The method always changes but the message never does
My fourteen-year old son Jonathan was having a birthday party at a trampoline park. I needed his friends’ parents to sign waivers in order for them to participate.
Me: Jonathan, I emailed you the waivers for your friends, you just need to email it to them.
Jonathan: What? (with a puzzled look)
Me: You just need to forward to the email to your friends so they can come.
Jonathan: How do you do that? I don’t know how to use email.
Me: So, would get them this form?
Jonathan: I usually use discord, or text.
Me: Umm…OK, I’ll text it to you and you can send it to them.
A couple minutes.
Jonathan: Done. I sent it to them.
I was surprised that my fourteen-year old didn’t know how to email. I could have tried to teach him email, but I had to accept he’s “Gen Alpha”, a “Digital native”. I could teach him email, but it would be with limited success because it’s not a language he’s accustomed to, or would use often.
I would be more effective learning to speak his language, instead of him learning to speak mine.
Like the apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:20-22:
20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.
While the methods in which we teach over the past two thousand years have always changed – from oral story, to the written word, to flannel graph and powerpoints- the message never does!
As we step deeper into the digital age, would you pray that God would help us learn to continue to be effective in reaching kids with the gospel?
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