Download Youth Challanges

Pr.Varughese Philip
Youth Culture: Challenges of the 21st Century Churches
Introduction
Cultural Revolution is taking place rapidly. Global culture keeps on changing the
culture of the youth today. Unchristian ideology influences the Christians’ living in a
culturally pluralistic society. It affects the physical, spiritual, intellectual, emotional,
and social realm. Today’s culture moulds the personality of young generation.
Moulding the personality of young generation is one of the major tasks of the
contemporary church. What are the major challenges we face from the emerging
culture? What are the negative impacts the culture makes on the young generation?
What responsibilities churches have to mould the youth to impact the coming
generation? This article explores the challenges the young people face from media,
morality, materialism, meditation, and matrimony that influence their personality.
Media Shape the Conscience
Media exercise a vital role in shaping the conscience of the young generation.
Continuous flow of ideas, information, and values across the world mediated through
individuals and electronic media alter the youth conscience and there by culture. They
spend incredible amount of time before visual and print media. Television, movies,
advertisements, radio and magazines serve as educators. Television raises awareness
of problem in the world and gives insights into the pressing issues of life. It educates
the youth with positive and constructive ways. Further, social network sites like Face
Book, Twitter and My Space help to gain insight through shared experience into the
activities, philosophies and views of people from diverse cultures and religions. It
offers people to stay connected spiritually. Internet brings diversity of the world to
conscience. Moreover, music is one of the main forces that shape young people. It
helps them define what they are and it affects their language, hair style, food, and
clothing styles. It has become one of the most effective teachers, and preachers of our
times. It shapes the worldviews and has the ability to mould the values, attitudes, and
behaviours. In addition, young people use music therapy, which is based on the
principle that certain beats and rhythms can slowdown brain process to minimize pain
or anxiety.
However, media shift the consciousness and have physical, psychological and
spiritual effects. Continuously watching television may lead to become immune to the
horrors of violence. Young people accept violence as a way to solve problems,
become more aggressive, and imitate violent behaviours. It fosters fear and low selfesteem, when they watch the beautiful images. Watching something over and over
again results in believing it, even if it is a lie. Moreover, it influences the Christian
worldview and limits the divine. It presents a false view of reality, provides role
models unworthy to follow, and causes to confuse Christian faith. Music promotes
sexual promiscuity, perversions, violence, substance abuse, rebellion, hopelessness
and Satanism. In addition, it affects the moral evaluation results in guilt and shame.
Furthermore, media alter the conscience of the young people and they make decisions
in accord with the other-centred values. Media promotes individualism and alters
healthy conscience formation. Techno-culture modulates the conscience and
transforms institutions, cultures, and souls.
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Humans are psychological persons. Feelings, emotions, desires, moods, affections,
and sentiments confirm the psychological nature. Heart is the source of all feelings
and emotions (Gen 6:5-6). Reasoning (cognition) plays a vital role in developing
personality. God wants the young people to evaluate media and music (Eph 5:111;Phil 4:8). God created Lucifer with music, beauty, and wisdom. Rebellion resulted
in perversion and continues the perversion to glorify sin. It is important to identify
and resist today’s perversions of music, beauty and wisdom. Jesus prayed for the
followers, to protect them from evil one and not take out of them from the world
(John 17:15). Instead of isolating the youth from the media, help them to discover,
discern and decide on the basis of biblical truths.
Morality Influences the Spirituality
Culture exerts powerful influence on moral development. It is the behaviour patterns,
beliefs, and all practices of particular group of people passed on from one generation
to another. Moral cultural environment moulds the personality of young people.
Ethics of community, communitarian values, traditions, and religious prescriptions
mould the morality. Moreover, parenting gives higher level of moral reasoning. Peer
groups provide settings for reinforcing values, beliefs, attitudes, and activities. In
addition, faith community, faith development, and spiritual experience influence the
attitudes and moral choices. Research shows that “people’s moral judgement can be
altered by disrupting a part of brain.” Using powerful magnetic field scientists were
able to scrapple the moral centre of brain. Global culture is more prone to man made
morality for the sake of human well-being.
