Despite declining church attendance, 77% of Gen Z is open to learning about Jesus. The Church has an opportunity — if it is ready to change its approach to engagement.

A generation searching for more

Lena sat in church every Sunday. She knew the Bible stories. She went to a youth group. But deep down, she wondered, “Does any of this really matter?”

By college, she left. She never saw how faith mattered.

Lena is not alone. Millions of young people feel the same way. Yet, they are not rejecting Jesus. According to Barna’s Gen Z Vol. 3 research, 77% of teens say they are at least somewhat motivated to learn about Jesus, with 52% reporting they are very motivated. Only 20% of teenagers said they were unmotivated to learn about Jesus, while 7% were unsure.

This is not just a Gen Z trend. A 2022 survey of 2,000 U.S. adults found that 77% believe in a higher power, and 74% want to grow spiritually. The problem is not that young people aren’t interested in faith. The problem is that the Church isn’t engaging them in ways that feel relevant, real and transformative.

The curse of knowledge: Why we’re losing the next generation

Have you ever been in church when the pastor starts talking about justification and sanctification — and everyone just nods along like they totally get it? (Meanwhile, you are silently hoping there is no quiz afterward.) That is the curse of knowledge in action.

The curse of knowledge happens when experts forget what it’s like to be a beginner. A Stanford study demonstrated this with a simple experiment. Participants were split into two groups: “tappers” and “listeners.” The tappers were asked to tap out the rhythm of a song, while the listeners had to guess what song was being tapped. The tappers assumed that the listeners would guess correctly 50% of the time. In reality, the listeners got it right only 2.5% of the time. Why? Because the tappers could already hear the melody in their heads — but the listeners only heard random beats.

This is exactly what happens in the Church today. Many assume young adults understand faith, but for many, faith is like a song with missing notes. We talk to them instead of walking with them, then wonder why they leave.

The real reason young people leave church

Christian affiliation among young adults has dropped significantly over the past 50 years. In 1972, 85% of 18 to 35-year-olds identified as Christian. By 2022, that number had fallen to 45%. Meanwhile, those claiming “no religion” have risen sharply. In 1972, only 5% of young adults identified as religiously unaffiliated. By 2022, that number had increased to 35%.

Most “Nones” aren’t atheists or even agnostics — they are simply spiritually disengaged. Research shows that 63% say they are “nothing in particular.” Only 20% are agnostic, and 17% are atheist. They aren’t rejecting faith — they just don’t see why it matters.

Part of the problem is that the Church has largely shifted from Jesus’ multiplication model of discipleship to an assimilation model. Success is too often measured by attendance and program participation rather than by disciple-making. Many churches have unknowingly replaced Jesus’ Great Commission with a functional Great Commission that sounds more like this:

“Go into all the world and make worship attenders. Baptize them into small groups. Teach them how to serve a few hours a month.”

But this is not what Jesus commanded. Jesus didn’t say, “Gather crowds and measure success by how many show up.” He said, “Go and make disciples.” The biblical Great Commission isn’t about filling church buildings — it’s about filling the world with disciple-makers.

The future church: a vision for what’s possible

The church of the future won’t be built on attendance — it will be built on disciple-making. It won’t just be a place we go; it will be a movement we live out. Instead of measuring success by how many people show up, we should measure it by how many people are trained and sent out.

Imagine a church where believers don’t just listen — they are trained to disciple others. Imagine small groups that multiply faith. Imagine evangelism that builds lifelong disciple-makers. That’s the church Jesus envisioned. That’s the church the next generation is searching for. That’s the church we must become.

But how do we get there?

A call to action for everyday Christians

If you are reading this, chances are you care deeply about the next generation. Maybe it is your child, your grandchild or someone you mentor. They are not too far gone. They are searching. And you can be the one who helps them find answers.

The Church is not just a building — it is you. It is the way you live out your faith at home, at work and in everyday conversations. If we stay silent, they’ll seek answers elsewhere. But if we engage, if we invest, if we disciple — We won’t just see them stay. We’ll see revival.

The question isn’t whether young people are searching. The question is whether we will show them the way.

We must decide.

Will we rise to the challenge? Or will we stand by and watch them walk away?
Sources:Christian Post

http://theendtimeradio.com

ആമസോണ്‍ മഴക്കാടുകള്‍ രണ്ടായി പിളർത്തി റോഡുകൾ വരുന്നു. പതിനായിരക്കണക്കിന് മരങ്ങള്‍ മുറിച്ചുമാറ്റി വനത്തെ പിളര്‍ത്തിയാണ് നാലുവരിപ്പാത വരുന്നത്. എന്തിനാണ് ധൃതിപ്പെട്ട് വീതിയേറിയ ഈ റോഡ് നിര്‍മിക്കുന്നത് എന്ന ചോദ്യത്തിനുള്ള മറുപടിയാണ് ഏറെ കൗതുകം. ഈ വര്‍ഷത്തെ കാലാവസ്ഥാ ഉച്ചകോടി നടക്കാന്‍ പോകുന്നത് ബ്രസീലിലെ ബേലം നഗരത്തിലാണ്. നഗരത്തിലേക്ക് എത്താനുള്ള എളുപ്പ വഴി ഒരുക്കുനാണ് ഈ നീക്കത്തിന് പിന്നിൽ.

