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View Full Version : The Old Generation and Why they are losing the Next


OnEarth
6th December 2005, 12:06 PM
Based on the topic of the Jesus is my homeboy T shirts it has opened a good position for me to state what I am seeing with the church the youth and followers of a older generation. I will start by posting my quote and what I had to say about the T shirts.

This is a good example of how the older generation is loosing the younger generation. Homeboy TODAY means close friend to the young. Not slave boy. How do you all know who is saved and who is not? You assume that the people wearing them are not. I think that there is nothing wrong with this shirt. Christians want to keep God in the closet(church). When in fact that isnt where he is. Christ is everything in everyone. So the fact that non christians are wearing these shirts is a good thing. If the people wearing them are bad. Would you rather they wear a sinful shirt and promote that? Because that is what you are saying. I think that this is just another fight for the next christian to seem holier than thou. Christians these days are so into claiming everything wrong that they lose sight in what is good and there focus become negative instead of positive.

I will begin with the fact that so many are consider unsaved because they do not attend church on a daily basis or they do not run around in a constant preach mode.

To be saved you do not have to attend the church 24/7.
To be a christian you do not have to attend the church 24/7.

What is the church to you?

Allow me to give you the defintion.

Church: A building for the public especially christians.

So the church is a building of worship and fellowship and that is where it stops.

It is not where God begins or ends.

Lets look at how God is defined.

God: any supernatural being worshipped as controlling some part of the world or some aspect of life or who is the personification of a force

So as God is defined meaning our Lord and saviour Christ. He is in control of everything around and is not confined to one building. In fact he could very well be inside that child you believe to be unsaved. So that would mean you put forth judgement against God.

The older generation do not agree with commercializeing our lord. Well with so many making the devil and sin a commercial in a subliminal form. Where is the wrong in making our lord known in any form we can? Should we just back down and leave God in the church and amongst each other? I would much rather see the unsaved come to know that God is great, and cool and at the sametime your friend. Rather than them shy away from him because they have been unjustly judged and sentenced to hell by people in the church that do not know them. That is like looking through a window at a pair of shoes and saying they do not fit without you trying them on.

This does not apply to all but it does apply to the majority of Christians I have seen. That much is a fact.

JulySheMustFly
6th December 2005, 12:17 PM
The church is not a building but the followers of Christ. I go to church but my church building is actually a movie theater or an elementary school. In order to reach youth today you have to do it in a way they understand. You cannot say "Hey come to church with me its cool you'll like it" then bring them to a stagnant building where they sing slow hymns using thou and thee. You have to bring it to them in a way that they understand. If Jesus is my homeboy works at even creating a dialogue with a non-believer then it is a good work. There is a shift in evangelism right now and some will like it and some won't but as long as the message is Jesus Christ is the one true Lord and Savior then there is a method to the maddness.

OnEarth
6th December 2005, 12:21 PM
The church is not a building but the followers of Christ. I go to church but my church building is actually a movie theater or an elementary school. In order to reach youth today you have to do it in a way they understand. You cannot say "Hey come to church with me its cool you'll like it" then bring them to a stagnant building where they sing slow hymns using thou and thee. You have to bring it to them in a way that they understand. If Jesus is my homeboy works at even creating a dialogue with a non-believer then it is a good work. There is a shift in evangelism right now and some will like it and some won't but as long as the message is Jesus Christ is the one true Lord and Savior then there is a method to the maddness.

Thats what im saying...Thanks for your time and responding. I appreciate your understanding.

SteelDisciple
6th December 2005, 04:15 PM
Good thread..I deffinetly think the older generation has LOST the younger generation already. They don't understand the simplist terms or thinkings of the younger generation. They think the hard music today is "too loud" (which is funny considering back in the day..OLDIES music was considered "too loud!")

I think the problem is...the older generation has gotten..well..OLD. And they let that cloud their judgement. Things change...but also remain the same...music nowadays may be alot harder..but it hasn't lost it's passion for Christ..it just now worships DIFFERENTLY then what the older generation is use to. I'm just using music as one example...but the examples are countless. The older generation has a hard time accepting change I think.

I'm 27. Birthday on Jan 20th. Still listen to LOUD, hard rock and metal (christian only), i'm not reserved or overly mushy and mellow. I think maybe that's why..when I'm 40...i'm still going to be able to relate (or be related) to young people. I accept change. I ENJOY change. I really like it. things have changed with younger christians...but they still feel the same about God as the older generation..they just express it differently.

savedbyfaithinchrist
7th December 2005, 01:58 AM
PRAISE GOD O AND JESUS IS MY HOMEBOY :thumbsup:

revrobor
7th December 2005, 03:10 AM
I will begin with the fact that so many are consider unsaved because they do not attend church on a daily basis or they do not run around in a constant preach mode.

To be saved you do not have to attend the church 24/7.
To be a christian you do not have to attend the church 24/7.

What is the church to you?

Allow me to give you the defintion.

Church: A building for the public especially christians.

So the church is a building of worship and fellowship and that is where it stops.

It is not where God begins or ends.

Lets look at how God is defined.

God: any supernatural being worshipped as controlling some part of the world or some aspect of life or who is the personification of a force

So as God is defined meaning our Lord and saviour Christ. He is in control of everything around and is not confined to one building. In fact he could very well be inside that child you believe to be unsaved. So that would mean you put forth judgement against God.

The older generation do not agree with commercializeing our lord. Well with so many making the devil and sin a commercial in a subliminal form. Where is the wrong in making our lord known in any form we can? Should we just back down and leave God in the church and amongst each other? I would much rather see the unsaved come to know that God is great, and cool and at the sametime your friend. Rather than them shy away from him because they have been unjustly judged and sentenced to hell by people in the church that do not know them. That is like looking through a window at a pair of shoes and saying they do not fit without you trying them on.

This does not apply to all but it does apply to the majority of Christians I have seen. That much is a fact



I was a little concerned until I got to the bottom of your post and read the last line.
Sadly I agree with what you are saying and understand where you are coming from. Many in the older generation have "sold out" to the religious institution we have come to call the church and have failed to learn how to convey the love of God and His plan for us in a language the younger generation will understand. The religious institution has become irrelevant. These things have left the younger generation with serious doubts about all things "Christian". So it's up to you, and us "oldsters" who care, to be used of the Lord to reach the young.

Theophorus
7th December 2005, 09:49 PM
What I have never understood is why the more spiritually discerning bash those who are more carnal. If you really are more discerning than others, why would you criticize the less knowlegable?

In short, why should the spiritually immature condescend to the mature? Should not the spititually mature condescend to the immature?

Bill777
9th December 2005, 02:39 AM
Let's not get into the old gneration vs. young generation debate because that stereotyping doesn't help anybody. All teenage kids in my church believe that rock music is of the devil, drinking is sin, and they love old fashioned hymns. So, this has nothing to do with old vs new generation. So called modern churches attract both young and old people, while godly traditional churches attract both young and old people as well.