The Rev. Dr. John Tamilio III, Pastor
© 2022, Dr. Tamilio
A few years ago, Jean Twenge wrote an article for The Atlantic entitled, “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” This isn’t just an older person’s complaint about kids these days. It is an honest look at reality. The article focuses on the generation born between 1995 and 2012. These are the kids who were born into an age when technology was literally at their fingertips. The iPhone was introduced in 2007. This was followed by the iPad in 2010.
We all know that those who are part of what Twenge calls the iGen (short for iGeneration), this would be anyone between the ages of 10 and 27, we all know that people between these ages are on their phones all the time. I’m not picking on this generation, mind you, because many 30-, 40-, and 50-year-olds are addicted to their phones, too. The article, however, focuses on 10- to 27-year-olds and the effects that such technology has had on them.
Twenge writes, “the impact of these devices has not been fully appreciated, and goes far beyond the usual concerns about curtailed attention spans.”[1] This is hurting the mental health of a whole generation. Kids today are more depressed and anxious than they’ve ever been. They do not hang out with their friends unless Snapchatting in their bedroom all day counts. (Snapchat is a multimedia instant messaging platform accessible with a touch of the iPhone screen.) The problem with all of this is that the iGen is not developing the interpersonal and basic social skills necessary to succeed in the world.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not youth-bashing or spouting the old grumpy mantra, “Kids these days!” In fact, I think kids these days are a lot smarter than my generation and your generation. How could they not be! They have libraries worth of information at their fingertips. They do not even have to type their questions to find the answers. They just need to ask Siri! However, these kids are lacking emotional intelligence. They are unable to deal with stress in healthy ways. They do not date. They wait much longer to get their driver’s licenses. The fear is that they will not develop cognitively into healthy adults.
It’s not their fault, mind you. We developed these tools and an environment that is virtually impossible to navigate without them. We have become detached from one another. We are isolated, even when we are physically present with one another. And we wonder why young people do not come to church. Do you expect them to sit still for an hour with nothing in their hands but a hymnal or a Bible? Seriously!
Just the same, the result is a loss of community. By the way, we are not going to fix the problem by doing what we have always done and by saying, “Well, young people should come to church.” What people should do and what they do are two different things. Pointing this out to them is not going to change anything. However, this is a problem that the Church needs to address, and we need to be creative.
One way is to meet them where they are: online. A few months ago, I started a series on TikTok called Ten-Second Sermons. TikTok, for those of you who are not familiar with it, is another social media platform. Basically, it plays video clips that are anywhere from 15 to 60 seconds long. That is the attention span of the current generation. Everything is faster and condensed. We must package our message that way as well. What can be said in that short amount of time to get the message across as to who we are and what we proclaim?
Another way has to do with the way worship. Maybe that could be modernized as well. I am not saying that we start worshipping the way that megachurches do, but we augment what we do with more modern ways of celebrating God’s love for us. Maybe we could get some sort of screen and projector system? Maybe we could have an acoustic service more than once a month. Maybe I shouldn’t wear my robe all the time and should preach from the floor more. I am not saying that we must make any of these changes, but doing something is better than nothing. Remember what Einstein said: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.”
We could go on all day and talk about outreach, Christian education, and how we use our building for other events that will appeal to the community. There is one thing that people, particularly those addicted to social media, there is one thing that we can offer them that they will not find on their smartphones or gaming devices: love.
The real irony is that as much as we feel more connected to one another through social media, the more isolated we are. I do not think that the younger generation knows that yet. They will, eventually, and will be left feeling bereft — as if they missed something as if there is a hole in their lives. And there is a hole in their lives.
That hole can only be filled by the love of God made known in Jesus Christ. Nothing else will do. If Jesus is not part of your life, you will always be longing for more. Today’s readings tell us the same thing, no?
The passage from John 13 is similar to what Jesus says in John 14. The word “love” appears seven times in John 13, and ten times in John 14. In both chapters, it is about the love of the Father and of the Son. The focus is more so on the latter, where Jesus discusses the love he has for his disciples. In John 13 he makes it clear: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” And we are able to love because Jesus first loved us.
That same message is found in the Hebrew Bible reading for today from Deuteronomy. Israel is told that God did not “set his affection” upon them because they were so numerous. Quite the contrary. Israel “were the fewest of all people.” They are told that “the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors…Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.”
What we can offer that social media doesn’t is the love of Christ. You will not find that on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. You will find it here. Our task is to get the word out, to evangelize, to shout from the rooftops that this church is a place where the love of Jesus reigns supreme and is available for the asking. This is the timeless gift that God has placed in our hands — not to horde, but to share with everyone. Do so, for this gift is the only thing you get more of the more you give it away. Amen.
[1] Jean M. Twenge, “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?” The Atlantic (September 2017 issue): online