ലോക രാഷ്ട്ര നേതാക്കളും പ്രമുഖരും ഉള്‍പ്പെടെ 50000 ത്തോളം പേര്‍ പങ്കെടുക്കുന്ന പ്രധാന സമ്മേളനമാണിത്. നഗരത്തിലെ ഗതാഗത കുരുക്ക് കുറയ്ക്കാനാണ്് പുതിയ പാത. 14 കിലോമീറ്ററോളം ദൂരത്തില്‍ നിര്‍മിക്കുന്ന റോഡിന് വേണ്ടി നിരവധി കൂറ്റന്‍ മരങ്ങള്‍ മുറിച്ച്‌ മാറ്റിക്കഴിഞ്ഞു.

ഹൈവേ നിർമ്മാണം സുസ്ഥിരവും പ്രയോജനകരവുമാണെന്ന് സർക്കാർ വിശദീകരിക്കുന്നു. എന്നാൽ പരിസ്ഥിതിയെ പ്രതികൂലമായി ബാധിക്കുമെന്ന് പ്രദേശവാസികളും പരിസ്ഥിതി പ്രവർത്തകരും ഒരേ സ്വരത്തിൽ പറയുന്നു. കാലാവസ്ഥാ ഉച്ചകോടിയുടെ പേരിൽ വനനശീകരണം നടക്കുന്നുവെന്നതാണ് വിരോധാഭാസം. കാർബൺ ബഹിർഗമനം കുറയ്ക്കുന്നതുൾപ്പെടെയുള്ള പ്രധാന വിഷയങ്ങൾ ഉച്ചകോടിയിൽ ചർച്ച ചെയ്യും. മഴക്കാടുകളിലൂടെ റോഡ് നിര്‍മിക്കുന്ന പദ്ധതി 2012ല്‍ ചര്‍ച്ചയ്ക്ക് വന്നിരുന്നു എങ്കിലും പല കാരണങ്ങളാല്‍ നടന്നില്ല. ഇപ്പോള്‍ ഉച്ചകോടിയുടെ പേരിലാണ് റോഡ് നിര്‍മാണം സജീവമാക്കിയിരിക്കുന്നത്.
Sources:azchavattomonline.com

http://theendtimeradio.com

A new four-lane highway cutting through tens of thousands of acres of protected Amazon rainforest is being built for the COP30 climate summit in the Brazilian city of Belém.

It aims to ease traffic to the city, which will host more than 50,000 people – including world leaders – at the conference in November.

The state government touts the highway’s “sustainable” credentials, but some locals and conservationists are outraged at the environmental impact.

The Amazon plays a vital role in absorbing carbon for the world and providing biodiversity, and many say this deforestation contradicts the very purpose of a climate summit.

Along the partially built road, lush rainforest towers on either side – a reminder of what was once there. Logs are piled high in the cleared land which stretches more than 13km (8 miles) through the rainforest into Belém.

Diggers and machines carve through the forest floor, paving over wetland to surface the road which will cut through a protected area.

Claudio Verequete lives about 200m from where the road will be. He used to make an income from harvesting açaí berries from trees that once occupied the space.

“Everything was destroyed,” he says, gesturing at the clearing.

“Our harvest has already been cut down. We no longer have that income to support our family.”

He says he has received no compensation from the state government and is currently relying on savings.

He worries the construction of this road will lead to more deforestation in the future, now that the area is more accessible for businesses.

“Our fear is that one day someone will come here and say: ‘Here’s some money. We need this area to build a gas station, or to build a warehouse.’ And then we’ll have to leave.

“We were born and raised here in the community. Where are we going to go?”

His community won’t be connected to the road, given its walls on either side.

“For us who live on the side of the highway, there will be no benefits. There will be benefits for the trucks that will pass through. If someone gets sick, and needs to go to the centre of Belém, we won’t be able to use it.”

The road leaves two disconnected areas of protected forest. Scientists are concerned it will fragment the ecosystem and disrupt the movement of wildlife.

Prof Silvia Sardinha is a wildlife vet and researcher at a university animal hospital that overlooks the site of the new highway.

She and her team rehabilitate wild animals with injuries, predominantly caused by humans or vehicles.

Once healed, they release them back into the wild – something she says will be harder if there is a highway on their doorstep.

“From the moment of deforestation, there is a loss.

“We are going to lose an area to release these animals back into the wild, the natural environment of these species,” she said.

“Land animals will no longer be able to cross to the other side too, reducing the areas where they can live and breed.”

The Brazilian president and environment minister say this will be a historic summit because it is “a COP in the Amazon, not a COP about the Amazon”.

