Millennials: Who are they and what do they want?
Superficially, we’re talking about individuals generally born between 1981 and 1996. They are the grandchildren of the Baby Boomer generation and were born in the years approaching the new millennium. You hear about them seemingly all the time, but the question is: Why? Because surveys show their attitudes and behaviors are dramatically different from those of any previous generation. What makes them so?
Well, for starters, they’re the first generation who have never known a time when smart phones and other digital technologies did not exist. Secondly, they embrace an increasingly liberal approach to politics and economics.
As Dr. Jim Garlow continues to cover certain hot-button issues on a more in-depth basis, offering biblical insight and solutions, he discusses this generation noting, “These are the future leaders of our nation, so it behooves us to gain a better understanding of what makes them tick and how to reach them with the absolute Truth of the Gospel. It’s another way we need to become well-versed!”
He continues to share . . .
Millennials have grown up in an educational and cultural atmosphere especially unfriendly to Christianity, Biblical truth, traditional values, and constitutionally limited government. For them, absolute truth is nonexistent. They are virtual strangers to the notion that all ideas have consequences which can and should be measured. What can we do to help them? Introduce them to new atmospheres! One of the best ways to do that is to ask questions that lead them to the truth, forcing them to confront why they believe the way they do.
Is it a college education, or indoctrination? Jim helps us gain further perspective . . .
Millennials are repeatedly told the importance of getting a college degree. That’s not an intrinsically bad thing, except that the purpose of education has radically changed; indoctrination is now front and center. No longer are students taught how to engage in the analytical thinking necessary for work and citizenship. In fact, what’s taught now are a set of beliefs to be accepted uncritically. They’re taught what to think rather than how to think!
The late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. saw this coming long ago and warned, “If we are not careful, our colleges will produce a group of close-minded, unscientific, illogical propagandists, consumed with immoral acts. Be careful, brethren. Be careful, teachers!” We must encourage college students to return to critical thinking, and we need to point them to the source of sound reasoning: the Word of God! They’ve been force-fed lies and half-truths throughout their education, otherwise known as indoctrination.
So how do we respond? Jim provides some helpful tips . . .
Don’t try to beat Millennials down with facts, studies, or statistics. Remember, they are highly relational and are motivated by general relationships. If they perceive you’re attacking them, they’ll no longer be open. Proverbs 15:1 reminds us: “A Gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.” Sound advice! Show them there is another side. Speak confidently, but season all your words with gentleness and humility. And don’t forget to be a good listener, as well!
Invite your listeners to join Jim Garlow over the next few weeks, as he brings to radio his timely and powerful commentary series based on his book, This Precarious Moment: 6 Urgent Steps That Will Save You, Your Family, and Our Country.
You won’t want to miss a single edition of “The Garlow Perspective”!
