Open Letter to Gen Z and Gen Alpha (And Any Others Who Needs This)

Dear Gen Z and Gen Alpha,

I have been reflecting on your generations lately. As I pondered, I realized your lives have been marked by ceaseless chaos, constant anxiety, and the destruction of every institution that used to give our society stability. Most of you do not remember the world before 9/11 — terrorism has always been a reality since you were children, and you have been trained to always be on guard because threats lurk around every corner. Many, if not most, of you have grown up without a father or mother in the house. No fault divorce has ruptured the family unit and robbed you of the security that having both parents under the same roof brings. You bounce between your parents’ homes on the weekends, and that’s if they are both even in your life. You have been indoctrinated into believing that the universe is a cosmic accident and that you have no inherent purpose on this earth. To add insult to injury, you have been taught to hate your God-given bodies and told that you must recreate yourself according to the whim of every subjective emotion you experience. You must be something other than what God made you, or so they tell you.

I was briefly a youth pastor in college (in an interim capacity) and I served in youth ministry for eleven years. What I know about you is that you want to make a difference. You yearn to belong to something greater than yourself. You know there is more to this life than the vision that has been sold to you. You have tried your hand at the “sex-positive” movement. You have lived without any moral guardrails and embraced the spirit of hedonism (“do as you please”). You have embraced the lie that morality is subjective and that there is no such thing as right and wrong. You thought embracing this lifestyle would make you happy. But for all this, you are still broken, lonely, confused, and angry.

What has this secular, postmodern culture really given you? Record levels of anxiety and inner turmoil? You medicate yourselves just to exist. True or false? You scroll endlessly, which is really just an extended metaphor for your life. Mindlessly wandering, never finding. Many of you secretly hate yourselves and think life is meaningless. You have told me so. Deep down, if you’re honest, part of this probably resonates with you.

May I offer a different way forward?

My freshman year of high school was probably the darkest year of my life. I embraced many of the lies that have been sold to you, and despite the fleeting pleasure of living as I pleased (what the Bible calls sin), I felt like a prisoner. That’s because I was. What culture sold to me as “freedom” turned out to be a clever cipher for slavery. I could not get free, and I was miserable every day. My sin was eroding my soul, and I was living in rebellion against the only One who could give me purpose. But one day, a friend invited me to youth group — when I heard the gospel, that Christ took my sins upon Himself, it was like light flooded into the recesses of my formerly dark soul. I felt alive for the first time in my life. I knew I either had to pledge allegiance to my sin or to Christ. I chose Christ.

I will not recount my entire life for you here. All I want to say is this: You’ve tried it our culture’s way, but it hasn’t been working. You live as you please, but you still loathe life. I cannot appeal to those who have hardened hearts and seared consciences, but I can speak to those of you who are anxious and burdened because of our dark world. You know the world is bursting at the seams and this is not supposed to be the way things work.

My appeal to you is to give your life to Christ and be reconciled to God. Come and see, even if from a distance at first. Investigate. Pray to Him at night when your racing thoughts will not allow you to sleep. Read the Gospel of Luke and then the book of Acts. The two were written to be read together. See how this Christ died for Your sins and then gives you purpose by sending you on mission to a dying world. Find a church that actually believes and teaches the Scriptures and check it out. Sit in the back the first week if you have to. Just come.

In Christian liturgy, there is a phrase that simply says “Kyrie Eleison,” or “Lord have mercy.” What a fitting prayer for our cultural moment. You can pray it when the shadows of depression seem to shroud you like a dark cloak. Or when the brokenness of your life seems overwhelming to the point of destroying you. Or in the doctor’s office when one of your parents is diagnosed with cancer. Or by the graveside when you lay a loved one to rest. Or, if you’re like me, going into that AP Calculus exam. Whenever you do it, just cry out to Him. Watch and see. You’ll be amazed.

Sincerely,

Somebody who was set free

Matt Arakaky, MDiv, MA, PhD Candidate