DIG
IT
Global Interaction’s Nathan Reid bravely dives into
the murky waters of generational challenges, as he
examines our struggle to understand each other and
the large-scale events that impact our lives and faith.
I
t seems a trend of history that older
generations find younger generations
challenging.
Ever since the Greek Philosopher
Plato apparently overheard Socrates
saying that young people “… have bad
manners, contempt for authority; they
show disrespect for elders and love
chatter in place of exercise”, it has been
open season on the next generation.
A quick online search of the word
millennials, generation Y or young
adults will reveal a bucket load of
critique. Recently the Guardian posted
a story online with the headline,
Millennials: the trials of Generation Y. Its
introduction begins, “Generation Y has
been branded insecure, lazy, shallow
and ambitious beyond their talents, and
even, “the worst generation”.
Ouch!
Yet in my own experience, I find
very few millennials bragging about
shelves full of participation awards.
Rather I see young people who
want to carve their mark in a deeply
troubled world.
We experience global threats such
as environmental change, terrorism,
human trafficking, an ocean of refugees
fleeing brutal conflicts, the shadow
of war on the Korean Peninsula and
tensions on the South China Sea. And
that’s all before we get to the domestic
challenges of cultural wars, polarised
political debates, housing affordability,
student debt, and the questioning of
long held common social assumptions
about marriage and family (I might
need to lie down now).
All of these tensions come at us with
hyper-speed and constancy through
social media. There are so many
voices telling us who to be, believe
and what to think. If we say or post
the wrong things we are quickly and
publically shamed.
I think from the perspective of the
younger generation, they can feel
caught somewhere between a rock and
a hard place, trying to respond to the
impact of so many world events (events
that for the most part have been
ignited by previous generations) while
also struggling with negative labels and
unhelpful stereotypes.
So how can our faith help us to
navigate through the rocks, hard places
and social minefields? How might we
be able to respond to tensions of the
world without becoming lost in them?
There is one idea that has spoken to
God’s people with striking relevance
through seasons of flux and threat.
The idea of Exile.
Peter referred to this idea when
writing a letter to a follower of Jesus
during a time of great upheaval
and fear. In 1 Peter 2:11 he begins
his thoughts with, “Dear friends, as
foreigners and exiles…”
A seemingly simple greeting to
a faith community and yet, Peter
is promoting a game-changing
thought… followers then and now are
to embrace being ‘foreigners’ and
‘exiles’. This means that we are to
embrace the reality that we are not
at home in our own (or any) culture.
An important disclaimer here; we need to
be careful that we don’t confuse the idea
of exile with exclusion. Being an exile is
not about removing ourselves from the
culture and hiding from the realities of
the world. But rather, it’s about more
deeply engaging with it so that we
can affirm and celebrate that which is
consistent with God’s creative ‘very
good’, while also announcing the
subversive news that there is another
King whose name is Jesus.
We see this played out through the
Old Testament. As the people of Israel
became exiles they were placed into
situations of uncertainty and fear
within cultures very different to their
own. Yet many of these exiled people
engaged courageously in their new
culture, while being deeply anchored in
their faith in God. Think Esther, Daniel
and the words of Jeremiah’s letter
to the people; all amazing examples
of individuals and groups caught in
tumultuous times, who lived out their
faith authentically and changed the
course of history.
So as we grapple with the tensions,
stereotypes and the realities of the
world we live in, it might be worthwhile
reminding ourselves of the famous
words of one such Old Testament exile,
Esther. As she looked at the impending
destruction of her people, she was told,
“… who knows but that you have come
to your position for such a time as
this?” 1 Might it be that God is working in
you, us, this generation so that we are
each well-placed to meet the needs of
our time? I guess it is up to us then to
respond – labels and all.
1. Esther 4:14
resonate · issue 30 · page 6