Of Billy Graham, Justice Thomas, and the Barna Group - Important Lessons to Learn

Just heard the news this morning that Billy Graham entered the portals of heaven yesterday.  What an incredible legacy that man has left behind.  Perhaps no other person, since the time of the Apostle Paul, has had such an impact upon the world for Christ.  Every continent, with the exception of Antarctica, has been touched with the message that flowed from the heart of Billy Graham.  Men and women of influence across the globe sought his wisdom and advice.  Few of us will forget the powerful message he delivered at the national day of remembrance for the victims of 9-11.  I remember seeing him totter up those steps, but once he was in the pulpit, the fire of heaven flowed through him.  Just as there was only one Apostle Paul, I believe there will be only one Billy Graham.  He was God's man for the time in which he lived.  The world will miss his voice, but heaven is celebrating the homecoming of a giant of faith.  Thank you, Billy Graham, for the legacy you have left behind. 


Over the weekend I was privileged to hear portions of the speech that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas made at the Library of Congress.  (www.patriotpost.us/articles/54241-thomas-issues-his-cultural-ruling). Three thoughts grabbed my attention.  First, he said, "At some point, we're going to be fatigued with everybody being the victim."  Think about that statement for just a few moments.  We are victims of race.  We are victims of gender.  We are victims of sexual choice.  We are even victims of religious preferences.  It seems that everyone is going around carrying the wounds of victimhood.  We report people who cause us to have negative feelings.  We crawl into our "safe spaces" where no one can touch us.  I believe what Justice Thomas was saying is that as long as we are all victims, there will never be any healing.  And healing begins when we can sit down and have a civil conversation about ideas without feeling offended.  Such conversations are a rarity in our age. 


Second, Justice Thomas expressed great concern over the intensity of the confirmation for both judges and other political appointments.  He said, "This is not the Roman Colosseum.  We're not gladiators.  And I think we're going to lose some of our best people who choose not to go through the ordeal.  They don't want to have to fight the lion in order to be a judge or to be in government.  And I think it's our own fault for allowing this to happen."  Yes, there needs to vetting for the offices of judges and other governmental leaders, but it seems that the vetting process today is almost like a witch-hunt. 


And, third, Justice Thomas quoted from his grandfather: "Old Man Can't is dead.  I helped bury him."  I heard my grandfather say the same thing to me many times, especially when I expressed why something could not be done.  We tend to give up too easily today.  Things are too hard, so "I quit" becomes our escape.  Perhaps we need to resurrect that thought from our grandparents' generation.  As believers we know that nothing is too difficult for God.  And since God is for us then we should remove those words - "I can't" - from our vocabulary.  Instead we should proclaim, "With God's help, I can..." 


I close today with referencing a new study that the Barna Group has produced.  You can find this study at www.barna.com/research/gen-z-questions-answered.  I found this article an important one.  Gen Z is identified as those born between the years 1999 to 2015, so this group is now between the ages of 3 and 19.  The Barna Group worked with teens aged 13 to 18 for this study.  "One of the main findings from the study is that the problem of evil is a major barrier to faith for non-Christian teens (29%).  Other reasons nonbelievers provide as common barriers to faith include "Christians are hypocrites" (23%), "I believe science refutes too much of the Bible" (20%), "I don't believe in fairy tales" (19%), "there are too many injustices in the history of Christianity" (15%), "I used to go to church but it's just not important to me anymore" (12%), "I had a bad experience at church / with a Christian" (6%). 


"When it comes to church specifically, non-Christians and self-identified Christians have different reasons for why they believe it is unimportant.  Among those who say attending church is not important to them, three out of five Christian teens say "I find God elsewhere" (61%), while about the same proportion of non-Christians says "church is not relevant to me personally" (64%). 


"One of the biggest and most surprising shifts is that family is not a major priority for Gen Z.  For instance, personal achievement, whether educational or professional (43%), and hobbies and pastimes (42%) are more central to Gen Z's identity than family background / upbringing (34%).  ... Another interesting finding is that two-thirds of Gen Z want to finish their education (66%), start a career (66%) and become financially independent (65%) by age 30, while only one in five wants to get married by then (20%).  However, they do still seem to value their family's authority or insight: When asked who they most look up to as a role model, half say their parents and one in seven says another family member."


Friends, this is a very important study.  Gen Z includes my grandchildren and their peers.  What is truly important to them?  What does faith mean to them?  Can they articulate clearly what they believe?  These are questions leaders within the Church need to be asking.  This is that generation the Church needs to be investing its best people and its resources into not only helping them to understand the significance of the Gospel, but of how they can grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. 


Friends, God is still on the throne.  He is still "in charge."  All may not be well with the world, but I can say, "It is well with my soul."  I trust you can say that as well.