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Image from ’3 days later’ movie.

I have been doing alot of thinking about why young people are drifting away from the church. There are many reasons and each case has different circumstances and factors, however, I believe there are a few main reasons that we should be aware of as Chaplains (or people who have an interest in seeing young people staying in church). One of these factors that is a cause for young people leaving the church is Consumerist Spirituality.

I have been reading some blogs from a youth commentator called Mark Sayers who explains Consumerist spirituality extremely well when he says… ” Today young adults worldview is deeply shaped by consumerism; it shapes how we purchase, how we relate, and how we shape our identities. In my research into why young adults leave church, I found consumerism to be one of the most dominant themes to emerge again and again. The worldview of consumerism deeply influences our spirituality. It creates an exchange were we expect instant returns for our investments. I constantly hear from young leaders who have left church after spending years volunteering their time. They tell me that they feel ripped off, that they have given and gotten nothing back, they view discipleship not as self-sacrificing service but rather a consumer exchange, in which instant gratification is sought. I kept finding young adults who when pressed were happy to follow Christ as long as he delivered a kind of consumerist heaven on earth. When this kind of heaven did not arrive, people became very disillusioned. Of course the advertising industry did not get the blame, God did, and active faith was ditched. Research done in both the United States and Australia reveals that young adults view God something akin to a “cosmic butler” to be called on in times of strife or need, but who then quietly exits so as not to cramp our style. Such a Jesus ultimately becomes subservient to us and our agenda. We rob him of his divinity, instead placing it upon ourselves. Jesus thus becomes the herald of lifestyle improvement; we follow him because he might be able to deliver us the consumer dream.” When we follow God because we are expecting a kind of consumer pay off; we have invested in a faith that cannot last, you can only church shop for so long. When we worship a God who we believe will make our dreams come true we are not following the God of the bible. Believers who live out their faith through the matrix of consumerism will end up almost definitely outside of the church and very disappointed.” 

If we draw young people into the church with the promises that God is the perfect ‘ad on’ that will deliver them great happiness and the perfect life with no real sacrifice on their part then is it no wonder, when this fails to materialise, that young people will leave the church disillusioned and go ‘shop’ somewhere else.

Lets be careful to explain the true gospel message to our young people, a combination of God’s great love towards us but also the reality of ‘the narrow road’ that followers of Jesus are called to follow. 

If your school has moodle why not think about using it to reach the student population. The above video explains (very briefly) some of the ways that I connect with students using moodle. I have found that students will be on the site all hours of the dayand night  listening to the  music or watcing the videos that myself and students have placed on there. It not only enables you to convey news to students but enables them to contact you for whatever reason.

Psalm 14:1 says “There is no God”.    Of course, we can make the Bible say anything we like if we take a verse out of context. The previous verse taken in context says “Only a fool says in his heart, there is no God” – changes the meaning significantly doesn’t it?

There are many Bible passages that are frequently used ‘out of context’. The reasons for this include either a lack of training on behalf of the person in how to read the Bible or laziness on behalf of the person who is just repeating what they have heard without checking and examining the verse for themselves.

Whilst there are many verses that are frequently taken out of context (don’t get me started), the most common one I hear is Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

How often have we all heard this verse used in this way?

I hear it often in my school by staff and students alike as well as in church, prayer meetings and Bible studies. The situation when it is used is nearly always the same – a large group was expected at the meeting but when it is time to start there are only a small number in attendance. The Chaplain, worship leader, Pastor or whoever is in charge then tries to ‘encourage’ those hardy souls in attendance by saying ”don’t worry guys there is only a few of us here but remember, where two or three are gathered in My name there I am in the midst of them.” Those in attendance then smile and nod their heads obviously affirming the thinking that because there are 2 or 3 people in attendance something ‘mystical’ has just been unleashed and God’s presence has just increased and become more ‘tangible’ than when they were standing outside the room on their own.  

Why do I get annoyed by this?

1) It is taking the verse completely out of context.

To find the true context, we need only look a few verses above it. There we see Jesus discussing the method of properly dealing with a believer (or a supposed believer) who is sinning. He tells us first to address that person on our own. If he does not turn from his wicked ways we are to take two or three witnesses and try again. If he still does not listen we are to take it before the church and if he will not heed the warnings of the church he is to be cast out of the church and considered as an unbeliever.

Verse eighteen then says “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (another verse frequently taken out of context which we won’t go into here). Clearly God gives the church extraordinary power here. When the church decides that someone is living a sinful lifestyle and excommunicates that person on Biblical grounds, that excommunication is binding in God’s eyes. God has given the “keys of the kingdom” to the church. 

Verse nineteen follows this instruction saying that where two or three agree on earth concerning a matter of church discipline, God will do it for them.  God is affirming that where the church makes a decision based on Biblical precepts, God will agree with it.

