Reaching Zoomers

Matthew Pearson joins the podcast to discuss how zoomers think and how to reach them.
#genz #zoomers #christianity

[@juliesutton7125]

Before Boomers, divorce was rare. Every generation following was raised in a culture where it had become much more common. I think we Boomers need to acknowledge the huge negative impact this had on them and apologize-instead of criticizing them, which is way too common among Boomers.

[@conceptualclarity]

You are right. When I was a child people spoke about "broken homes" and it was considered to be a great and exceptional tragedy that a child should be from such a home.

[@MeadeSkeltonMusic]

not true in the South. Divorce was always very high here.

[@conceptualclarity]

@@MeadeSkeltonMusic not what I remember

[@MeadeSkeltonMusic]

@@conceptualclarity If you live d in a heavily Catholic area, then probably not.

[@conceptualclarity]

@@MeadeSkeltonMusic I live in a heavily Protestant area

[@matthewpearson7195]

Wow!

[@DavidCarlsonII]

HUGE

[@nuplissken1600]

Great interview. I think there's a lot of hope with the new generation. Very sharp and much more interested in religion than my embarassing generation (Gen X).

[@CuriousGeorge13]

Online dating has become a dumpster fire. I'm not sure we ought to look at that as an example for moving even more of our social interactions online.

[@SomeGuy-hr5og]

Okay, as a zillennial gamer, I was completely unoffended, UNTIL you had to go after Redeemed Zoomer's nerdy theology talk Minecraft gameplay hahaha good vid

[@michaellautermilch9185]

I really like his Minecraft/theology combo! Even if I think a lot of his theology wrong (more accurately, needs development because he's young and working on it)

[@SerenityNow22]

As an elder millennial this interview was based, no cap! 🤓

[@rj9955hi]

and that was cringe

[@shannoncrawford7212]

fr fr

[@threeformsofunity]

So true

[@theeliteelite1873]

Interesting conversation. I had to chuckle at the start when Matthew spoke about other Zoomers going Catholic or Orthodox and saying how he's too stubborn to stop believing in the sufficiency of Scripture. A few years ago I probably would have said something similar. In my recent reevaluation of the priors I had held my whole life, I've started to see the failings of that view. Scripture doesn't interpret itself, we all read it through the lens of some kind of tradition.

[@clintonstephens273]

The best advice the ole boy gave was be yourself. Back in my high school days, and I am 45, I remember people trying to be relevant by wearing the fubu and 1 stuff. But our youth pastor who was closer to my dads age, he was just himself not hip or cool and I loved him. Everybody and every generation wants and respects authentic personalities who know what they believe and why they believe it

[@michaellautermilch9185]

But "yourself" is a sinner - be like Christ

[@clintonstephens273]

@@michaellautermilch9185 yes, and God gave us our own personalities. Personality or having one is not a sin, trying to act young when you are old or trying to be cool when you are a square, trying to be smart when you are more practical is a turn off.

[@jaihummel5057]

I used to hang out with Matthew Pearson at a college ministry we both attended called RUF. It's cool to see him again and I just wanted to say hi Matt! -Joseph

[@NeanderthalWoman-ou8ev]

I'm an Xer. My kids are younger than Zoomers ... alphas maybe? This vid was fun. One quibble. When Jon said casually that Zoomers were "the first post-Christian generation," I almost dropped my La Croix. Xers were definitely post-Christian, and I think it actually goes back to Boomers.

[@michaellautermilch9185]

Yes absolutely, unless you're Aaron Ren

[@endthelogin]

In 2020 church attendance dropped below 50% I think that’s indicative of being post-Christian

[@NeanderthalWoman-ou8ev]

@@endthelogin I'm saying it was post-Christian well before 2020.

[@michaellautermilch9185]

Great choice of guest, I love this guy. No idea who he is though.

[@CGGeary]

This is so fun watching Harris interact with a Zoomer.

[@debbiefocht1907]

Thanks for teaching me about zoomers ... blessings to you from a boomer

[@darrelljackson6175]

I just bought a book about zoomers but at 73, I am afraid to read it. Listening to this reaffirms my saddness.

