Page 4 - Youth Discipleship Student Textbook

couples in the ages of 25-34 lived with unmarried partners. Today, more Americans under 25 cohabit
with a partner than are married, up to more than 50%. ’
2
In the US, nearly half of the nation’s children under 18 have experienced at least one traumatic event,
including sexual abuse, neglect, incarceration of a parent, being a victim or witnessing community
violence, or the death or absence of a parent.
3

Most Bible scholars believe that we are living in the last days before Christ comes again to redeem the
earth of the corruption we see around us. 2 Timothy 3: 1-5 says,

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But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of
self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful,
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unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving
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good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having
the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
In our world today, we see a huge swing in the attitude and behavior of youth and adults who are
described by this scripture. Ministry to youth who are bound by these behaviors is becoming more
difficult as time goes on.

Even for parents who work diligently to train their children in the things of God, an increasingly alarming
statistic reveals that almost 60% of youth who reach the age of 15 reject the teachings of their parents
nor desire to attend church. And if students attend a public university after graduation from high
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school, up to 80% of youth will deny their Christian faith by the time they graduate from college. We
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must ask, why the retreat from the faith of their fathers?

According to Biologos, there is no single reason for the break-up between church and young adults. The
proposed up to six possible reasons for the transition.

1. Churches seem overprotective. Youth feel that Christians demonize everything outside the church.

2. They say that they find that Christianity is shallow. In a survey, they found that 1/3 of youth said
church was boring. One in four responded that “the Bible is not taught clearly or often enough.
6

3. Churches come across as antagonistic to science. One third of those interviewed felt that the Church
was out of step with the scientific world we live in. The felt Christianity was anti-science.

2 Ibid.
3 https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/06/15/no-dad-fathers-day-role-models-fill-void-divorces-
single-parents/692494002/
4 https://biologos.org/articles/six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church/
5 Studies have shown that somewhere between 60 percent and 80 percent of previously engaged Christian youth
become disengaged with their faith as they transition into college,” Campus Renewal announced in a “Campus
Ministry Link” report published on its website.
6 https://biologos.org/articles/six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church/

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