How can we revitalise our Christian youth?
by Matthew Skirton, Christian Today:
“I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe.” These words must have been extremely challenging to receive for the early Christians in Rome. As followers of Jesus, facing all sorts of trials, temptations and struggles, surely they would have been tempted to compromise, internalise their faith, and play it safe by not sharing their hope and the promise of salvation with others.
A recent study by the British Social Attitudes Survey showed that the share of the UK population identifying as having no religion continues to grow, with 65% of 18–24-year-olds saying they belong to no religion and only 18% saying they are Christians.
Hostility to the message of the Bible and its teaching is undoubtedly growing in our country. Young Christians are finding themselves in an increasingly secular society, with many feeling unable to talk about their faith in public.
As I reflect upon the challenges faced in the UK today, especially by young disciples of Jesus, I wonder how we can best help them be confident and unashamed of the gospel. Rather than encouraging them to simply cling to a fledgling faith, hoping that they’ll keep turning up at church each week, what if we enabled them to look beyond themselves to such an extent that they see Jesus and understand more fully what it means to follow Him and make disciples?
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