(Image from www.xkcd.com.)
I was born in July of 1981. By nearly all sociologists' demographics, that puts me right in the middle of the transition between Generation X and the Millennials. And I could see the difference in high school: Most of my older classmates seemed characterized by apathy, emptiness, and nihilism, while most students just a year behind me in school (though only a few months younger) seemed characterized by an almost unending optimism that they could take on the world and win. On the few occasions that I saw them interact, it was like watching Kurt Cobain duke it out with Ross from Friends.
I've never really felt as though I fit into either category. I appreciate the GenXers' honest outlook on life (though I could never understand how they got out of bed each morning), but I also wish I could have the Millennials' optimism (without feeling like I was deceiving myself). I've always felt that, as a Christian, it's my nature to transcend any categories that human wisdom puts me into. (Of course, the fact that I'm an introverted nerd who teaches physics and writes blogs like this one doesn't help me fit in, either.)
These feelings (identifying equally with each generation while feeling equally alien to each generation) lead me to think a lot about the Christians my age. We've definitely come "into life." We're past the "staring out" point in our careers; college is long gone; we're (generally) not going to Newsboys concerts anymore (Are they even still around?); we've forgone seeking "spiritual mountaintops" in favor of enough faith to make it to work each morning; we've got some money in our 401-k's (and hoping it will stay there); and we're trying to be involved in the local church as adults.
I think it's this last characteristic (amid the swirling vortex of all of them) that's giving us the most trouble.
We don't really know what previous generations of Christians think of us: When we were growing up, they seemed to think we were all pregnant drug addicts. On the other hand, they seem to be watching us, like we're the new gila monsters at the zoo.
We don't really know how to make friends at church. (Adults don't seem to do those icebreaker games we learned in Youth Group.)
We don't know where we can serve or whom we should ask about it.
When we do meet someone new at church, we don't know what to talk about.
How can my generation find its way through this challenging time? Should we try to forge a new identity for ourselves? Should we try to be like the previous generations? Should we just "be ourselves," as we were taught at school? Should we disconnect until others initiate with us?
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