[@marchosch3876]

I'm a Millennial, but I have noticed people of my generation want the high-Protestant traditions without the traditionally/historically conservative theology that goes with it. I think with Zoomers, people aren't even pretending they want to be Protestant, they just want the high-Church experience a la Catholicism or Eastern Orthodoxy. In some ways, the honesty is refreshing and, in other ways, it's really sad.

[@MeadeSkeltonMusic]

Theres no such thing as Millennials or Zoomers Gen X etc..

[@anthonyfava9367]

It doesn't help when many evangelical churches are more about entertainment or geared towards women. I think they like the aesthetic more than the theology.

[@marchosch3876]

@@anthonyfava9367 There is some truth to this, but I think this is also an easy out as there are plenty of solid evangelical churches who are not entertainment driven and/or geared towards women. At a certain point, we need to acknowledge people are leaving solid churches for Catholicism and Orthodoxy because they believe the gospel isn't enough. And, again, that is really sad.

[@conceptualclarity]

Is it possible that the hyper- casual attire for pastors and the rock concerts and light shows are actually driving Zoomers away rather than attracting them?

[@Mellie74]

@@conceptualclarityexactly!

[@TheOtherPaul]

MATTYYYYYYYYYY!

[@tobeforgottenisworsethande8995]

I don't have any goals because since I was little all I was told was you got to work for a living no matter what Don't expect anybody to take care of you and you're never going to have anything if you don't work and everything was made out to be work work work and like your value in life and as a citizen is what kind of work you do and being overworked and underpaid is somehow twisted to be a virtue like you're the nobleman at the end of the day even though you're just getting taken advantage of. But I mean what kind of goals can I set I can't just snap my fingers and financially be in a position where I can focus on my hobbies and interest and likes and other than just find a job that can pay the bills there's not really opportunity out there right now I'll work measuring cabinets for a furniture company and it's all right but like what kind of goal can I set. To not get drafted to go fight Russia or like to one day travel the world or something? There aren't any achievable goals that you don't have to be wealthy to accomplish and I'm 32 I've been single for 5 years women pay me no attention so starting a family is out of the question and there's nothing really that I could try to achieve and achieve while being 90% of the time focused on just getting the bills paid and trying to make it to these crazy times. I mean y'all got it made y'all can just sit here and talk to the camera and because you already established and y'all got on social media before the big bubble y'all don't have to worry about the prospect of manual labor for the rest of your life until the day you die. So people will listen to your philosophical stuff but if I try to talk to somebody about it they say hey get back to work or none of that matters we got a job to do right now stuff like that. I'll talk to people about my dreams and they're like we'll do that's not going to help you in the real world You've got to focus on work and saving money and getting a house ,which is freaking impossible now. And a lot of y'all's advice has to do around the business mindset like everyone doesn't want to have to worry about trying to hustle people or crunching numbers or the bottom line or being entrepreneur and there's not that availability in every region of the United States either and government makes it very hard for people to start a business so just saying find something you like and go for it like that's not really realistic

[@juliesutton7125]

I feel your frustration. It reminds me of when we were a young family just trying to get out of debt and the financial advisers just said stuff like, "Live within your means," "Don't use credit cards," "Stop going out to eat," and "Save this-much-or-that-much every month," none of which applied to us in the least. We were already stretched as far as we could be. Just annoying to get advice that isn't workable. Would rather hear none at all and have someone just say, "I know it's hard and I will pray for you." I know it's hard, and I will pray for you.

[@conceptualclarity]

Sympathize and saying a prayer for you

[@conceptualclarity]

It seems like when the Boomers were young that a poor woman getting married to a man who was also poor was not out of the question

[@conceptualclarity]

But it seems like nowadays whether a woman is affluent middle class or poor, irrespective she expects to marry a man who is affluent or pretty darn close to it

[@NeanderthalWoman-ou8ev]

​@@conceptualclarityExactly. It was normal for young couples to be struggling for the first several years. When I was a kid, I thought breakfast cereal must cost $100 a box, because most varieties my mom said were "too expensive" to get 😂

[@cindymonk6994]

I think you have had redeemed zoomer on before

[@threeformsofunity]

Matt lookin swole, les get it boys

[@laurenkuo2333]

I am a boomer; how can we get zoomers to read more? Especially read the great theologians of the past? I have a blog called Commonplaces where I write very short bullet point excerpts from my favorite authors and change to 1st Person so it reads as a personal journal. I don't want to lecture my readers. I want to engage them. Spark their thinking.

