2. Millennial – born between 1980 & mid-2000’s.
◦ 92 million – more numerous than prior generations
◦ Unparalleled prosperity and innovation
Beloit College “Mindset List”
◦ Carter and Reagan are as distant to them as Truman and
Eisenhower are to their parents.
◦ Everyone has always known what the news of the day was before
the “Evening News” came on.
◦ Never used a card catalog to find a book.
◦ Email is just too slow, and they seldom if ever use snail mail
◦ Rap music has always been main stream
◦ Tattoos have always been very chic and highly visible.
◦ Text has always been hyper.
3. Live in Complexity
“Relish mystery, uncertainty, ambiguity. They are not
bothered by contradictions.” unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about
Christianity, Kinnaman & Lyons
“The established generation is more interested in the bottom
line (truth, biblical worldview, right answers) and in getting
there as quickly as possible. For (the Millennials), it’s as much
the journey as the destination.” Bill Perry, founder of Recon (generational college ministry)
Want What Works
Driven much more by pragmatism than their parents.
◦ Strongly connected to moral relativism.
◦ Decline in ethics; “ends justifies the means”
Survey of MBA professors – ethics and integrity
4. Embrace Moral Relativism
Especially true in the realm of personal morality
◦ Twice as likely as Boomers to have had multiple sex partners by
age 18
◦ Substance abuse and cheating are common
◦ Difference in behavior between “Outsiders,” “born-again
believers,” and “evangelicals” is nominal. Barna
Overwhelmingly Stressed Out
½ say they are stressed out (double Boomers’ level)
Feel exceptional pressure in areas that affect others’ view of
them, such as getting good grades. Alsop
5. Extremely Connected
Highly connected via social networking
◦ Changed view of friendship as a result
Value teamwork – even to the point of groupthink. Alsop
Uninhibited
More open about intimate details of their lives
◦ Function of relating online primarily
◦ May well be inhibited in person; unsure how to relate
Very casual about personal matters
◦ See Facebook/Twitter postings
6. Lonely
“Loneliest generation” because their relationships are
superficial and don’t meet the deepest needs of the heart.
Apologetics for a New Generation, Sean McDowell
So accustomed to mediated, online interaction that face-to-
face interaction increasingly intolerable and undesirable –
particularly when discussing a conflict. The Spirituality of the Cell
Phone, Shane Hipps
“Firework” by Katy Perry
Do you ever feel like a plastic bag,
drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?
Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
like a house of cards, one blow from caving in?
Do you ever feel already buried deep?
6 feet under screams but no one seems to hear a thing.
7. Biblical Worldview possessing a belief of the following:
◦ moral decisions are based on God’s Word;
◦ moral truth is absolute;
◦ God rules the universe;
◦ Satan is real;
◦ Jesus lived a sinless life;
◦ a person cannot earn salvation through works;
◦ Christians have a responsibility to share their faith; and
◦ the Bible is accurate in all its teachings.
9% of born-again Christians have a biblical worldview.
2% of born-again teenagers have a biblical worldview.
8. Absolute Truth
Only 25% of born-again Christians make moral and ethical
decisions on basis of Bible
◦ Of this 25%, about ½ believed that moral truth was absolute and
unchanging
◦ Bottom line: 14% (1 of every 7) of born-again Christians rely on
the Bible as their compass and believe moral truth is absolute
Involvement during college
Only 20% of college students maintain a level of spiritual
activity consistent with their high school experiences
◦ Indicates church activity may be primarily social for them
9. Spiritual Activity in born-again Teens (1997 v 2009)
Sunday School participation – 35% to 30%
Giving any of their own money – 35% to 26%
Prayer – 81% to 71%
Sharing Their Faith – 63% to 45%
◦ However, teen church attendance and youth group
involvement have not changed much in recent years.
10. National Study of Youth and Religion Christian Smith
◦ 11-year research project – most extensive sociological research
project on youth and religion ever undertaken
◦ Conducted jointly with Notre Dame and UNC
General Findings
Religious faith & practice doesn’t mean much to most teens.
Religious faith and practice doesn’t connect to the rest of
their lives. (compartmentalization)
Religion is considered benignly positive but it operates in the
background of their lives, with little influence on the
remainder of their lives.
Most “religious” teens are not familiar with, or articulate
about, the basics of the Christian gospel.
11. Changes in Christianity for Millennials
A God exists who created and orders the world and watches
over human life on earth.
◦ Not personally involved in one’s affairs – especially affairs in which
one does not want God involved (sin/compartmentalize)
God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as
taught in the Bible and by most world religions.
The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about
oneself.
God does not need to be particularly involved in one’s life
except when he is needed to resolve a problem.
Good people go to heaven when they die.
12. “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your
hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when
you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you
lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your
hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the
doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:9
Defines our responsibility as parents in education of our children.
Move from agrarian society means less time to fulfill our obligation.
Choice of educational partner becomes critical, both academic and
worldview.
◦ 15,000 hours spent at school - K-12
13. Christian Worldview
Is the worldview (perspective) being taught consistent with
yours?
◦ Three-legged stool to teach and disciple – Church, Home and
School should send the same message to your child.
◦ Avoids compartmentalization by integrating Christ and Scripture
in all activities – academics, art, athletics, clubs, etc.
History, Math, Science, Art – God is in all
◦ 84% of Christian young adults admit that they have no idea how
the Bible applies to their field or professional interests. Barna
◦ Young adults who are interested in creative or science-oriented
careers often disconnect from their faith or from the church.
14. Christian Worldview
All schools teach a worldview.
Foundation of Christian school is Scripture and the person of
Jesus Christ
◦ Teach students to become thinking Christians in all areas;
analyze issues from eternal perspective, whether science,
economics or any other subject
A “neutral” worldview equates to an agnostic worldview
◦ Can easily lead to compartmentalization of faith
◦ “Only 9% of born-again teens believe in moral absolutes. Where
are they being fed the truth-is-relative propaganda? Public
schools.” The Barna Research Group
◦ “The school system that ignores God teaches its pupils to ignore
God.” Gordon H. Clark
15. Christian Worldview
Education is about preparing children for life; Christian
education is about preparing children for a Christian life
Teaches and models that Christianity is a daily lifestyle that defines
and permeates who we are
Pray regularly with classmates and teachers
Christian classmates to encourage and hold student accountable in
the classroom, on the field/court, and in life
Bible classes/studies/Chapel teach knowledge and life application
Focus on training to be servant-leaders
Culture of service and missional mindset; both local and global
Holistic education – body, mind and heart
16. In the book of Daniel, we read the account of the three captive
Hebrew young people. These young people are described as
being wise, widely read in literature and science, quick to
comprehend and able to learn. These young people had received
an excellent education within the context of honoring Jehovah.
When it was demanded of them that they worship the god of the
prevailing culture, no compromise could be found in their hearts.
They remained true to the God of their fathers. In the end, they
assumed leadership roles in the midst of a society that did not
understand them, but needed what they had to offer.
We believe that our graduates must ultimately take their place as
Christian leaders in an increasingly secular world, whatever their
chosen profession or field of expertise. It is our aim that PCA
students will exhibit the virtues of
wisdom, courage, compassion, honesty, self-
discipline, responsibility, friendship, hard
work, perseverance, loyalty and faith in our culture in the same way
Daniel and his companions did to their captors.
Pantego Christian Academy’s Philosophy of Education Summary
