Generating passion to heed the Living Christ

Have you ever "faked it"? Before your mind goes down a certain path, I am talking about faking being a Christian. I am certain that you and I have put on a good show on some Sundays. For some, that may be every Sunday. The world has started to notice.

In August, CNN correspondent John Blake reported that "more teens are becoming fake Christians." As one who works with the college-age population, this caught my attention.

In Blake's report, he speaks of a study by Princeton Professor Kendra Creasy Dean, who warns of a "mutant" form of Christianity called "moralistic therapeutic deism" (i.e., God is a divine therapist whose existence rests on boosting our self-esteem). Dean says this is one of the biggest reasons youth abandon the faith.

This leads to a bigger question: Where are these young people getting this view of God? If students are reared with these ideas, could it be because we (the church) are doing a poor job of modeling and following Jesus ourselves?

Have we been so caught up with our traditions, our style, our politics that we have forgotten how to live for Christ? Have we, too, learned to "fake it"?

The average college student I meet today knows very little about the Bible, has very little experience of wrestling with the doctrines of the church, and has very little experience in living out his/her faith on a daily basis.

Most of what I hear about their faith experience is connected to laser tag, parties, sporting events, food and the dating scene at the local youth group.

On occasion, I hear of a mission trip that, for some, became a glorified vacation to a third world country. I seldom hear of what God is doing through them or teaching them. If there is a connection, it is to self-help issues rather than solid spiritual formation.

When I encourage these students to talk about how they are living their faith, I get baffled looks and shoulder shrugs. We have succeeded in having a good time and helping them think through their issues, but when it comes to living their faith, they are left to "fake it." Dean thinks students (or for that matter you and me) feel the need to fake it because the church doesn't present anything about which to be passionate.

Ironically, college students are some of the most passionate people on this planet. They want to change the world. They want to make a difference. And outside the church, many are doing just that.

Sometimes, however, they come against resistance from the place that should encourage a passion, certainly evident in the life of Christ. Instead, they are bored with our antics to keep members in the pews, and our response to their boredom is to keep them entertained and happy.

Ironically, many churches have gone to this mentality for worship services and small groups as well ‹ have fun and keep them happy, and they will come back and give money.

I believe leaders in the church are simply afraid of what might happen if we actually engaged this passion in our congregations (college student or not).

It may cause us to stop "faking" our own faith. We may open our eyes on Sunday and realize the pews are full of people just "faking it." Take a moment to assess your own situation. Is your church helping to ignite the passion for Christ's kingdom in you or your family's life? If not, it's time to stop faking it, and have a discussion with your pastor, youth minister or small-group leader.

We are not a people of "moralistic therapeutic deism." We are followers of the Living Christ; it's time we began living like it, not just for the sake of the next generation, but for this current generation.

By Robert S. Henry

First appeared in the FWLutheran October 2010