Verse twenty follows logically as an extension of verse nineteen. Where two or three are gathered in His name, He is there. What this means is that Jesus is present spiritually to validate the decision that has just been made. Jesus will help guide the church officials and give them peace that the decision they were forced to make was the right one. 

As you can see from the above explanation, the verse has nothing to do with encouraging a small group of Christians who turn up to an event and to use it in this way is taking the verse ‘out of context’. 

2) It implies that when we are by ourselves God is either absent or ‘less present’.

The Bible teaches that this is not true. 1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? The Bible teaches that Christians have the Holy Spirit (God) living inside us. God’s presence dwells within us constantly – He is always with us. Whilst it is right to meet together with other believers ( Hebrews 10:25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing) it doesn’t mean that God is any more ‘with us’ than when we are by ourselves hanging out in the playground with students.

Now I have nothing against Christan’s who use this verse innocently enough but I think it would be more appropriate for them to say to a small group of believers “I’m glad you made it today, we are missing some people but isn’t it great that no matter how many of us there are God  is always with us”.

Next time you hear Matthew 18:20 being used out of context, smile to yourself and thank God for his continuing presence in your life.

“This is a video we produced for a free event for youth ministers. It was conceived as a satire for what I consider to be an unhealthy “rock star” culture that has been growing inside Christendom, as well as an encouragement for the unheralded heroes on the front lines of ministry. The role of Ignatius is played by our friend Josh Keefer.”

Its pretty funny but unfortunately very true in parts – I’ll let you watch it and see how close to home it hits.

http://www.vimeo.com/1713668

Some tips on running a successful prayer meeting at school:
* Try and always use the same room so that students know where it will be

* Gather a core group of students so that there will always be students with you to pray so when new students turn up it won’t seem ‘weird’ if no one else is there

* Advertise by word of mouth and through announcements but I have found the most successful way to grow a group is to have the students invite a friend (the best morning to do this is Wednesday as it is less threatening just to lie down and listen to music)

* Build a community of acceptance and trust so students can feel free to share

* ensure the students are connected and involved in Christian outreach activity within in the school so they are motivated to pray and ask for Gods help and wisdom (if you do nothing for God why bother praying and asking for His help)

* encourage through times of sharing about answered prayer

The fact that the students know there is a regular meeting, in the same room, means that it has built momentum over the year and we are seeing lots of students turning up and some great answers to prayer!

See below for a video of Jordan’s testimony after he came to prayer for the first time. I put this video up on the School Chaplaincy website :

What Pro’s or Con’s can you see with this?

  some students *dancing in the Discotec*

Alot of my students watch MTV and Video Hits. They are being bombarded with messages about what to value and what is important without even knowing it. The other day I was bopping along to Lily Allen’s song ‘the fear’ in the car. It wasn’t until a few days later when I heard the song again that I started paying attention to the lyrics. I was surprised to say the least. Check it out for yourself:

Watch the following video and and then read the lyrics.

Lily Allen – The Fear Lyrics

 I want to be rich and I want lots of money

I don`t care about clever I don`t care about funny
I want loads of clothes and truckloads of diamonds
I heard people die while they are trying to find them

I`ll take my clothes off and it will be shameless
`Cuz everyone knows that`s how you get famous
I`ll look at the sun and I`ll look in the mirror
I`m on the right track yeah I`m on to a winner

 Chorus

I don`t know what`s right and what`s real anymore
I don`t know how I`m meant to feel anymore
When we think it will all become clear
`Cuz I`m being taken over by The Fear

Life`s about film stars and less about mothers
It`s all about fast cars and passing each other
But it doesn`t matter cause I`m packing plastic
and that`s what makes my life so very fantastic

And I am a weapon of massive consumption
and its not my fault it`s how I`m program to function
I`ll look at the sun and I`ll look in the mirror
I`m on the right track yeah I`m on to a winner

 Bridge

Forget about guns and forget ammunition
Cause I`m killing them all on my own little mission
Now I`m not a saint but I`m not a sinner
Now everything is cool as long as I`m getting thinner

 Chorus

I don`t know what`s right and what`s real anymore
I don`t know how I`m meant to feel anymore
When we think it will all become clear
`Cuz I`m being taken over by The Fear

interesting hey?

If you want a great classroom activity, get your students to answer the following 2 questions about the song. 

1)     Underline any lines that send a message or give us a picture of the culture of today.

2)     Indicate whether each underlined passage sends a positive or negative message.

Share your answers with the class.

I can guarantee a great discussion will develop and the students will be challenged to think about the messages they are being given through music.

Next time you are listening to the radio why not pay close attention to the lyrics, I know I will!