On the other hand, young people live in a sex saturated society. They see and hear
numerous instances of sexually explicit, pervasive, and violent incidents during the
years of moral development. Moreover, their exposure to Western culture,
information on internet, and freedom that comes with an urban social life lead to
physical involvement with the opposite sex. Psychologists believe that endless sexual
images in pop videos, computer games, websites and some main stream publications
harm the children and youth. Online survey shows 90% of youth think premarital sex
is fine. Modern society considers homosexuality healthy, cohabitation an alternative,
pornography popular, premarital sex permissible, sex education amoral, and
prostitution approvable. It is reported that increasing number of couples around India
are opting for benefits of live-in-relationship. Supreme Court ruled that live-inrelationship can be presumed as marriage, if they continue for a long time. Alfred
Kinsey, father of sexology considered Judeo-Christian morality as repressive and all
sexual acts such as paedophilic, incestuous, homosexual, heterosexual, and bisexual
are natural and are good. Today’s sex culture produces more guilt, damages
religiosity, and distorts reasoning.
Humans are spiritual beings. God designed humans for holiness. God wants the youth
to maintain holiness that has connection with healthiness and wholeness. There is an
innate spirituality in humans to respond to the will and holiness of God. It is observed
that youth today are more open to receiving spiritual education. They need school to
learn spirituality. Moreover, they are looking for scientific perspective of religion.
There is a need of wise policies for dating and Christians need to recognize the
importance of dating only other Christians. God created community of those in Christ
to reflect the image of God. Similarly, Scripture acknowledges the power of sexuality
(Gen 34:1-3). Wholeness and holiness in sexuality mirror the nature of God. Healthy
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sexuality in its wholeness and holiness reflects the nature of God and influence the
personality. Faith enhances a healthy personality and human efforts have limitations.
Identifying with faith community helps to develop youth’s morality. It takes the youth
beyond self to important relationship with stronger beings for the purpose of living a
safer and more satisfying life.
Materialism Affects the Wholeness
Materialism gives importance for the highest value for material well- being. Young
people believe that their satisfaction in life is self-worth and its root is in what they
have, how they look, what they wear, where they go to school and what they drive.
Maximum material acquisition seems to have become the aim of modern life.
Moreover, youngsters believe that things bring happiness and money is the pathway
to things. Money and material possession becomes the driving passion. Consumerism
permeates and changes the attitudes and embraces prosperity as the norm of life.
Consumer culture changes the outlook towards spirituality. Living environment, peer
group, education, media, modern technologies shape the material worldview. Global
culture promotes consumer culture. In addition, there is a growth and development of
individualism in the society. Furthermore, Western life style occupies much space in
the cultural life of youth today. They adopt Western values and practices in
interpersonal relationship. Material culture values outward appearance and perfect
body. Clothing and fashions becomes avenue to find place in group. There is
tremendous pressure to do whatever the rest of the grope is doing.
Materialism leads parents to work more hours. Parents use money to compensate for
the lack of quality of time spent together. Youth spend more time with their cell
phones and laptops than they do with their parents. Net-enabled cell phones and lap
tops give information about everything they need. Survey shows that sex and drug are
part of growing-up process in India. World Health Organization ruled that “there is an
unhealthy relation between tumours and mobile phone’s electromagnetic radiation.” It
leads to health hazards in general and cancer in particular. Radiation from towers and
phones poses serious health hazards including “loss of memory, lack of concentration,
disturbance in digestive system and sleep disturbance.” Youth spend much time
immersed in peer culture and brain washed into accepting the values, attitudes, and
behaviours that they see and hear over again and again. According to a World Health
Organization Study, “36% Indians suffer from major Depressive Episode,
characterised by loss of interest or pleasure, feeling of guilt or self- worth, disturbed
sleep or appetite, low energy and poor concentration, besides feeling depressed.”
There are feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, worthlessness, and planned suicide
among youth.
