Introduction
Religious institutions continually shape youth’s attitudes towards the church’s beliefs. Youth have consistently declined to attend church services globally over the past few decades, and this is now a significant concern. The sudden trend has been associated with changing attitudes among these young individuals towards Christianity and its beliefs.
Influence of Media and Technology
The youth have gone astray and declined to practice the factors that strengthen one’s Christian faith. Such beliefs, which include a commitment to attending church services and communing with fellow brothers and sisters through prayers, Bible reading, and fasting, have since declined among this age set. Media and technology continue to influence most youth, pervasively shaping their attitudes towards Christianity. Young individuals in this digital age are exposed to various forms of information that question their faith (Earls, 2019). Some of the channels they are exposed to term Christianity an archaic belief associated with people of the past and older people. Various ideas reinforce their beliefs while simultaneously challenging them, leading people to forsake what they believe in due to constant exposure to these technologies.
The digital age has seen a massive rise in the number of mobile phones, computers, and laptops, enabling young people to connect with their counterparts around the globe. The vast spread of the media influences young people into believing that Christianity is outdated, which is a negative aspect as portrayed by these forms of technology. Negative factors associated with Christianity take a toll on the lives of these young individuals, continuously eroding their commitment to their faith (Meyer, 2019).
The youth on the internet, through technologies such as television, mobile phones, and other gadgets, develop a negative perception of their lives. The media’s fueled exposure discourages these young people from actively participating in most church activities, impacting their spiritual growth. Young people are led to believe that it is unnecessary to follow the ways of older adults, since they can worship in their own homes.
Shifting Societal Norms and Secularization
The process of secularization in society also significantly affects young people’s beliefs about attending church services. The rapidly shifting societal norms also play a pivotal role in shaping young people’s trajectories of belief about Christianity. Some societal beliefs have shifted continuously, driven by factors such as the rise of atheism in some of these societies.
Some children are born into communities that do not believe in God and tend to follow their parents’ beliefs (Earls, 2019). Other societies also conform to values that do not include a duty to attend church. They mainly adhere to traditional beliefs and religious practices, which compel these young individuals to follow suit and avoid most church activities.
The process of secularization has led to a decline in the perception of Christianity’s relevance in young people’s lives. The secularization part involves trends such as youth preferring pop and reggae over holy forms of worship. The preferences lie with modern forms of praise and worship, which in most cases are not practiced in these churches, further driving the youth away from communing with fellow church members (Meyer, 2019).
The youth do not consider the religious churches crucial to their faith or practices. The values have hence continued to shift, with each wave bringing justification for their actions from verses in the Bible that they have interpreted to support their actions. The church is no longer a priority for the younger generation, which aligns with secular perceptions that are shifting beliefs and values.
Educational Influences
Most people with a higher level of education start to question their beliefs. The higher the level of education these people attain, the more exposed they become, making them more aware of their environments and situations. Young people who are strong in their faith or come from a Christian background are less shaken by the new concepts they learn in their educational settings (Meyer, 2019). However, others are submerged in the belief that most of the things and ways of the Bible do not make sense in the current era. Hence, the educational environment plays a pivotal role in shaping young people’s attitudes toward religion.
The concept of higher education is associated with a decline in religious commitment among these groups. The youth tend to find specific scenarios that question their beliefs and challenge their faith. The intellectual exploration shifts the attitudes of these people towards what they have grown up knowing to be the right way of living. Their attitudes become more skeptical and increasingly deviate from Christian ways, potentially leading to reduced church involvement.
These people require proper guidance to strengthen their belief in the ways of the Bible, or risk getting lost in the realm of earthly things (Meyer, 2019). The youth not exposed to these forms of support systems end up getting driven away from the Christian ways since there is no one to hold their hands and guide them. Their attitudes towards attending church become distorted, and they end up not attending church services like their peers, contributing to a decline in their commitment to faith.
Social Networks and Peer Influence
Social networks and peer influence also immensely affect young people’s attitudes towards Christianity. These are well-documented factors that have significant repercussions on beliefs and values. The diverse backgrounds the youth find themselves in contribute to their not aligning their faith with other aspects that do not align with regularly attending church (Earls, 2019).
The youth make fun of their friends for how close they are to God and for their regular church attendance, while comparing their successes to those of friends who do not attend church. These comparisons, therefore, shape youth’s attitudes through peer influence. Some cases involve stigmatization by fellow crew members, who feel they are not part of the crew. Since young people want to fit into a particular group, they develop unjustified attitudes that lead them to believe that the ways of the Bible are not the proper means to achieve success.
Most research shows that peer relationships shape young people’s beliefs and behaviors. In most cases, many young people portray a lukewarm attitude toward the shifting dynamics in Christian attitudes. The youth’s social circle shapes their beliefs and behavior, which in turn affects how they behave (Meyer, 2019). The groups tend to disengage from Christian beliefs, leading the youth to follow their peers’ trends. Peer influence contributes to the decline in church attendance, hindering the growth of church beliefs. The problem could likely be solved by advising the youth not to be influenced by societal networks or the peer pressure in their surroundings.
Challenges in Bridging the Generation Gap
The generation continuously faces a dynamic tension between older people and youth. The age gap between these groups shapes the youth’s beliefs about church practices. Older people believe in greater fellowship and in as many Bible study and prayer sessions as possible.
However, the youth do not subscribe to this mode of thinking and perception, as they prefer a few worship sessions, while others go the extra mile to consider even worshiping alone (Earls, 2019). The gap has continued to grow between what older people believe and what the younger generation considers. Bridging the gaps that contribute to these negative attitudes towards the church’s practices becomes difficult due to changing dynamics that draw youth away from the church.
An essential aspect of understanding the generational gap is that it contributes to the youth’s negative attitudes towards church-related activities. The church’s growth hence faces more problems, since it cannot bring all people into the kingdom as others do, especially the youth, who struggle with their beliefs and values. Failure to bridge the gap between these generations and foster understanding leads to greater youth alienation from God’s word (Earls, 2019). The youth become disengaged from matters of the church, and only a few remain in service, thereby losing a meaningful connection with Christ. To foster enhanced church growth, it is crucial to ensure that religious institutions adopt modalities that align the younger generation with Christian beliefs while addressing their concerns and needs.
References
Earls, A. (2019). Most Teenagers Drop Out of Church When They Become Young Adults. Lifeway Research.
Meyer, H. (2019). What does the new LifeWayResearch survey say about why young adults drop out of church? The Tennessean.