Post-Christian

September 7, 2018

Gen Z’s Sense of Identity, Life Aspirations and Goals: A Potential Ministry Path

We have been exploring over the last several weeks characteristics about the new youth culture known as Gen Z (born 1998 to 2015).  The oldest in this group are now in college, and they have a decisively different view of the world, themselves, their family, and the Faith.  Today, we’ll take a look at their sense of identity, life goals and what they deem as priorities for their own “life fulfillment.”  Knowing these trends can greatly help church leaders devise outreaches that can possibly attract them into their congregations for evangelism and discipleship. In their works, Gen Z and Barna […]
August 31, 2018

Gen Z and Their View of the Church: a Love/Hate Relationship

We have been exploring in a series of blogs what our new youth culture, Gen Z (born 1999 to 2015) thinks about life, God, the world, gender identity, and truth.  Today we take a few moments to see what they think about the Church.  There are positive things that Gen Z’ers see in the Church, but there are also deeply disturbing issues within them about the Church that should sound the alarm for any church leader seeking to reach and to disciple them in the gospel. I’m grateful for the resources from the Barna Group (their book Barna Trends 2018) and Impact […]
August 23, 2018

The Consequences from Parenting in a Gen Z Culture: Where has this taken our Youth?

In this rapidly changing, post-Christian culture, we are exploring in a series of blogs the world of the Gen Z (those born from 1999–2015), the earliest of which are now freshmen and sophomore students in college.  In this “screenage” population where deep anxiety, diversity, gender-confusion, and personal safety/security are top issues, how have their Gen X parents attempted to parent them through life? More importantly, how has this parenting affected the Gen Z worldview and what does this mean for evangelism and discipleship of Gen Z’ers? As with past blogs, I continue to highlight research from two primary “think-tanks” in […]
August 16, 2018

Sexuality and Personal Identity in a Gen Z World: Changing Perspectives

In the last several blogs, I highlighted a number of key findings on the new Gen Z population (those born from 1999-2015) dealing with this new youth culture’s worldviews, obsession with technology and social media, and understanding of relationships with a new meaning of “family.”  But nothing stands out greater in this new generation than their confusion over gender, sexuality, and personal identity.  In this environment where misunderstanding and perplexity abound, the Church must speak with clarity about sexuality, evangelize with compassion, and disciple with intentionality. Impact 360 Institute and the Barna Group’s research (the books Gen Z and Barna […]
August 7, 2018

Discipleship in a Gen Z “Anxiety Culture”: Key Realizations

In previous blogs, I have highlighted some important new research on the Gen Z population (those born between 1999-2015) given to us by the Barna Group and Impact 360 Institute. They paint the portrait of a new generation that struggles with their own identity, swims in an ocean of moral relativism powerfully influenced by social media and YouTube, and often hides behind devices (phones, tablets, etc.) rather than connect directly with others in interpersonal ways. Today, we look at another central element that defines this culture: ANXIETY and how the Church can disciple them. Gen Z “screenagers” have never felt […]
March 7, 2018

Penetrating the Walls of the Gen Z “Do Not Disturb Me” Persona: Gospel Opportunities

My new series of blogs highlights recent research by the Barna Group and Impact 360 Institute on our culture’s newest population group: Gen Z (those born since 1998) with the prayer that we will be challenged to see gospel opportunities to reach this new youth culture (and subsequently, their parents and grandparents).  In this blog, I want to focus on the prevailing persona of this culture that desires not to render moral judgments or opinions on controversial issues, whether they be social, political, religious, or racial.  How do you impact a generation that prefers “safe spaces” (The World According to Gen Z, […]
February 14, 2018

Understanding the Worldview of the Gen Z, Post-Christian Culture: Astonishing Findings

Last week, I began a new series of blogs highlighting the recently released research of the Barna Group and Impact 360 on our newest generation (born 1998 and after) called “Gen Z” and their beliefs, perspectives, and outlook on life.  In this blog, I want to spotlight the shifting worldview that this new teenage and early-college era generation possesses, and what this means to reaching and discipling this new population (and by default, their parents and grandparents) with the gospel.  I will first highlight the culture-at-large, then zoom-in to Gen Z. Of the total population, in Barna Trends 2018 (available at […]
February 7, 2018

Reaching a Gen Z, Post-Christian, “Screenage” Culture: Understand Technology

A few days ago, I enjoyed and greatly benefited from listening to a simulcast sponsored by the Barna Group and Impact 360 Institute who just released some cutting-edge research on today’s “Gen Z” youth culture, in their two books, Gen Z and Barna Trends 2018, available at www.barna.com/resources.  In the forthcoming weeks, I will highlight a number of findings from this research that I pray will help ministry leaders, pastors, and other believers know how to reach this current culture with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Although this research is focused on those born since 1998, I have found that […]
October 18, 2017

How God’s Greatness and Glory is Made Most Powerful: Celebrating the Life of My Beloved Wife, Karen Preston McDaniel 1957-2017

“For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. […]
August 24, 2017

How the Stage in Charlottesville is a Portal to our Post-Christian Culture

Most of us saw the tragic events in Charlottesville that sparked a continuing national awareness and debate over a number of social issues centering in racism, ethnic supremacy, monuments, and the like.  Like many, I have spent respectable time pondering these issues and now want to add my reflection to this discussion in the hopes that it will bring some clarity and focus to the confusion that has arisen.  In many ways, understanding what happened in Charlottesville (and other places for that matter) is a portal in seeing how post-Christian our culture really is. Several observations that frame my reflection: […]