The Two Big G's

I had a friend say to me the other day he has two big G's in his life. God and Google. At first I just laughed but  his seriousness about the subject made me see a new realized reality. He went on to explain how using Google he has researched his own faith questions that he has had for years about his beliefs. This has allowed him to find titles and definitions matching more closely to what he believes and has wrestled with for years. I could see on his face that he found a new joy and peace knowing he was not alone in his walk or in his questioning. I am thrilled for his faith exploration but I worry about the accuracy of potential sources one can find through a search engine online. I also think, as a youth minister we need to more conscious of this instant-search generation than ever before. It redefines how we do youth ministry. It redefines how the Church in general should do ministry.

This new research era no longer desires to eat and digest beliefs they are taught when the Church tries to simply spoon-feed information.  In my experience, teenagers are not going to believe something just because I tell them the Bible or the Pastor says so. They are questioning, they are pushing, and yes they are even doubting. Why? Because the church has not allowed much room for open thinking and the perceptions of what it means to be Christian are not good ones. According to the Barna-Research Group, when young Americans hear the word "Christian" the first thoughts that come to mind are... hypocritical, anti-gay, rigid/strict, conservative or anti-liberal. Young people are especially tired of these perceptions and if this is what the world labels Christianity than what is the motive to be a Christian? If someone who claims to be Christian feels they don't fit into one of these labels they are probably going to do some searching online to find a group where they do belong. This may lead them to trade in truth for acceptance and comfort. 

What should the Church do? I believe as a followers of Christ we should encourage people to live a life in a way that radically follows Christ instead of wearing a Christian label and just going through the motions of what is expected. What if as a Church we gave people a chance to express themselves freely without judging or pointing fingers? What if we lovingly disagreed and questioned one another and invited open discussion and still hugged each other at the end of a group meeting? What if we were more like Jesus by telling stories and asking questions to get people to find truth out for themselves instead of stuffing it down their throats? Perhaps if we were more like Christ the label Christian would not be so negative. Perhaps if the Church acted more like Christ young people would turn less to Google and more directly to God in prayer for their search.

It's not a bad thing for people to search and question using Google. I use Google all the time to help plan bible study lessons and youth group! I think the Church needs to encourage everyone to know and articulate what they believe and why. If Google helps them with this search than it is consider a blessing! My prayer is for seekers to discover truth whether it is something heard at church or found on Google.