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Author: Amy Thompson Sevimli
I’ve noticed a couple of churches in the area geared toward young adults and those who “don’t go to church” named Grace. And I’ve been intrigued by the choice of the name Grace. It’s a highly loaded theological word, and one which some people have told me has no resonance with younger generations. These people claim that younger generations don’t believe they actually sin, “fall short,” or “miss the mark,” and thus have no need of grace. Yet, these new churches are drawing in lots of new young adults.
Now, I’m not suggesting that people attend a church just because they like its name. However, I cannot believe that churches as savvy as these would choose names that they knew from the outset would not resonate with the younger generations they were trying to reach. In fact, I think it’s just the opposite.
My sense is that younger generations are very aware of all the ways in which they “fall short” and “miss the mark,” and they are looking for ways to change their ways. They want to do better and be better. Usually, they are interested in doing something about that, so that their shortcomings are a little less pronounced and they can seek to find a little more favor in God’s sight—to earn God’s grace.
The only problem with this is of course that we cannot earn God’s grace or love. Because God doesn’t love us when we finally change to righteous behavior. God loves us so that we can change. As Father Richard Rohr says: “…we’ve been given an inferior message—that God loves me “when” I change (“moralism”). What that does is put it back on you. You’re back to “navel gazing” and you never succeed at that level. You are never holy enough, pure enough, refined enough, or loving enough. Whereas, when you fall into God’s mercy, when you fall into God’s great generosity, you find, seemingly from nowhere, this capacity to change. No one is more surprised than you are. You know it is a gift.” (Richard Rohr, Following Mystics through the Narrow Gate).
I would disagree with those who claim that younger generations disregard grace because they supposedly have no concept of “falling short” or sinning. On the contrary, I think that since young adults were young children they have been reminded just how short they fall, how often they fall that short, and how far and long the road is to make up for that. So, I can’t imagine what a greater gift than grace could be for younger generations…to be told a completely different story: that God first loved us (1 John 4.19) and that because God loved and loves us even now, they, even we, can change. It’s not something we earn, or something for which we try to close some kind of gap in which we’ve fallen short. Rather, it’s something we’ve already been given and in which we now live.