The president says the meeting will provide an opportunity to focus on the needs of the Amazon, show the forest to the world, and present what the federal government has done to protect it.

But Prof Sardinha says that while these conversations will happen “at a very high level, among business people and government officials”, those living in the Amazon are “not being heard”.
Sources:bbc

http://theendtimeradio.com

For much of my life, I have spoken to, and heard from, the Lord. This communication is called “prayer”, of course, but over the years it’s felt far more comfortable than the formality that word contrives in my mind. At its height, it has felt like breathing, as if I only needed to think of God and there He was, talking with me as one might with a friend.

It was like that for a decade or so. Until it wasn’t.

Dark night

St. John of the Cross penned a poem titled “The Dark Night of the Soul” while in prison and later began a longer work of the same name in which he expounded on each stanza of the poem. It appears he never finished the work, but his descriptions of what he called the “dark night of the soul” still linger in the imagination of many believers.

Let me explain, by way of example.

Have you ever been desperate for God, like, truly desperate — and He doesn’t show up? You get the feeling that your cries go unheard, reverberating off the walls of your room or the windows of your car without any answer at all. The feelings of comfort, safety, and confidence you once had in your faith seem stripped away, and in their place is doubt and the sudden feeling that everything in all the world points to the fact that God isn’t real. Or worse, that God doesn’t care.

Me too.

That experience has been called a lot of things. C.S. Lewis, in his wonderful book The Screwtape Letters, describes this feeling as when someone “looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him [God] seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken.”

In The Critical Journey, authors Janet O. Hagberg and Robert A. Guelich work to describe the stages of the Christian journey. In between two stages they describe what they call “The Wall”. It’s a time of wrestling with God that can often (though not always) be marked by the appearance, or feeling, that God has abandoned us. This season, in which we feel that we are experiencing God’s absence, removes from us whatever masks and lies we tell ourselves about ourselves and our faith.

Or, as Joshua Leventhal so elegantly put it in his song “Upholder”:

I’d like to think nothing happens in vain,
But sometimes the silence starts swallowing faith.
If I only trust You while my world’s still intact,
Is that actually trust or some thinly veiled act?

In short, a “dark night of the soul” forces us to examine whether or not we believe what we have learned about God even when no feelings are attached. Was our previous obedience to God attached to a feeling of God’s goodness? When all that is within our world tells us that God has either abandoned us or was never there to begin with … what will we do? Our actions will inevitably reveal who we are and if our faith is real.

Easy to write, hard to live

After someone very close to me passed away, I felt God’s presence intensely for the first week or so. He held me up and gave me strength to connect with and love the people around me in a miraculous way. I was deeply saddened, of course, but at the same time I could feel an inner warmth and peace that I knew was the Father holding me close.

And then it was gone. I felt nothing.

I didn’t even have enough energy to grieve the loss of the feeling of His presence. Numb, I would sit and stare at times. I did the dishes with a blank face and held my newborn son feeling love for him but no love from God.

At one point, I was walking through my home and a thought struck me: Is this depression? I’m no clinician, but I’d spent weeks feeling like some hollowed-out version of myself. I’d asked God to come close to me, but it didn’t feel like He was there. Maybe I was too broken for Him? I didn’t really believe that, but still…

Through a “serendipitous” set of circumstances, I stumbled across a teaching from John Mark Comer on “The Dark Night of the Soul”. I hadn’t heard the term before then, but it felt relatable. I poured a cup of tea, sat down, and listened. Then cried.

Throughout the sermon, words were carefully placed upon the feelings I’d been having, naming them and gently removing the loneliness I felt. Nothing was “solved”, but knowing what I was experiencing, having a name for it, helped more than I could verbalize.

What to ‘do’

There was one key takeaway, one “action item” as it were, for those of us who experience such a darkness. It’s simple, but so incredibly hard.

Obey. Or another way to think of it: Be faithful.

The key is to go back to what you know to be fundamentally true about your faith in Jesus, and to allow your actions to flow from there. Give generously. Love others. Pray. Forgive. Fast. And do it numb, if you must.

Teach yourself that you do not love God because He makes you feel good, or because He answers your prayers. “If you love me,” Jesus tells his disciples, “obey my commands” (John 14:15). When your prayers seem to go unanswered, return to what you know is obedience to His commands, and do that.

The full quote from Lewis’ TheScrewtape Letters is incredibly interesting. It goes like this: “Do not be deceived, Wormwood. Our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do [God’s] will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.”

If you haven’t read The Screwtape Letters, I’d recommend it. The context here is that we have two demons conspiring to thwart the work of God in a man’s life. And yet Lewis, when describing this condition of seeming abandonment from God, calls Satan’s cause “never more in danger” than when a Christian obeys the commands of Christ despite the outward circumstances of their life giving the appearance of being forsaken.

Perhaps that is the shift in perspective we truly need: when our prayers seem to go unanswered and a feeling of spiritual darkness sets in, we can become spiritually dangerous if only we choose to still obey.
Sources:Christian Post

http://theendtimeradio.com