Greg Laurie: Why You Shouldn’t Believe the Reports That Millennials Are Losing Their Faith, Patriotism by GREG LAURIE for Charisma News
I thought the subject of this article might grab your attention because it is not what we are generally hearing about Millennials and Generation Z these days.
For example, The Wall Street Journal and NBC News recently published the results of a survey on the changing attitudes of these generations. The article says, “The values that Americans say define the national character are changing, as younger generations rate patriotism, religion and having children as less important to them than did young people two decades ago.”
Yet this is not the entire story.
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While it may be true some young Americans are rejecting religion and patriotism, there is plenty of evidence to suggest the contrary. As FOX News reported, just a few days ago over 100,000 people filled the Angel Stadium in Anaheim, California, for a weekend-long crusade our Harvest team has put on for 30 years in a row. Among those in attendance, 63% were under 30.
As my mentor and friend the late Billy Graham often did at his crusades, I extended an opportunity for people to begin a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. More than 8,000 people responded, and 65% of them were either Millennials or from Generation Z. Some would describe it “as thousands of young people becoming more religious”!
On the opening night of the crusade, we unfurled a gigantic American flag across the stadium’s field to honor the men and women who serve in our military and sang “God Bless America” to the cheers of thousands in the crowd. Some might call that “patriotism”!
The truth is that every generation has to come of age, but Millennials and Gen Z kids are apparently more interested in issues of faith and have more love for our country than is being recognized or generally reported.
When we began these events 30 years ago, the young generation was “Generation X.” Now that generation has entered adulthood, and new generations have followed, as they always will. Believe it or not, there was even a time when we “Baby Boomers” were the young generation. Don’t forget our anthem was Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young”!
Now, we have traded our acid rock for acid reflux, and instead of our battle-cry being “Sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll” it might be “Nip, tuck and Botox!” Yet we too became more religious as life led us along.
