I hear a lot of complaints about Gen Z (born 1997-2012), even among Millennials and Gen Xers. Of course, there are a lot of great kids and young adults in the Gen Z category, and I am actually optimistic about that generation when they finally get to the age where reality begins to kick in for them. But whenever a stereotype emerges, it us usually because there is enough truth there to make a broad generalization.
Several months after my wife retired from her previous job, a friend who owns a business asked her if she would be willing to come work for him. They had talked about that previously, but at that time she was not in a position to take the job. In between the time they first talked and she finally was able to go to work for him, he had a couple of other people in that position – all Gen Zers. One wanted a raise after working only about a month. She mostly just sat at the reception desk with her nose in her cell phone. Another wanted a promotion after working there only a short time and quit when she didn’t get it. It didn’t register with her that she was not qualified for the position she was wanting to get promoted to. And neither of them could be depended on to show up on time for work, and would take extra long breaks and leave work early.
When talking to people who own businesses, the most frequent thing I hear is that they want to hire someone who will show up to work, and work when they get there. Our friend specifically wanted someone older that had a good work ethic. And I hear the exact same thing from many others I know.
But its not surprising in many ways. Look what they are being taught. These days there is a lot of antisemitism on high school and college campuses. But these kids are not just antisemitic, they also sympathize with anti-Israel terrorists. Hardly a day goes by when we don’t hear of another protest on a college campus, individuals or mobs making death threats, groups interrupting parades, ceremonies, or meetings, and vandalism with antisemitic graffiti. And where does this come from? It comes from an education system that teaches Marxist ideology where people are looked at as oppressors or oppressed, rather than as persons made in the image of God.
But it is not just Marxist ideology that they are being taught, relativistic morality is right there in the mix. Recently, Ashly Madison did some research to see who was using their service, and it found that Gen Zers comprised 40% of their subscribers – and were the top age group. Just to be clear, Ashly Madison is an online dating service with a unique twist – they are set up to help married people who want to cheat on their spouse.
Beyond that, the survey wanted to see what people thought of non-monogamous relationships. Their study found that 57% of Gen Zers overall are willing to consider a non-monogamous relationship. And within the Ashley Madison world itself, 57% said they wanted either an open or polyamorous relationship.
Marxist ideology and the sexual promiscuity in modern society actually have a common source. Marxism is atheistic, and Atheism is an expression of a naturalistic worldview (the belief that the natural universe, operating by natural laws, is all that exists). When it comes to morality, they believe that there is no objective source for moral beliefs (no God). Human beings are, thus, nothing more than one natural animal among many. With no objective moral foundation, people feel free to make up their own morality (which is actually their only choice).
What we see is that Gen Z is learning what they are being taught. They are being taught by teachers who are coming out of universities led by people who believe in Marxism, and from books that are written by people who are committed Naturalists. It is an ideology that believes that human beings are merely natural animals with no spiritual core, and that the way to evaluate the worth of other human beings is based on their political philosophy and economic status. It is only natural that we are getting what we are getting.
The only solution is for Christians to become more bold about sharing the truth – that human beings are persons created in the image of God, but fallen. And that the only solution to our fallenness is to enter into a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. EVERY Christian has a responsibility – even a duty to God – to be bold with the truth. We can’t ignore that and sluff it off on others if we intend to be faithful believers in Jesus Christ.