“After a while the people of Joshua’s generation died, and the next generation did not know the LORD or any of the things he had done for Israel.”

Judges 2:10 CEV

Imagine that. After an amazing Exodus, decades of wilderness provision, and finally reaching the land God promised to Abraham, a generation rises that doesn’t know God and can’t recall what he did for Israel.

How does this happen?

Sadly, I encountered it in my own home while watching an episode of The Bible (produced by Roma Downey) with my daughter. We had just watched Moses and the Israelites miraculously cross the Red Sea, as a result of God’s extraordinary provision for them, when my daughter—then a young teenager—turned to me and said, “Wait! That really happened? That’s in the Bible?”

As a minister who has traveled the country teaching teenagers the Bible, I was speechless. How does she not know this?

A few weeks later, speaking at a college ministry event for a church in the Bible Belt, I discovered that less than half of those in attendance were familiar with the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego found in Daniel. And the majority of these young adults had grown up in the church!

This was nearly two decades ago, but it was a wakeup call for me as a parent and as a minister. I had taken my own spiritual upbringing for granted, forgetting that the experiences of this younger generation were vastly different from my own.

Growing up, every Easter I had watched Cecil B. DeMille’s film The Ten Commandments (because it was the most exciting thing on our television’s five channels). My Sunday school lessons had a comprehensive scope and sequence that exposed me to the breadth of the Bible’s narrative. By contrast, a generation later, the church in which we were raising my daughter changed their philosophy of children’s ministry three times during her early years.

It wasn’t that my parents had done a better job raising children (though they probably did!), but that the culture had radically changed over the years. The systems that had informed and encouraged my spiritual development were no longer in place for my daughter. This forced me to pay new attention to the spiritual formation of these emerging generations.

The impact of “the age of information”—accelerated greatly by the Internet—is beginning to show its deep impact on (among other things) the spiritual formation of a generation.

You likely have someone in your life between the ages of 18 and 26 that you are concerned about. Whether you are a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher, or pastor, you’ve probably heard something directly or indirectly about their beliefs that just about knocked you over and likely also confused you.

Generation Z is one of history’s most diverse and complex generations. Born in the mid-1990s to mid-2010s, Gen Z grew up in a world of technological innovation, political polarization, and social change. As they enter adulthood, Gen Z is grappling with many seemingly contradictory beliefs that challenge traditional norms and values.

For instance, many in this younger generation are marked by being “spiritual but not religious,” progressive socially while holding some conservative opinions, and highly connected digitally with the globe but experiencing a heightened state of loneliness and isolation.

Gen Z can be a bundle of contradictions, which is why it is important that we not make assumptions about what any one of them believes. The trends we find in State of the Bible 2023 can guide and inform us, but we cannot replace the power of being present and engaging with Gen Z on matters of faith, much like my encounter with my daughter. It wasn’t enough to know she was going to church every week; I had to spend time with her and engage her to really discover what she thought and believed.

The research shows us that Gen Z is beginning to show signs of post-Christianity that differ from previous generations. While the complexity of life in the digital age may add to this, it’s hard to pin these changes on any single cause. This is why it is so important to avoid mindreading and making assumptions from behaviors. Research shows, for instance, that people in Gen Z enjoy discussing what they believe. This is an incredible opportunity for us. If we sit and listen, they will likely share with us; we just need to have the compassion to ask.

How should we engage this generation in conversations about faith? Here are some thoughts based on what surveys tell us.
When surveyed, Christians admit they don’t typically do these things well. That means we will have to learn some new behaviors if we want to have spiritual discussions as a part of our ongoing relationships with Gen Z.

1. Allow a person to share what they believe without judgment. Gen Z is very sensitive to how others with differing perspectives are treated. It’s important that we explore a person’s beliefs with authentic curiosity, and genuine interest in them as a person. (Listening without judgment can’t just be a tactic to get to what we want to say.)
2. Don’t force a conclusion. Much of Gen Z enjoys being able to explore their beliefs in conversation, as long as there isn’t an attempt to force a conclusion.
3. Allow others to draw their own conclusions. This is a DIY (do-it-yourself) generation. They like the freedom to process contradicting beliefs at their own pace.

Almost one in five Gen Z non-Christians tell us they would welcome an invitation to have a spiritual conversation over a meal. Maybe, to find out what they really believe, we just need to ask. And hopefully, if enough of us do, we will pass down more to this generation than Joshua’s generation did.