“Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture: Bridging Teen Worldviews and Christian Truth” by Walt Mueller

We don’t have to go far to find a growing mission field! Author Walt Mueller spells it out for us, the changing youth leaders:

· We – the church – must recognize the mission field that is right under our noses! “The Great Commission applies to the crosscultural mission field of the emerging postmodern generations. We are called to live out our faith in the postmodern world as crosscultural missionaries. We must not only understand the unchanging Word of God but also those to whom we are called to minister.” (45)

· Mueller explains three steps needed for Christian mission to go forth with power: (46-49)

“Step 1: Know the unchanging Word.” “…the first step is to know the message – inside out and upside down. We must know the Incarnate Word, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Knowing Christ means that we view all of life through the framework and lens of God’s Word.”
“Step 2: Know young people and their rapidly changing culture. The basic principle of effective communication is that the message sender must know the receiver, particularly how and what the receiver thinks. The basic message of God’s Word doesn’t vary from culture to culture. But the words used in communicating the unchanging Word must always be chosen with deep sensitivity to the receiving culture.” “First, we must know them individually, in terms of both their unique personally and abilities (nature), and their lifetime of experiences….” “Second, we must know them developmentally.” “Third, we must know their changing cultural context.”
“Step 3: Take the unchanging Word to young people growing up in a rapidly changing culture. Once we know the message and the “address” of those awaiting the delivery, we need to get on our way and deliver the good news.

“Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture: Bridging Teen Worldviews and Christian Truth” by Walt Mueller

In his book, “Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture”, Walt Mueller invests a whole section to analyzing the emerging generation mission field (he calls the Millennial Generation or Generation Y), the second to grow up in a world driven by the emerging postmodern worldview. He provides some excellent insights:

· “For them the world is filled with questions, but very few answers. The cries rising out of their deep hunger and thirst are loud, very loud, if we listen, we’ll hear it in their music, books and films. We observe it in their choices and behaviors. They long to be “meaningfully connected to life.” But the complexities of their world have made it difficult for them to hear the good news – at least in the way the church is now “spreading” it – in a timely and understandable manner.” (18/19)
· We must listen….”we aren’t listening, and we don’t even know it!” (19) Kids do not feel heard. “The cost of losing our ears is great. Whoever takes interest and listen with both ears will be given the privilege of influence. God’s people are typically surprised not only to learn that our young are not listening to us but who they are listening to.” (25)
· “While all teens struggle at some level, teens who lack a distinctively biblical foundation and the security of a strong home face greater difficulty. Our world is populated by increasing numbers who bear the ugly marks of relational breakdown.” (20)
· Mueller points out that if we listen to the artists/songs that youth are listening to, we will hear their pain and disappointment. “Adults often fail to see such expressions as cries resulting from teens’ unmet hunger and thirst for God.” (22)
· Influencers have changed…no longer is the family, school, or church influencing teens’ lives. Influencers today are the media’s influences followed by friends/peers. “Youth and electronic media are dependent upon each other.” (26)
· “For young people, especially those who don’t already have a place to belong, media can serve as an escape from the cares, concerns and pains of life. The media gives them a voice that frees them from social neglect and the resulting silence. It can serve as a form of lament, much like the biblical psalms. At times it serves as a form of protest against victimization and oppression. For some it can actually become an addiction. And, of greatest importance to our discussion, media can serve as religion, especially where the church seems to have little or nothing to say.” (27)
· Our youth are hurting. Kids are hardwired to want to connect. “The desire for connections – human and divine – is undeniably present.” (37)

· “Adolescence is a crossroads. It’s a time marked by overwhelming change, numerous questions and a search for answers. Not sure which directions to take, the emerging generations are presented with confusing messages and options. Usually, the signposts they choose to follow are the most attractive, loud and convincing in response to their unspoken teenage cry of “Show me the way.” The choice is made easier when they see their peers moving en masse in one direction.” (80-81)
· The millennial generation (born after 1982) attributes are shaped by living in a rapidly changing world. They have common marks such as a lost sense of right and wrong, living without a moral compass. According to Mueller we may continue to see a rise in behavior driven problems and violence. Another mark of this generation is the cultural diversity, and the crumbling of racism and prejudice. Pluralism and tolerance all mark this generation, especially with a new openness to cultural diversity. Broken relationships also dominate and mark this generation. “Many of the Millennial children will never live in a home with both biological parents.” (94) They are media saturated, experience – and feeling-driven. Suspicious of truth, overwhelmed with options, live in a globalized youth culture, pervaded by violence, pushed, hurried and frazzled, materialistic, despairing and hopeless….and most important….crying out for redemption.

“Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture: Bridging Teen Worldviews and Christian Truth” by Walt Mueller

Engaging emerging youth today...Walt Mueller provides excellent insights:

· I particularly like this author's study in chapter nine regarding Paul’s Mars Hill Ministry in Acts 17:16-34 and its application to today’s youth, with similarities that are astonishing.
· As Mueller points out, the messenger is Paul, the place is Athens, the audience is educated pagans, and the method Paul uses to encounter the Athenians is by engaging the pagan world.
· Mueller notes that Paul does not compromise his holiness by being in this polytheistic culture, he isn’t indifferent to the idolatry but rather he is very distressed because of his deep love for Christ and his deep concern for the Athenians.
· “Because of their philosophic frame of reference, both the Epicureans and Stoics react against Paul and his teachings. Their worldviews are so antibiblical that what Paul is telling them is foreign, alien and ultimately revolting.” (205)
· Mueller also points out that the Epicureans were “feeling-oriented” and the Stoics were the rationalists and thinkers of Athens. “Each bears striking similarities to the way many contemporary postmoderns live and think today.” (204)
· We can learn a great deal from Paul’s ministry. Even with the Athenians reactions to Paul, we might think he would be rejected. “But the fact that he has come to them, met them on their own turf, and engaged them at the level of their interests and ideas sets the stage for something amazing to happen.” (206) He leaves them intrigued and wanting to know more.
· Paul addresses them by using statements they could relate to and affirms their beliefs (although misdirected beliefs.) But he doesn’t insult them. “Paul’s cross-cultural approach adapts the unchanging Word without compromise so it can be heard in the Athenian context.” (208)
· “As Paul stands before the gathering of the Areopagus, his opening comments indicate clearly that he not only knows what the Athenians believe, but he also knows their manner and format for discussing their ideas. In our contemporary postmodern situation it is our responsibility as crosscultural missionaries to enter into a discussion of their ideas, in their world, in their manner, but only after we’ve taken the time to be informed and educated on their philosophy, worldview, allegiances and other cultural nuances. Paul addresses their ignorance by telling them about the true God who can be known.” (208) (Emphasis mine.)
· “In a masterful way Paul finds common ground between the truth about the one true God and Epicurean and Stoic philosophy. He corrects their errors by using their own teachings that resonate with biblical truth.” (209)
· Eventually, “Paul calls them to turn away from their idols to the one true God, who will no longer overlook their sin.” (212) “
· “Paul’s message provides a powerful example of how to engage the emerging postmodern generations with a crosscultural apologetic.” (212) “The ancient Mars Hill ministry model is unquestionably suited for our times. It offers the church an approach for infiltrating, understanding and transforming culture with good news.” (215)
· As Mueller helps us to understand this ministry example can help us strengthen and deepen our work in the mission field of youth today, provides us a framework and model for living out the Truth and engaging the culture with “an eye toward effective crosscultural ministry.” (216)
· In this blog I cannot possibly list out all the question we may want to ask members of the emerging generation, but I highly recommend you read this book and look through these questions (217-233)….they are certainly worth the price of admission!