Humans are environmental and physical persons. Physical body is the medium
through which humans relate to environment. Humans exist as a material being and
exercise dominion over creation (Gen. 2:7-9). Existence in the material world and
responsible interaction with the matter is significant. Bible says money idolatry
destabilizes equilibrium essential in achieving wholeness (1Tim. 6:10). Similarly,
physical aspect of human being cannot be excluded from being made in the image of
God. Physical health and well-being are important. Body is fundamental component
of personality (Gen.2:7). And God fashioned body to engage in creative work. Body
consciousness is significant, but inferior to spiritual body. Likewise, senses such as
seeing, tasting, touching, hearing, and smelling exercise a vital role in building
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personality. It is significant to reconsider and change attitudes or life style choices that
are unhealthy or wrong (Matt 7:13-14). Further, it is import to use material resources
subject to supreme authority. Bible sees humans as accountable stewards of the rest of
the creation and answerable to God.
Meditation Dominates the Rationality
Globalization encourages New Age spiritualism in youth. Mediation is an integral part
of New Age spirituality. Spirituality is intimate relationship with God, mediated
through human experience, relate to a persons cultural background, religious beliefs,
and practices. Global culture encourages experience and youth spend more time to
music and message to get some experience. Performance and experience inspire them.
It is reported that “Mindfulness Meditation helps regulate a vital brain wave called
alpha rhythm, which suppress information overload, improve memory and ease pain.”
It involves focussing mind on present to improve mood, decrease stress, and boost
immune functions. For today’s youth, “spirituality is not a dogmatic rule, it is a
dynamic action, continuously accommodating and adapting changes in circumstances
and environment.” A survey commissioned by the ‘Speaking Tree’ shows that 91
percent of college goers believe in God and they frequent places of worship. Further,
it shows that many youth prefer to explore Christianity as first choice, do not believe
in rituals, and believe that yoga does not have anything to do with religion or
spirituality.
However, Yoga is a mystical and meditative practice designed to unite the soul with
the eternal. It is a means to attain higher goal of spirituality in Hinduism. Surya (Sun)
is the giver of health and people worship Sun (surya namaskara) through yoga.
Meditation is the central focus of yoga practice. If there is no meditation or direction
of conscience, it is not yoga. Ultimate goal of yoga practice is self- realization. It is
not just a physical and mental therapy. Similarly, Sufis uses Qawwali as a medium to
convey mystic religious message and realizes inner knowledge not attainable by
normal means. Practitioners believe that repetition leads to ‘spiritual drunkenness’
and evoke divine presence through music. Likewise, New Age techniques propose
rebirthing; a therapy to release negative emotions and spiritual purification. New Age
spirituality and its experiences are man-centred in contrast to God-centred spirituality.
Its different versions adapted in Christian spirituality have the potential to lead many
Christians to mental and spiritual bondage.
Humans are cultural beings. Communication brings relational well-being. Rationality
enables humans to use language for rational expression. It helps to know self, God,
and others. Intellectual faculty such as reason, perception, memory and imagination
enables to grow into the knowledge of God and actualizes great potential in humans.
Hypnotic activity changes personality. It provides a means of achieving a special state
in which a person can go beyond the bounds of usual rational thinking to affect the
mental and physical process. Prayer is a spiritual discipline that retrains the will in
godly direction. There are unconscious and hypnotic activities and visions in prayer.
Meditative experience in Christian context is hypnotic activity. It is not for achieving
cosmic conscience, rather listening to God and communicating to Him. Technique
involves fasting, or focussing on attributes of God or Bible verses. Regeneration,
spiritual worship, spiritual maturity, and spiritual experience mould personality of
young people. Pentecostal experiences, especially speaking in tongues play a vital
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role in developing personality. Response to genuine spiritual experience gives hope.
Holy Spirit empowers the inner being and enhances the relational wellbeing.
Matrimony Controls the Social Well-Being
Globalization changes the institution of marriage. It becomes a social contract aims to
progress economic, social, and biological sphere. Natural passion becomes a basic
criterion for marriage. There is more freedom to choose partners, divorce is
admissible and inter-cast and inter- religious marriage is acceptable. Natural passion
results in non-marrying, practice of love marriage, and increase in divorce.
