An Appeal to the Boomer Generation

In regard to the POST CHRISTIAN GENERATION

Douglas Coupland states in his generation defining book, Life Without God, to Generation X "You are the first generation raised without God... (yet) we are all living creatures with strong religious impulses..."

An entire generation, raised by non church going baby boomer parents, feels deep religious impulses. But "where do these impulses flow?" Coupland asks. Where does the current generation go to satisfy its religious impulses? Well, for one, it is not flocking to the churches. The most secular non-religious person today is likely to be a male in their 20s or 30s and single, according to study released this week by the University of New York.

They look to movies like The Matrix (mystical), and TV shows like Friends (fellowship). They are deeply involved in the culture.

I was talking with my Gen X niece the other day. She called her generation "the generation of the divorced." My heart sank as she spoke those words. As a boomer, and I must say we have let our children down. We hold the world's record for divorce. The boomers are the "Me Generation" of self absorption. We divorced ourselves from each other and from God. We pass on no real foundation to the next generation. As a boomer, I feel shame, for I too am divorced and have put my children through much pain. I feel very badly. May God forgive my sins and the sins of my generation.

In reaction to our sins of broken family relationships, we (boomers) have launched churches and movements that "Focus on the Family." We want to become "Promise Keepers" to correct the sins of our past. We rename our churches "Family Worship Centers." The remorse for our sin leads us to a false center --we have become "family centered" instead of Christ centered. And we have regressed to a more traditional Modern Era form of worship masked in a so-called "contemporary" garb.

The Church seems to be hopelessly locked in the past Modern Era devoid of image, fantasy, myth, and story telling. We fail to speak the language of the current Post Modern time. Its not that we don't make an effort to connect. After all, we Boomers wear causal clothes to our Family Worship Centers and sing 70s style folk rock worship choruses which we call "contemporary." We try. But fail.

In fact the Evangelical Boomer Church is losing ground and they are not adding numbers to the Protestant faith which has declined from 60% to 52% since 1990 according to the University of New York study.

I want to make an appeal to the Boomer Generation, which now controls the churches, to open the windows and let some fresh air into the churches. Let the current generation have place and voice. Resonate with current Post Modern culture with all the zeal of a good missionary.

Allow its music.
Allow its speakers.
Allow its language.
Allow its culture.
Allow for its art.
Allow its dress.

Take a leap of faith.
Please.
And let Post Modern culture happen.
And a good things will happen.

What are your thoughts
Do you think churches should change?