© 2013 The Wired Word
A recent project to interview students at several American colleges and
universities who self-identify as atheists has concluded that a key reason many
young people leave Christianity is because they do not encounter strong,
convinced, proselytizing Christians in the churches they attend during their
teen years.The project was undertaken by staff of the Fixed Point Foundation, a nonprofit group that describes its mission as "to seek innovative ways to defend and proclaim the Gospel and to prepare Christians to do the same."
While the project's findings seem significant, it does not appear to be a "study" in the sense of interviewing a representative sample with numerical tallies being recorded and measured against a control group. The report of the project, written by Fixed Point's executive director Larry Alex Taunton and published last month in The Atlantic, describes general conclusions but does not tell how many colleges were visited or the number of students interviewed. The Wired Word has not yet received a response to its request to Fixed Point Foundation for such details.
Nonetheless, the report refers to a spread of colleges and universities across the country and to "a flood of enquiries" from students willing to be interviewed, so we assume the responses are reasonably representative. According to Taunton's article, Fixed Point contacted campus atheist groups seeking volunteer participants. These groups, described in the report as "atheist equivalents to Campus Crusade," meet regularly for fellowship, to encourage one another in their unbelief and to proselytize. Their members "are people who are not merely irreligious; they are actively, determinedly irreligious," wrote Taunton.
In response, the foundation heard from many students willing to tell the story of their journey to unbelief. The volunteers ranged from "Stanford University to the University of Alabama-Birmingham, from Northwestern to Portland State."
"It was not our purpose to dispute their stories or to debate the merits of their views. Not then, anyway," said Taunton. "We just wanted to listen to what they had to say. And what they had to say startled us."
The project finding that's likely of most concern to congregations is that many of the "strategies" employed in churches for decades to engage teenagers are not particularly effective in making them disciples of Jesus Christ. As one student put it, "Church became all about ceremony, handholding and kumbaya."
The students reportedly spoke freely and willingly with the Fixed Point interviewers. The foundation gleaned seven broad themes from the participants' stories:
1. The participants had attended church. Most of the participants had chosen their unbelief position in reaction to Christianity.
2. The mission and message of their churches was vague. The participants heard a lot about community involvement, being good and doing good, but "seldom saw the relationship between that message, Jesus Christ and the Bible." As one student explained, "The connection between Jesus and a person's life was not clear."
3. They felt their churches offered superficial answers to life's difficult questions. Participants said they found church answers to questions about evolution vs. creation, sexuality, the reliability of the biblical text, Jesus as the only way and other topics unconvincing. Some said that church services "were largely shallow, harmless and ultimately irrelevant."
4. They expressed their respect for Christians who took the Bible seriously. The project concluded that church people shouldn't waste time worrying about whether the Christian message will turn youth off; youth respect people with conviction, provided they know what they are talking about. A political science major at Dartmouth said he was drawn to Christians who obviously believe their faith. "I really can't consider a Christian a good, moral person if he isn't trying to convert me."
5. Ages 14-17 were decisive. Far from choosing unbelief in college, most of the participants said the decision took place during their high school years.
6. The decision to embrace unbelief was often an emotional one. While students spoke of rational reasons for their move to atheism, many also described an emotional transition.
7. The Internet factored heavily into their conversion to atheism. None of the interviewees mentioned being influenced by the works of well-known atheists, but many gave vague references to YouTube videos and website forums.
Taunton spoke of the "lasting impressions" of these discussions: "That these students were, above all else, idealists who longed for authenticity, and having failed to find it in their churches, they settled for a non-belief that, while less grand in its promises, felt more genuine and attainable. I again quote [a participant]: 'Christianity is something that if you really believed it, it would change your life and you would want to change [the lives] of others. I haven't seen too much of that.'"
"Sincerity does not trump truth," Taunton added. "After all, one can be sincerely wrong. But sincerity is indispensable to any truth we wish others to believe. There is something winsome, even irresistible, about a life lived with conviction."
More on this story can be found at these links:
Listening to Young Atheists: Lessons for a Stronger Christianity. The Atlantic
Learning From Young Atheists: What Turned Them Off Christianity. Christian Post
What Larry Alex Taunton Learned from Atheists Isn't the Least Bit Surprising. Patheos (A response from an atheist)
Fixed Point Foundation website
The Big Questions
1. Do you agree that stronger, more authentic Christian people are the most influential evangelism means the church has? Why or why not? What do you think is more effective in maintaining faith in young people: stronger biblical arguments, stronger relationships or setting an example?
2. Can a Christian fulfill his or her calling without sharing the gospel with others? Explain your answer. How do you define faith sharing?
3. Name some things your church's youth group has done. What were those activities intended to teach teens? Do you think they accomplished that goal? What might have worked better?
4. If you had any struggles with unbelief, at what age did they occur? If you can identify what things helped you resolve your struggles in favor of faith, how might those things be replicated in youth ministry today?
5. What is the most important thing about being a Christian? In what ways have you conveyed this to young people in your church? To people outside your church?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Ecclesiastes 12:1
Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come, and the years draw near when you will say, "I have no pleasure in them" ... (No context needed.)
The author of Ecclesiastes struggled to find meaning in life, and along the way, he tried several means to find it, including self-indulgence, lavish spending and sensual pleasures. Of those, he pessimistically concluded "All is vanity and a chasing after wind" (1:14).
In the end, however, he did come to a few conclusions: Go your way, appreciate your family and passing pleasures, value wisdom and learning, and then this: "Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come, and the years draw near when you will say, 'I have no pleasure in them'" (12:1). In other words, start with God even while young, because God provides a baseline of meaning.