Matrimony remains as the fundamental base of civilized society. Families are
changing and family patters affect the kids. There is lack of family unity, decrease in
family control, strife within family, laxity in marital bonds, and conflict between
parents and children. Multicultural urban environment shakes the orthodoxy of family
culture. Divorced families, step families, working parents and gay and lesbian parents
are characteristics of the society today. Urban environment produces pathogenic
family system which uses distorted rules and patterns of interaction. Experience of
rejection, isolation, and victimization are common in urban families.
Dysfunctional family is “the one that impairs the emotional, physical, intellectual, or
spiritual functioning of the family members that lead to life dissatisfaction and risk
behaviours.” Dysfunctional families prevent the young people to become mature
emotionally. Studies show that girls from divorced homes often fear rejection from
men, become involved earlier than girls from intact families in sexual relationship that
are short lived, have children in an earlier age and more frequently divorced. Further,
children of divorcees exhibit rebellion, depression, discipline problems, grief, guilt,
fear, inability to concentrate, and inability to trust. National Crime Records Bureau
says, “Suicides due to family problem is an increasing trend during the last ten years.”
Many children are growing in families where father is absent or detached spiritually
or emotionally. They suffer from emotional and behavioural problems such as sexual
promiscuity, premarital pregnancy, intimacy dysfunction, substance abuse,
depression, and suicide. Study shows that bullies and their victims are living with
violence at home. Absence of interaction with family and society is major cause of
loneliness.
Human beings are intrinsically social beings. They need to exhibit personality that
reflects the love of God (1Jn 4:7-8). Unselfish caring for others and devotion to their
welfare are attractive functions of personality. God instituted family for social
relationship. Bible portrays the family as the dynamic nexus of personal relationships
between father, mother, children, and extended relations. It is the basic unit of
spiritual nurture and moral preparation. Imprint of the image of God provides
relationality (Gen. 1:26-28). God created humans with the capacity to relate to God
and one another. Right relationship within the family helps to maintain right
relationship with the community. Mutual commitment to build one another within the
family and community strengthens the relationship. Ecclesia, koinonia, and agape
provide healthy therapeutic experience. Teaching of Jesus offers two principles that
can revolutionalize the marital relationship of every culture: unity and fidelity in
marriage. According to David Augsburger, an expert in cross cultural pastoral
counseling, marriage has personal dimension, covenantal dimension, and public
dimension. Personal dimension is onefleshness, covenantal dimension is fidelity and
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responsibility, and public dimension is a unique ceremony in faith community and
cultural adaptation. It builds the personality of young generation for a better future.
Conclusion
Christians are called for special kind of enculturation, which is the process of learning
a culture. Jews regarded gentiles as unclean. Ethnocentrism is a universal tendency to
regard the ways and values of one’s own social group as the norm for everyone.
However, Pentecost unified the diversity of cultures. Wall of culture restricts freedom
and set barriers between each other. Church is called out to live in the world of many
cultures as strangers and pilgrims (1 Pet 2:11) Study at the University of Oxford
Research shows that human beings have natural tendencies to believe in God and life
after death. Moreover, the belief in God and life after death is strong globally. Church
remains in this world as a prophetic and healing community. It is significant to
acknowledge the culture of the global village and stand for the purpose of its
existence. Innovative approaches are essential to transform the youth culture to reflect
the image of God in this world. Primarily, media shapes the conscience and church
has the responsibility to educate youth to become wise media consumers and use
media to communicate Christian values, and correct the distorted values. Secondly,
community influences the morality and church has the liability to train support group
to interact with the young people, address contemporary moral and ethical issues, and
develop their morality to enhance spiritual growth. Thirdly, material culture affects
the wholeness and churches have the responsibility to build a lifestyle fit for the
stewardship of God’s resources, subject to the supreme authority. Fourthly,
meditation dominates the reasoning and churches need to equip the youth to commit
to classical spiritual discipline and protect from non- Christian practices that have
demonic intrusions. Finally, matrimony controls the social well-being and educates
parents to reduce marital conflict through Christian counseling and Christian
psychotherapy. Renew the intellect, emotion, and will of the youth to enhance
psycho-spiritual restoration and conform to the image of Christ. The cultural
transformation helps to mould the personality of young generation.
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