Without a Compass to Guide Them, Gen Z Wanders in the Wilderness

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Commentary

Over the past few weeks, story after story has appeared regarding the struggles of Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012)—whether it be historical ignorance, loneliness, or depression—and how those struggles are having a major effect on our society as a whole as this generation enters into adulthood.

I will start with history. The Daily Mail found in a recent poll of voters between the ages of 18 to 29 that 1 in 5 had a relatively positive view of Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attack on America in 2001 that killed nearly 3,000 innocent people. In addition, 3 out of 10 thought his views were a “force for good.”

How can this be? Well, as I wrote in my recent book “Toward a More Perfect Union: The Moral and Cultural Case for Teaching the Great American Story,” Gen Z, along with the immediately preceding generations, has become increasingly ignorant of our history. The result is what Ronald Reagan warned us about in his final presidential address to the nation in 1989: “If we forget what we did, we won’t know who we are.”

And that’s exactly what has happened. In the most recent assessment by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, only 22 percent of middle school students were proficient in civics, and 40 percent couldn’t even reach the most basic level of knowledge about history.

This is alarming, because it’s through historical knowledge that young people obtain the compass that helps guide them through life—whether it’s learning from the triumphs or from the errors of those who have gone before. And it’s through civic knowledge that they learn how to express themselves in a proper manner that respects all viewpoints and allows for reasoned and respectful cultural discourse. Unfortunately, even those who are being taught history are learning more about America’s perceived faults than our glorious triumphs.

Another area of struggle for Gen Z is mental health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported early last year that “young people are in crisis”—particularly young women. More than 1 in 4 teenage girls contemplated committing suicide in 2021, with more than 1 in 10 attempting suicide. Fifty-seven percent of girls and 29 percent of boys reported persistent feelings of sadness.

Again, one has to ask the question, “Why?” One reason is that Gen Z is the first generation that has grown up in what can be best described as a “screen-based world” devoid of peer interaction. The COVID-19 pandemic that chained them to computer screens instead of a normal classroom environment only exacerbated their isolation. But another key reason involves how the new “screen-based world” has exposed young people—and particularly young girls—to body-image issues, those who seek to sexually exploit them, and other negative factors.

In an increasingly secular world, many of these young people no longer experience the positive influence of faith and its accompanying community to provide a compass to navigate these dangers and point them in the right direction—leaving them with little hope and much despair. Nor do they understand other institutions such as marriage that provide that compass—with 41 percent of Gen Z men and 52 percent of Gen Z women now perceiving marriage as an “outdated institution.”

So how do we need to respond to Gen Z? The wrong way, especially for evangelicals and conservatives, is to just point fingers, shake our fists, and ridicule them—which, unfortunately, too many older people do. This is a generation that’s crying out for answers and instead is receiving nothing but platitudes, misinformation, or mocking. Blogger and author Samuel James put it best, writing: “Evangelicals need to disabuse themselves of the idea that Gen Z is a wholly unreachable mass of buffered selves. The mental health crisis may cut right through secularization like butter.”

Our role is to provide the moral and historical compass they need to become whole and healthy human beings and productive members of society. We need to provide them—by welcoming them into our homes and churches, rather than chaining them to their phone and computers—with the community they so desperately need and desire. I’ve some wonderful friends who have done just this—been listening ears to the cries of help from Gen Z—and, as a result, can speak into their lives and provide the much-needed compass to keep them from continuing to wander in the wilderness and instead emerge to see a hopeful horizon.

That’s how we can best reach Gen Z and turn around not only their lives, but also the future of our nation and world.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.