{"id":54527,"date":"2020-05-05T15:48:20","date_gmt":"2020-05-05T20:48:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/?p=54527"},"modified":"2025-08-06T12:43:15","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T17:43:15","slug":"resolution-reaching-a-generation-with-wholeness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/resolution-reaching-a-generation-with-wholeness\/","title":{"rendered":"Resolution: Reaching a Generation with Wholeness"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"bsf_rt_marker\"><\/div><h2><strong>Solutions For Five Main Challenges of Young People&#8217;s Wholeness.<br \/>\n<\/strong>What Josh McDowell and Ben Bennett Have Discovered<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Generation Z (those born between 1999 and 2015) are struggling today, and few understand why or what to do about it. Research reveals five common challenges, and though they\u2019re nothing new, recent data shows that young people experience them in greater numbers than ever before:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/resolutionmovement.org\/five-truths-to-know-about-mental-health\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Mental Health Issues<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shame and Emotional Wounds<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/resolutionmovement.org\/the-last-time-i-looked-at-porn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Porn Use<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Loneliness<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.christianpost.com\/news\/gen-z-is-the-least-christian-generation-in-american-history-barna-finds.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Lack<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of a Biblical Worldview<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At <a href=\"https:\/\/resolutionmovement.org\/\">Resolution<\/a> (a new initiative from Josh McDowell Ministry), Josh and I have started the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Resolution Podcast<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to deal with these issues directly. We reexamine what God says in His Word, along with what we\u2019ve learned from brain science, to find ways to help young people learn how to heal, thrive and live in wholeness.<\/span><br \/>\n<strong>Below are key takeaways from our first conversation. You can watch it here in this video, or listen to it wherever you like to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzsprout.com\/902605\">listen to podcasts.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"embed-container\"><\/div>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Let&#8217;s look at the five issues and explore how they&#8217;re impacting Generation Z.<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3 style=\"border: 2px solid #ccc; background: #d7d7d7; padding: 18px; color: #1a2c63; text-align: left;\">Issue #1: Mental Health Issues<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Last year, <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewsocialtrends.org\/2019\/02\/20\/most-u-s-teens-see-anxiety-and-depression-as-a-major-problem-among-their-peers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pew Research<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> found that 70 percent of teens say anxiety and depression are major issues among their peers. Another study from <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamapediatrics\/fullarticle\/2730063?guestAccessKey=eb570f5d-0295-4a92-9f83-6f647c555b51&amp;utm_source=For_The_Media&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=ftm_links&amp;utm_content=tfl&amp;utm_term=04089\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">JAMA<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Pediatrics reported that between 2007 and 2015, emergency room visits for suicidal thoughts and attempted suicide doubled among children and teens.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There\u2019s no one root cause, but two things have happened that at least correlate with this statistic.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, the introduction of the iPhone isolated children and gave them unfettered access to potentially damaging information. Second, kids with a disconnected father tend to have higher rates of depression. When taken together, the situation is potentially explosive.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"border: 2px solid #ccc; background: #d7d7d7; padding: 18px; color: #1a2c63; text-align: left;\">Issue #2: Emotional Wounds<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We recently asked close to three hundred pastors and leaders about common issues the teens in their ministries face. They told us, overwhelmingly, that these young people deal with emotional wounds, a negative self-image, and above all, shame.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Josh began to see these trends, he spent an entire year thinking deeply about why young people experience so much shame. He saw that shame diminishes a child\u2019s respect for authority, their desire to spend time with friends, and even the normal drive to connect with the opposite sex.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"border: 2px solid #ccc; background: #d7d7d7; padding: 18px; color: #1a2c63; text-align: left;\">Issue #3: Porn Use<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ve come to believe that, among other isolating factors, the pervasive use of porn drives these emotional wounds higher. Porn affects how young people view themselves, and increases the struggle for acceptance already prevalent during the teen years.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The majority of men and women \u2014 91.5 percent of men and 60 percent of women \u2014 regularly seek out porn at least once <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pubmed\/30358432\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">monthly<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">! When Josh and I spoke all over the world, we discovered that the majority of <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">all<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> teens, Christian or not, are caught in the grips of porn.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In our experience, too many parents and Christian leaders ignore the issue. Josh recalls, \u201cParents come to me and say, \u2018Look, Josh, you don\u2019t understand. My kids are good kids \u2026 they\u2019re not going to look for porn.\u2019\u201d<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>But if kids have access to smartphones, porn can too easily find them!<\/em> The porn industry is aggressively targeting our kids, even when our kids aren&#8217;t looking for it.