The Struggle Of Being A Millennial Christian
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

The Struggle Of Being A Millennial Christian

How God fits into the 21st century

1679
The Struggle Of Being A Millennial Christian
thechristinitiative.org

Being a millennial and a Christian often feels like leading two different lives. When I was young, I was fully devoted to my Christian faith. I went to church and Bible school every week. I prayed to God every night, read my Bible all the time, and decided to be baptized when I was 9. As I got older, things got more confusing. I was beginning to have doubts about who my God was and whether He was there at all. At around age 14, I got heavily into the LGBT rights movement and was appalled at the atrocities some “Christians” were committing against those different from them. I spent a time away from God, not fully denying Him but not fully following Him either. I used to think God’s church would always stand for what was right, but I just couldn’t see how my belief in compassion and love fit what I was seeing happen in the Christian community. My research into science and history left me even more confused as to what I should believe in, seeing evidence that didn’t really know whether God exists or not. To my limited view, how the world saw me was very important, and growing up in this day and age, the world saw my entire life. I was worried about fitting into a specific side, as many of us millennials struggle to do. If I committed fully to the liberal cause, I felt that I had turned my back on the Church, but if I turned to the Christian community, I felt a loss of love and understanding.

When I turned 17, I fell back in love with God on my own. Personally, I realized I couldn’t live my life without Him and expect any real wisdom, knowledge, or understanding. That is not to say that I began to live the ideal Christian life again by any means. I am still struggling today to commit fully to everything God teaches me, and I often ask questions and fight back with Him. But I realized I was expecting God to fit my moral preferences, when really He is the decider of what is moral and what is not. I realized this in an astronomy class during my first semester of college, when I learned just how big and complex and full of wisdom the universe is. This new view of the universe coupled with the unexpected avalanche of stress and depression that arrived to college with me sent me doubling back to God harder than before at age 19. Millennials are the perfect witnesses of individual spiritual change within oneself and this is a wonderful thing for a relationship with God. We should be proud to live in a time that teaches and supports individuality, reason, and thinking because this is what develops and strengthens a love of God. It is often thought that being a Christian is going to church and reading your Bible along with everyone else every week, but it is a much deeper and more personal journey than that. Being a millennial puts a strain on belief and acceptance with a lot of God's teachings, but God desires to journey through those struggles with us, not against us.

In our times, we are going to see so many atrocities happen with ISIS, corrupt politics, and the prevalence of prejudice. It’s easy, for myself at least, to get lost in the terrible things that humans do to each other and to give up on faith completely, to choose a side in this very limited world. How could my God let these things happen and why are Christians being so un-Godly around me? It often feels like there is no home in this world for me anymore. I see Christian churches turning into Godless services to gain more members while I see Christian communities treat those who are different them with anger and hatred, instead of the love and guidance my God taught me. In the secular world, I find hatred towards Christians in the name of religious freedom. I will always fight for freedom of religion, no matter the religion or the lack of religion I’m fighting for. God made free will for a reason, and who am I to say that how another community worships God is wrong? But I am finding that Christians and non-Christians alike have a distorted view of God. So for now, I am not saying that I am a Baptist or a Catholic or a Methodist. I am a daughter of God, and I am following where He needs me to go. As a Christian, I also refuse to reject my peers. My fellow millennials are among the most passionate and most understanding people of the world. We get so caught up, however, in being on one side or the other that we fail to see the expanse and majesty of God himself.

The answer to the world’s pain is not calling people names, rejecting all spirituality, rejecting all science, or banning people from stores and bathrooms. The answer lies in finding God in yourself, feeling the love He has for all his children, and then being able to see true wisdom. For Christians today, I believe we should use meditation and prayer to better understand how to love our fellow people without accepting the sin that leads them, and us, astray. For millennials today, I believe we should keep being as outspoken and passionate as we are, but also be open to the possibility that we could be wrong about things. The true Christian does not hate anyone, but does hate the sin that threatens to hurt someone. We as humans are capable of wonderful, enterprising, amazing things that help our world immensely. We are also very capable of being led into a dead-end in the name of whatever we are preaching. I believe Christian millennials were born into the age of reason for, well, a reason. We have the ability more than ever to preach less about what we don’t know and to use knowledge, communication, and doubt to better understand the grandeur God has given us, inside of us and around us.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

58705
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

37856
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

959412
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

194755
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments