The rising of generation xtreme - part 2 in the serialising of Carl Anderson's Changing Of The Guard

A Field With No Boundaries

On the natural side of things, Satan has done an effective job in labeling our generation. Douglas Copeland coined the term, "Generation X" in his book by the same name in 1991. It is a tale of languid youths musing over "mental ground zero - the location where one visualizes oneself if an atomic bomb was dropped." He capsulated our generation with the stigmata of hopelessness. What he failed to realize in his secular book was that there are spiritual causes and effects of sin and lawlessness in the culture which have created the monster. On a Voice of America broadcast in Europe it was reported that the X'rs are "lazy, they watch too much TV, they're overwhelmed from the demands of life, their standard of living is lower than their parents, and they have no identity."

Ron Hutchcraft, who travels the country holding seminars on relating the gospel to culture and making it relevant, shared in a conference that in today's world, people are "playing on a field with no boundaries. There is no sense of violation." And because our gospel no longer cuts to the hearts of our hearers, the individual sees no relevance for Christ...a savior is not needed if you've nothing to be saved from. According to a book by George Barna, "Generation X can be described as being: 1. serious about life because they have been exposed to too much too early, 2. stressed out due to all the fast moving changes in the world, 3. self-reliant due to so many of the institutions of the world that have let them down, including family and government, 4. highly "spiritual" because they have drawn the conclusion that there must be more to life than the natural things, so they are open to the supernatural realm, and, 5. survivors, in other words, able to accept what is while longing for more."

"We are handicapped and unable to bring about the changes that are longed for," writes David Plaistad, "We see the need but are unable to prescribe the cure. Though many are not able to identify why they are struggling we are aware that we are missing something. We long for intimacy in relationship but find ourselves too afraid of being vulnerable. The result is that we fail at maintaining any relationship of depth."

Statistics gathered in research in the mid-nineties from Glen Charles, a director of a Youth With A Mission base in Wisconsin, reveal more truth about our generation. "In the 1990's," Glen writes, "70-80% of teenagers are sexually active, and the average young person spends eighty hours each week listening to rock and roll or watching M-TV. In the 1950's, the authority structure for the youth was ranked in this manner:

1. Church
2. Government
3. Parents
4. School
5. Friends

In the 1970's, when I was growing up, church authority dropped to 3. Now in the 1990's and beyond, here are the statistics,

1. Peers
2. School
3. Media
4. Parents
5. Government"

Does this sound the least bit shocking? Because of the breakdown of the family structure, the complacency and spreading liberality of the church, and the drive of the media, the authority which is supposed to be respected and followed in the family unit and in the government is lacking. Roles have been completely and utterly reversed. We now are living in a generation where "anything goes" as in the days of Judges, "There was no king in Israel, and each man did that which was right in his own eyes" Judges 2:10.

Peers have replaced the Church as the place where morals and character and respect for authority is formed. One example of this is the concept of gangs, who have sprung up in the poor, inner-city regions because of the breakdown of the family. According to Carroll Thompson, teacher at Christ For The Nations in Dallas, Texas, there are three basic life-structures of support by which we are given peace: the family unit, the church, and the society we live in (or government). A breakdown in any of these areas causes a crack in the individual, and he/she must find another avenue for the formation of their life.

In general, there is widespread rebellion against authority. In one sense, there is nothing new here; ever since the fateful day, documented in Genesis 4:9, when wicked Cain rose up and slew righteous Abel, we have seen rebellion in the earth. Indeed, the "mark of Cain" exists everywhere, as men and women roam about the earth, driven from the presence of their Creator, asking the question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" The resounding answer from society is "No!" The resounding answer from Almighty God is "Yes!"

Carl Anderson

"...just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and, although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them." Romans 1:28-32.

Quite a list, yet the same conditions exist today as when Paul composed his epistle to the church at Rome.

If you want to hear the heartbeat of a generation, just listen to its music. Music is an expression of the soul. Just listen to the secular lyrics sung through the fleshly prophets of our generation, which speak of hopelessness, death, relational problems, family breakdowns. Much of the rap coming out right now is sensual, devilish, and filled with a poor choice of vocabulary.