[@RuminantHairdo]

Just wanted to let you know that I, a Zoomer, read old theologians like Calvin, Augustine, the Church Fathers, etc. As well as other classic literature like Marcus Aurelius' "Meditations." It's good to know the thoughts of those in the past as well as people in the present.

[@elihernandez330]

Make it a ticktock trend.

[@reactionarydm]

Decrease rent and increase housing supply. More time to read if you're not working two jobs.

[@michaellautermilch9185]

You need to give them 1 minute clips of theology, intentionally trying to sell them on the idea of reading more on their own. Eventually it will work.

[@kurtboesch2592]

Good show

[@BossBattle21]

At 32 this video caused me to believe I'm 50/50 Millenial-Zoomer in my outlook and habits. It also confirms my bias that all of the demographic terms mean next to nothing.

[@PastorEdwinTheProverbiallife]

Jon there were times on this episode when you looked and sounded like a boomer, and I along with you 😂

[@rj9955hi]

Corporate sports is fake and gay. I watch gamers because the group interactions are actually entertaining. >"Why are you watching someone else play a game, how boring just go do it yourself" >Addicted to sports

[@Anonymous-cm9md]

The best teacher is example. They do notice things like a 40+ year marriage.

[@montanaperkins9418]

“Seagulls?.” 😂

[@dingotomtom]

I thought that guy was james lindsey for a second

[@endthelogin]

52:32 this is what’s terrifying, and why during the man on the street interviews the zoomers can never explain why they believe what they believe

[@ebydesigns8076]

That is my mutual!

[@clintonstephens273]

All people today feel way more then they think

[@juliesutton7125]

Where did the “Yeah no” answering come from? Is that generational? Lol

[@matthewpearson7195]

Yes, it’s a silly speech pattern I’ve tried to break. Doesn’t really make sense lol.

[@nodramamomma2777]

No yeah! 😂

[@juliesutton7125]

@@matthewpearson7195 I've been noticing it the last few years. If you are trying to break it, you can always post this up on your screen: Matthew 5:37. Haha! Great conversation today.

[@solideomusical]

Also the filler word 'like' is quite prominent

[@NeanderthalWoman-ou8ev]

The "Yeah" part acknowledges that you heard what the other person said. The "no" part answers their question. In the case of "No, yeah", you are answering their question in the affirmative, while saying, "Don't think otherwise." These are very efficient bits of discourse.

[@lynne1550]

❤️

[@JamesRiddle_Christ_is_King]

Nobody ever talks about 1965 to 1980. They say Generation X was raised on hose water.

[@ZephaniahL]

How about polling data, churches’ own records - ‘I would definitely say’ is not good evidence for an increase in religiosity.

[@reactionarydm]

Depending on the denomination, a lot of churches have cooked books for membership versus attendance. Might have 90 members on roll, but 27 attending weekly.

[@ZephaniahL]

@@reactionarydm Granted. Will we on that basis ignore such data in favor of impressions? That would seem to me throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

[@reactionarydm]

@@ZephaniahL In church, "impressions" seem more solid than "data". Modernism has done enough, we don't need to voluntarily increase its impact.

[@jimmybrowning4888]

It's a trick question, they don't.

[@daisy_magnolia]

😂😂

[@MeadeSkeltonMusic]

Theres no such thing as zoomers. This is all made up for marketing

[@longstreet2740]

I am a 70s kid, but back in that day as youth, I was a fan of the Greatest Generation WW2 AMERICAN PATROL - GLENN MILLER kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3K5lp2Cn72Jmtk

[@longstreet2740]

Andrews Sisters Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy kzbin.info/www/bejne/bqDJZKiefJaneas

[@solideomusical]

Jon do you have an email address?