Questions: What might the author of Ecclesiastes say about how we should do youth ministry today? What might he say about how straightforward and passionate we should be about presenting the gospel message to teens? What might he say about church programs aimed at youth that include large entertainment components?
The author of Ecclesiastes is upfront about the apparent meaninglessness of much of what happens in life, but does not shy away from observing and describing it. How important is it to approach discussions about belief and doubt from a stance of realism? Are you tempted to gloss over or sugar-coat difficulties?
Acts 8:30
So Philip ran up to [the chariot] and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" (For context, read 8:26-39.)
The Philip in this story is not the apostle by that name, but one of the seven men chosen to assist the apostles in serving the church community (see Acts 6:1-5). Eventually, an angel directed this Philip to go to the Gaza road. There, he met an Ethiopian who was reading the book of Isaiah. So Philip asked him, "Do you understand what you are reading?" When the man said he did not, Philip began to interpret the text and led the man to Christ.
Questions: In what ways might the simple question, "Do you understand what you are reading/hearing/seeing?" be a touchstone for youth ministry? Have you ever been asked a basic faith question by a young person? How did you respond? Do you find yourself on occasion using religious jargon without explaining what you mean, and assuming that everyone is on the same page? How patient are you with others in their faith journey?
Hebrews 3:12-14 (The Message)
So watch your step, friends. Make sure there's no evil unbelief lying around that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God. For as long as it's still God's Today, keep each other on your toes so sin doesn't slow down your reflexes. If we can only keep our grip on the sure thing we started out with, we're in this with Christ for the long haul. (For context, read 3:7-19.)
In 3:7-11, the author of Hebrews quotes Psalm 95:7b-11 with its command "do not harden your hearts" (v. 8, cf. Psalm 95:8). Then, in the verses quoted above, he begins to sermonize on that theme from the psalm. He sees heart hardening as the result of "evil unbelief ... that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God."
While we may or may not want to call unbelief in and of itself "evil," from a Christian standpoint, if it turns a person away from God, it does that person eternal harm.
Question: Here in Hebrews, "unbelief" means unfaithfulness, not intellectual doubt, but how might the two be related?
Hebrews 5:12-14
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic elements of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food; for everyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is unskilled in the word of righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil. (No context needed.)
Here, the author of Hebrews challenges his readers, who are not new Christians, to grow up spiritually. He finds them still needing the beginners' understanding of salvation, when, in his opinion, they ought to be ready for "solid food" -- a mature understanding of the faith.
One TWW team member recalls as a child attending a Vacation Bible School in a strongly evangelical church and coming away spiritually hungrier than she was before the week started: "I was encouraged to speak to the director of the VBS, which I did, telling her (in simpler terms, of course) that while I liked entertainment and fun as much as the next person, without the bread, milk and meat of the Word, it was just so much whipped cream fluff with empty calories that would leave children just as spiritually malnourished as those who had no access to spiritual food at all. I have no idea how the director reacted, but I believe many people are starving for better spiritual nutrition because parents and churches are afraid people will opt out of the church if we don't 'give them what they want,' the spiritual sugar, fat and caffeine that makes us bloated, lethargic, obese and unhealthy spiritually.
Another TWW team member recollects when their Sunday school adopted a new curriculum sight-unseen. While the lessons were entertaining, they were all "thou shalts" (Law) and no "Jesus did this for you" (gospel). He writes: The teachers ended up rewriting most of the lessons before use because the message was so off. It was dropped as soon as the subscription expired. Over a decade later, that curriculum is still around, which means that many congregations are using it, so it must have its adherents. But a Christianity without the need for Christ's atonement seems to be an oxymoron."
Questions: Is it possible that our own spiritual immaturity hinders our ability to share the gospel with our youth? Is it possible that our youth programs are feeding spiritual pablum when actually, teens are hungry for more substantial spiritual food? How might we determine when the full gospel should be plainly taught? Is there a condescending attitude in our approach with young people and new believers? Are we as ready to learn as to explain?
Revelation 3:15-16
I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. (For context, read 3:14-21.)
This is part of the risen Christ's message to the church at Laodicea, and it's not complimentary. The church was not doing anything that's outright evil or patently wrong, but it was "neither cold nor hot." In the ancient world, "cold" did not mean "passive" and "hot" did not mean "enthusiastic" or "passionate"; rather cold and hot were used in the sense of "against me" and "for me."
And that was the problem. An outsider visiting the congregation would be unable to tell, from what was being said and done, what the members really believed. Probably young people growing up in the congregation would have had the same problem.
Questions: What's the problem with a "lukewarm" faith? Isn't it better than none at all? There's a question we heard somewhere that asks, "If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" How would you answer that? Is your faith a constant hot, cold or lukewarm? What causes changes in "temperature" for you?
For Further Discussion
1. Even if a church does everything in the best possible way in ministry with youth, there's no guarantee that a young person now in the church will not eventually embrace unbelief. But how might that exposure to the full gospel nonetheless function in that person's life, even if the person chooses atheism?
2. Respond to this, from a TWW team member: "I think we need to acknowledge that if we wait until our kids are adolescents to try to build their faith, we've already missed the boat. Scripture says, 'Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it' (Proverbs 22:6, KJV). We need to address what constitutes effective Christian education for children. Some churches do nothing more in their children's ministry than babysit and entertain their charges. Why then would we expect our children to view the Christian faith as anything they should take seriously when we don't take it seriously ourselves?"
3. Read some of the reactions to the "Listening to Young Atheists" article at Ship of Fools, and invite class members to respond.
Responding to the News
This is an appropriate time to evaluate how your present youth ministry activities communicate the gospel message and faithfully address the deep questions of life.
Closing Prayer
O God, help us to share our faith intelligently, effectively and in ways that reveal what it really means to us. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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