Dear BPCWAians, In 2019, TIME magazine named as its “Person of the Year” a 16 year old girl who was a climate change activist. This made her the youngest individual ever selected for this prominent position. Her name is not important, it is what the young represent that I want to discuss in this pastoral. Commenting on how a teenager was selected for this eminent prominence, TIME said “Never have the young been so assertive or so articulate, so well educated or so worldly. Predictably, they are a highly independent breed, and—to adult eyes—their independence has made them highly unpredictable. This is not just a new generation, but a new kind of generation.” The thought today is that “The world is changing faster than ever, and the young are the ones who see what’s happening.” What are the current global actions led by teenagers? What are the changing attitudes in and towards the younger generation? God willing, we will see how Christians should view such changes next week.

Current global actions led by teenager leaders. I need to be very clear from the start that this pastoral is not about climate change issues or if the issue at hand is a valid case or not. Neither is it about whether young teenagers are capable or knowledgeable. Rather, it is about what recent events in this area reveal about the emerging attitudes in the young around the world in responding to something, and banding together as activists that disrupt schools and daily lives of others. Beginning in 2018, this teenager skipped school to stage a solo climate protest in front of the Swedish government. Because of her, hundreds of thousands of other teenagers skipped school to lead or join climate strikes around the world. With “piercing outrage”, she was unsparing in her criticism when she was invited to address Heads of State and Government, business leaders, and senior representatives from civil society. She told them that “you are failing us, But the young people are starting to understand your betrayal. The eyes of all future generations are upon you, and if you choose to fail us, I say, we will never forgive you.” As the “standard bearer”, she “has come to represent the fury of youth worldwide”. This teen said, “why should we study for a future that is taken away from us?”, “we are not just some young people skipping school . . . we are a wave of change”. Young people look up to her and want to be like her. Millions of young people skipped school to send a message to governments and corporations around the world (this happened in Australia, France, South Africa, India, Germany, Pakistan, South Korea, Uganda, Tanzania, just to name some countries affected). Even when she receives criticism, she shrugs it off, saying that the hate just shows that she is making a difference.

Changes in societal attitudes in the young –We know better, how we want it, when we want it, just do it, adults. The point again is not about the climate change issue or about what the world should do, but about the young people’s attitudes and their expectations that the world must respond to what they want, how they want it, and when they want it. At the World Economic Forum, the young activist demands, “Forget about net zero, we want real zero” regarding carbon emissions. The chant on the streets of USA was, “What do we want – climate action; When do we want it – NOW”. The children leaders do not accept the adult world leaders’ ongoing work and plans. How realistic are these children? In reality, to have what they want NOW will mean, for example, with immediate effect – no more cars, no more flights, turn off every heater, air-conditioner, fridge, computer, in every building and every school of course. Again, I emphasize, it is not about whether the issue at hand is valid or not, but this event exhibits the emerging global attitude of “we young people know better than you adults, I do not care, so just do it for us now”, which is of grave concern. Mass global demonstrations staged by young activists were unseen before in history. It may be climate strikes today, but what is next? Is this how the young should act and respond to any issue? We shall answer this next week.

Changes in attitudes toward the young. With the public attention she has received even from world leaders, with both young and old fawning over her “courage”, the underlying message is clear – such behaviour is not just accepted, but should be looked up to and encouraged. Around us today, mindsets are increasingly changing to one that views the young as having a better understanding of the things around them, as compared to the adults. Hence, lifted up with this mindset, the young brashly and aggressively tell adults off, under the umbrella of speaking their minds. And adults look at them and applaud their “independent thinking”. It is an age of the so-called empowerment of the young, with a surge of youth protests around the world. The young people see a world where their ideas will work better than the aging adults who have and are running the world. What we read above is just one of the many cases sweeping around the world. Just read the movie reviews (I am not encouraging any of us to watch these movies) – many are along the themes of children saving the world. When compared to the children, adults are incapable and clueless. The call of the young people is “The change is going to come from the people demanding action, and that is us.” With the current trend in the world, the attitudes and behaviours of this new generation may become the norm in the society around us. The young think they know better – but do they?

Does the Word of God have anything to say about the young with respect to nations and adults? What is the right Christian mindset in such a global wave of young people and teenagers making their voices heard, being lifted up as global leaders, and telling the current leaders what to do or else? God willing, we shall look into these next week.

In our Lord’s service,

Pastor