Youth and Young Adults Looking for Answers – Very Good. Where They Often Find Them – Not Very Good.
Western Seminary’s ReGeneration Project is putting on a “TikTok Theology” event in Portland on Saturday, May 10.
When you study the stages of faith development we all go through, starting in the teen and young adult stages, we move from what has been called the “Mythic-Literal” stage into the “Synthetic-Conventional” stage[1].
It is very natural during these years for us to start questioning the particular belief system of our family and the churches we grew up in. Questions are great things especially amongst youth and young adults, and we should always, always be encouraging them to ask questions. Creating a safe culture in our families and churches where new generations feel they can ask difficult, even uncomfortable questions, is critical for their faith development.
On Saturday, May 10 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Western Seminary’s ReGeneration Project is hosting a special event in Portland called “TikTok Theology.” We’ll tackle the tough questions youth and young adults (and really, people of all ages) are encountering on social media and from today’s cultural influencers. The event is designed for youth, college students, and young adults, and includes special breakout labs—one for parents and another for those serving the next generation. Lunch is included with your ticket! Visit regenerationproject.org for more information and to register.
It’s only natural for new generations to have questions—but the real question is, where are they getting their answers? With the massive influence of social media, as you know, there is far more being consumed than just funny animal videos, dance trends, or lip-syncing clips. There is also a flood of people, sharing their stories of why they abandoned their Christian faith. Many social media influencers are dedicating themselves to trying to convince others that Christianity is not true and that it is some sort of cult. Sadly, many of these influencers were even church leaders who deconstructed their faith and are now passionate about seeing others do the same. There is also a flood of teaching in the progressive Christian realm which teaches that many central historical Christian beliefs and ethics are wrong and that there are now new, better interpretations. There are many different versions of “Jesus” being presented online—many of which look nothing like the Jesus revealed throughout the New Testament. Arguments built on isolated bits and pieces of Scripture can sound convincing, but they’re often misleading and far from the truth.
What Would C.S. Lewis Say About TikTok and Today’s Mass of Information?
Back in the 1940s, as information was becoming more accessible through advances in technology, author and Oxford professor C.S. Lewis had some prophetic words about the importance of theological thinking:
“In the old days, when there was less education and discussion, perhaps it was possible to get on with a very few simple ideas about God. But it is not so now. Everyone reads, everyone hears things discussed. Consequently, if you do not listen to Theology, that will not mean that you have no ideas about God. It will mean that you have a lot of wrong ones—bad, muddled, out-of-date ideas. For a great many of the ideas about God which are trotted out as novelties today are simply the ones which real Theologians tried centuries ago and rejected.” — Mere Christianity
Think of what Lewis might say today about the overwhelming access we have to vast amounts of opinions and information instantly available online. Back when he said this, he was warning people about all the information coming in on the radio, and in newspapers, with the introduction of television into average households just looming on the horizon. As he said, with more discussion and information comes a greater possibility of exposure to wrong ideas and impressions about God. Some ideas seem fresh to new generations and even sound convincing. However, these are really old ideas that have been tested and tried by previous generations, and found to be untrue. Younger listeners, readers, and watchers are much more likely to be unaware of historical theology and how to discern truth from error.
The Urgent Need to Respond to TikTok Theology
Several years ago while I was speaking at a church in Phoenix, and I heard that their youth ministry had just completed a teaching series called “TikTok Theology”. They went and surveyed the youth of the church about what questions they were getting confused about online and then they addressed the questions. I thought this was a brilliant idea they had and that’s what led to this event we are also calling “TikTok Theology” which will address the big topics being taught on social media. We did a Portland survey amongst church leaders (thank you to those who did it) to determine the topics.
We have a full day of teaching on Saturday, May 10 at Willamette Christian Church, with plenty of time built in for questions. We’ll hear from speakers such speakers such as David Kinnaman, author and CEO of the Barna Group, Lisa Fields, author and apologist, many locals such as Josh Butler, Brenna Blain, Chris Nye, Rick McKinley, Naseem Khalili, as well as Western Seminary professors Dr. Gerry Breshears and Dr. John Kwak. We will have a special parents lab with Dr. Tanita Maddox and a lab for new-generation church leaders with Beau Bromley from Bridgetown Church.
Sign up for tickets here—lunch is included, and discounted group tickets are also available.
Theology is so important … we hope to see you there!
Western Seminary Making Theology and Bible Training as Accessible as Possible
I have served in youth ministry, college, and young adult ministry and planted a church in Santa Cruz, Calif., near a very progressive university. I can say that there is more confusion and misunderstanding about the Christian faith than ever before and this is the reason I ended up joining Western Seminary in the role I have. Western Seminary is committed to seeing Bible and theological training as accessible as possible for today’s leaders. I’m personally involved in launching M.A. in Ministry and Leadership cohorts in the Bay Area of California, and we currently have cohorts running in Portland, with plans to expand to Costa Mesa and other cities soon. We also have online courses and degrees and in San Jose have a counseling MA degree as well. Theology is so needed, and we hope to see you at the Regeneration TikTok Theology event in May!
We also have a TikTok Theology event coming to the Bay Area on Saturday, Sept. 26! Sean McDowell and others will be speaking, and we’ll be sharing more details soon. If you have any questions about the event, feel free to reach out to Cassy Pendleton at cpendleton@westernseminary.edu.
If there's ever anything you want to chat about or any way I can support you, please let me know!
[1] There are several ways of looking at faith development and world view changes that happen as human beings age and develop. These specific breakdowns and names are from Dr. James Fowler’s “Stages of Faith” book.
