What's a Christian Baby Boomer To
Do?
"You are the salt of the earth."
— Matthew 5:13
I was interested to read the thoughts of Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts about baby boomers and their lack of purpose today. Here is a secular politician realizing that in many ways the wind is out of our sails at the moment. He believes that our social conscience went to sleep in the 1970s and if ever awakened, could change the face of America. It is still there, he believes, "but at the moment it is nascent. It has yet to be rekindled" (Thomas 1986:37). Shouldn't Christians be the first to wake up? Shouldn't Christian baby boomers be rousing the conscience of our generation? Unfortunately, the Christians of each generation usually follow the lead of the world. All too often the world succeeds in squeezing us into its mold.
Today's secular baby boomers have adopted a pronounced and distinct value system. But what makes Christians of the same generation unique? I'm often hard-pressed to prove my lifestyle is any different than my unregenerate neighbor's lifestyle. But God calls us to be different:
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Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — which is your spiritual worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — His good, pleasing and perfect will (Rom. 12:1-2).
We must be people who influence society rather than letting society influence us. Dr. J.I. Packer, recently addressing a commencement crowd at Wheaton College in Illinois, challenged the young graduating class to "put theology to work." He urged them to pursue a life of nonconformist theological vitality. I like that! In warning them against settling for personal material well-being as the supreme goal of life, he said:
We have to let our theology lead us in challenging, critiquing, and correcting the world's scale of values and the self-serving relativism that regularly goes with it. . . by an appeal to the unchanging absolutes of God's saving revelation (Halvorsen 1987).
Me and My Values
What are the values of our generation? We must identify them before we can challenge, critique, and correct them. And that is what this book is all about.
Values are clusters of attitudes, and baby boomers have bundles of these clusters. We have these attitudes about every area of our lives — relationships, the Christian life, politics, world events. . . . These attitudes added together form our value system. And our value system makes us act and react to life's circumstances in both positive and negative ways.
Where do we get our values? From our parents, peers, teachers, and of course the powerful media. The world
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around us shapes our values into what they are at any given time. And yes, they are fluid and dynamic, ever changing; however, most of us form our basic value system in our early years of life, say before we reach 25. That is why we baby boomers, especially the early crop, have values that still linger from the turbulent 1960s.
For a Christian, other major sources of value formation should come into play but are often weak signals when added to the already deafening roar of the other valueshapers. If I'm serious about my faith in Jesus Christ, my values should reflect my Christian beliefs.
But how do my values affect my action? On a daily basis, how do I act differently than my next-door neighbor Ernie (yes, a baby boomer too) who doesn't bother making Christ or church a part of his life? We both cut the lawn on Saturdays. We both watch our VCRs in the evening after the kids are in bed. We both shop at the same stores and visit the same beaches. He and I both struggle with the cluttered problems of raising a family on a limited income. What is different about me? What should be different?
Making a Difference Locally: Being Salt
What are we followers of Jesus (and baby boomers) supposed to do? One answer is found in Christ's Sermon on the Mount:
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men (Matt. 5: 13).
Salt is saline, the most basic element of the life of the earth. It is found everywhere, including our bodies. It is even in my bottle of sterile solution for my contact lenses.
I use salt to clean my lenses, and God wants to use salt to spiritually and morally clean the world around us. When I
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was a child, my family spent many summer vacations at the beach in Florida. It was then that I first learned about the many values of salt. Mom would tell me that the salt water was good for any cuts I had on my feet.
Salt is a cleansing agent, but it is more. It is a preservative as well, and of course a spice to make food savory. And I believe that it is to all three of those roles that our Lord calls us. Jesus said that His followers are salt — really there is to be no choice in the matter. We are to be a cleansing agent, a preservative from evil, and spice to the world around us.
Not long ago I ran into an old friend who had been divorced for several years and was now involved with a woman he loved very much and wanted to marry. This new relationship was not going as well as he wanted it to, and he asked my advice. Both he and his girlfriend claimed to be believers, but I soon realized that they were not living that way. "Are you sleeping together?" I asked him.
"Yes. . . sure."
"Well," I responded in gentle but firm Christian love, "don't expect to come out a winner if you don't play by the rules."
His response impressed me: "Hans, we have both known that we shouldn't. . . but everyone does. . . and you're the fIrst person that has had the courage to tell me point-blank what I know is really the truth."
Yes, we must be salt — gently yet firmly proclaiming God's truth.
A generation of 76 million baby boomers, rapidly becoming the leaders of our society, needs to be influenced. The contingency of believing boomers within that 76 million needs to be the primary agents of influence.
The majority of baby boomers have not been reached by any church. A poll by People magazine showed that baby boomers are half as likely to be in church on Sunday as the older generation.
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Although many baby boomers are not attending church now, a recent Gallup poll says that 54 percent of the unchurched baby boomers in America are open to becoming involved in a church (Worcester 1987:1). Baby boomers are becoming more and more open to the Gospel. The oldest are hitting middle age and are questioning why they are unfulfilled in spite of all they have attained. Many are in their nesting stage of family life right now and are relatively open to the right kind of church, especially for their children.
As Christians inside America's largest generation, our task is clear. We must be salt.
Making a Difference Globally: Being Light
But Jesus not only called us salt. He also called us light. Again, He did not say, "Please be light"; He said we are the light — period. If we don't shine, there is darkness:
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven (Matt. 5:14-16).
The application here is quite simple and straightforward. We are a wealthy generation, 76 million strong, with the greatest resources any generation has ever had at its disposal. I look at our resources and conclude that we could move mountains for the cause of Christ if we'd get busy focusing on the needs of the world instead of our own needs.
The U.S. Center for World Mission in Pasadena, California calculates that there are 17,000 people groups yet to hear of Christ. There is a crying need for evangelism, discipleship, and church-planting among at least half of the 5 billion people on the earth. Who better than our generation to help meet that need?
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If the Me generation could again ignite its conscience to change the needy world, there is no limit to the impact we could make.
I received an interesting letter not long ago that captures the heart of what I am trying to say. A friend confided in me, "Lately I'm shocked to notice how much the thinking of the world (current baby-boomer philosophy) creeps into my own thinking. Learning to serve Christ instead of myself is indeed a battle." We have to come to grips with our values, evaluate them in light of Scripture, and then make the necessary adjustments in order to become salt and light for God's glory in the world where He has placed us.
We do that now as we examine baby-boomer values in a number of crucial areas.
Thinking It Through
1. Chapter 2 raised the issue of the contemporary values we encounter every day. After reading this chapter and taking a few minutes to let it roll over in your mind, make a list of 10 or 15 things you feel reflect the values of the boomer generation.
2. The sheer size of the baby-boomer bulge indicates the tremendous pressure and influence of this generation. What kind of value-related struggles do you face as you attempt to live out your Christian life around boomers?
3. This chapter suggests that there will be an ongoing conflict in your life as you attempt to establish and nurture Biblical values. Describe the role of rejection as you live out these biblical values.
4. In what ways have you, on a personal, individual level, had a biblically positive impact on someone in this generation?