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"border: 2px solid #ccc; background: #d7d7d7; padding: 18px; color: #1a2c63; text-align: left;\">Issue #4: Loneliness<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cigna, a major health insurance company, recently found that members of Gen Z are <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/health-shots\/2018\/05\/01\/606588504\/americans-are-a-lonely-lot-and-young-people-bear-the-heaviest-burden\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">lonelier<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and feel more left out than Millennials, Baby Boomers, and the Greatest Generation. Young people can connect freely through the Internet, yet they feel more isolated than ever.\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Compared with the youth of previous decades, today\u2019s teens are socializing less in person. They are <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/health\/2019\/03\/20\/teen-loneliness-social-media-cell-phones-suicide-isolation-gaming-cigna\/3208845002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">less likely<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to go to movies or parties, hang out with friends, or date. Instead, often they\u2019re alone on a Friday night on their smartphone.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"border: 2px solid #ccc; background: #d7d7d7; padding: 18px; color: #1a2c63; text-align: left;\">Issue #5: Lack of a Biblical Worldview<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finally, we learned that today\u2019s youth are growing up with the least biblical worldview in American history. Barna Group found that only <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.impact360institute.org\/articles\/4-percent-gen-z-biblical-worldview\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">4 percent<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of Generation Z have a truly Christian worldview.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As Josh says, \u201cA worldview is simply how you view the world.\u201d Our worldview, then, affects how we see ourselves and others. It affects every relationship we have. It affects how we behave and the choices we make.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And this generation doesn\u2019t view truth as objective \u2014 but entirely subjective, based on every person and every situation. The result? What Josh calls \u201cspiritual individualistic morality.\u201d<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Christians know that it is God, alone, who defines truth. We need His truth to operate effectively in this world. Living our lives from subjective truth will do us irreparable harm. We must correct our view to gain God\u2019s perspective.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><strong>Parents and Leaders: You Can Help<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some believe Gen Z to be the most broken generation in American history. But brokenness isn\u2019t a barrier for God \u2014 it\u2019s a bridge to Jesus\u2019 healing work. We must help this generation, through practical steps, to understand how Jesus brings healing.\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Parents and Christian leaders, intentionally engage with the young people in your life:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Listen to young people carefully and without judgment<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ask questions and let them respond<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stay involved in their lives<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Find things to do together<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be a safe person and share truth in love<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you can see, these issues are huge. That&#8217;s why Josh McDowell Ministry has jumped into this arena to do something about it through Resolution. We need to help our youth to learn who God says they are, and to experience wholeness. We can help them to love God, themselves, and others. To develop healthy relationships. <\/span><br \/>\n<strong>We invite you to join us in the <a href=\"https:\/\/resolutionmovement.org\/\">Resolution Movement<\/a>!<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>Ben Bennett<\/em><br \/>\nDirector, Resolution<\/span><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<h3 style=\"border: 2px solid #ccc; background: #d7d7d7; padding: 18px; color: #1a2c63; text-align: center;\">Subscribe to the Resolution Podcast<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> wherever you listen: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/resolution-podcast\/id1508593757\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Apple Podcasts,<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/746UZp3Qx0USo7E97Pd5P4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spotify,<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5idXp6c3Byb3V0LmNvbS85MDI2MDUucnNz\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google Podcasts<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCizOj_SQRjMQwqfm2Oxrr0A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">YouTube<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. In the coming weeks we&#8217;ll be discussing healing through the Bible and brain science!<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img alt=\"wholeness\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-54538\" src=\"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/607\/2020\/05\/blog-scaled-1.jpg\" alt=\"wholeness\" width=\"1600\" height=\"800\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Solutions For Five Main Challenges of Young People&#8217;s Wholeness. What Josh McDowell and Ben Bennett Have Discovered Generation Z (those born between 1999 and 2015) are struggling today, and few understand why or what to do about it. Research reveals five common challenges, and though they\u2019re nothing new, recent data shows that young people experience [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23327,"featured_media":66943,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"Generation Z is struggling. Research reveals five common challenges that need to be addressed for its wholeness.","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[86],"tags":[950,441,951,952,360,202,218,853],"translator":[],"blog-author":[71],"class_list":["post-54527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-moral-issues","tag-emotional-wounds","tag-gen-z","tag-loneliness","tag-mental-health-issues","tag-millenials","tag-porn","tag-resolution","tag-wholeness","blog-author-ben-bennett"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/607\/2022\/04\/teens.jpeg","meta_box":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23327"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54527"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54527\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92798,"href":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54527\/revisions\/92798"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66943"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54527"},{"taxonomy":"translator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/translator?post=54527"},{"taxonomy":"blog-author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites-stage.josh.org\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog-author?post=54527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}