on in the classroom which pleased him because the students were actually doing what he asked. But his interest peaked when he heard one new student say that he really didn’t know much about the Bible or the church. The other student in the conversation asked, “Have you ever heard the gospel?” The student answered that he had not. Then the student asked if it would be okay for him to share the gospel with the student and the student agreed.
I love that many Gen Z students are open to learning about faith. In the conversation described above, there was no anger or tension but rather an openness to share, to listen, and to learn. This is one of the reasons I am so passionate about the work that Christ-centered colleges like Point University do every day.
Many Christian institutions have traditionally been focused on educating students who have faith in Christ. When we receive these students, we can certainly help them develop a deeper understanding of their faith and strengthen it or bring them a Christian worldview. In recent years, many Christian universities like Point University have welcomed not just believers but also non-Christians. Every week I hear stories of students who are telling other students about their faith. And every semester I watch as many students come to faith in Christ for the first time.
In Isaiah 55:6 the prophet wrote, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.” We do not know when the day will come when the Lord may not be found. But in this moment, I am watching a generation who believes the Lord can be found today and that he is near.
It is so critically important that Christian educators, and frankly all believers, remember and revisit what comes just a couple verses later in Isaiah 55:
“’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’”
Unfortunately, many of us grown-ups have gotten lazy with our faith walk. It is easy to let our spiritual roots grow dry and brittle. But when we consider that we don’t know everything, and we approach the word of God and each other with humility and eagerness to listen and learn from God’s word and godly conversations, then we discover both the chasm between us and God, but also that he is yearning for us to draw close to him so that we might be refreshed and able to share his message of love and hope with our generation. I am confident the younger generation gets this. I hope we rediscover it before it is too late.
Father, thank you for the openness to you that is growing in Gen Z. Forgive us for being lazy with our faith. Today we pray that you would stir our hearts to be open to what you want to teach us and to how you want to transform our hearts and minds that we might reflect your kingdom in all we do. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Isaiah 55:6-9 ESV
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