From Generation to Generation | Sojourners

From Generation to Generation

"...and Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias; and Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias...."

Bored yet? In honesty, many of us would say that passages such as this from Matthew (1:9-10) are among the most tedious in the Bible. Though these

passages are more often passed over than read, they show some of the great respect that the Bible gives to the fact that each passing generation contributes to the establishment of our faith.

Today, a new generation is experiencing God’s love and responding in ways that are challenging the status quo and initiating new ways of being church that herald how Christ’s church may look in the coming millennium. The participants in these "uprisings," though possibly more wary of traditional church structures than other generations, are no less serious about their commitment to serve God and find ways that best convey the gospel to those coming of age in today’s post-modern culture.

What is taking place among young adults today has the potential to revitalize the wider church, which is certainly something believers of all ages will benefit from. Contrary to the media’s "slacker" description of Generation X, young people today are challenging all of us to action with their allegiance to works and not just words. In doing so, they are reshaping society’s definition of what it is to "be church."

AMONG THE "UPRISINGS" of this new generation are initiatives such as the Emerging Urban Leaders Summit, which met last September in Washington, D.C. The conference brought together young Christian leaders from a variety of backgrounds for worship and a better understanding of God’s vision for their generation.

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Sojourners Magazine January-February 1998
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