American Gen Z: Depressed and spiritually hungry

“Can you give me one reason I should want to keep on living?”

There had been a long line of teens waiting to ask me one-on-one questions. Alongside internet star Charlie Kirk of Turning Point USA, it had been my honor to speak at a biblical worldview training conference in Wisconsin. After training some 200 teens in God’s Word and sharing facts about America and Christian civic involvement, we headed over to the Milwaukee arena to attend the Republican National Convention.

This youth’s question, however, would require more than a quick, off-the-cuff answer. I asked, “Do you search the internet for information about suicide? Are you planning to do yourself harm?”

The response to my first question, was, “All the time.” The answer to the second, was, “Maybe.” Wiping tears away, the teen went on, “I just don’t want to live ... I’m so afraid. What is the purpose of ... anything?”

Evangelizing a generation searching for purpose and meaning

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention reports that 10% of students in grades 9-12 have attempted suicide in the last 12 months. At a camp in Georgia, a female attendee about 16 years old, said “Please pray for me. I stay so depressed.”

Several of the other teens nodded in agreement before our group of adult counselors. It’s sad, really — youth was once a season of life usually characterized by unbridled optimism. Today so many of our young people seem paralyzed by fear, stress, and depression.

American teens are spiritually hungry. In camps and conferences throughout the nation we are meeting youth — often with no church background whatsoever — yet they are eager to learn about God, Jesus Christ, the Bible, and how to find purpose in life. We meet countless numbers of grown-ups and even senior adults who are searching for the same things.

Several from the group of teenagers gathered at the front of the stage at this particular event expressed a sentiment that I hear frequently: they are ... depressed. Anxious. Many middle schoolers and high schoolers who reach out to us for counsel have been diagnosed as clinically depressed by mental health professionals.  

“I don’t know why I feel so sad”

Feelings of hopelessness, sadness, and “major depressive episodes” have increased by 150% in the lives of American teens since COVID-19. The predisposition to stress and depression is growing by at least 4% a year among American teens. Here, in the world’s most prosperous country, almost 60% of all adolescents grapple with stress and feelings of helplessness about life.  

Neither the conferences we hold nor this article should be construed as a vehicle for medical advice. But when physiological factors are present that contribute to a compromise of mental and emotional health, professional care should be sought.  

But oftentimes what people of any age need to embrace is the truth about their relationship with God and His role in their life. The antidote to worried obsessions can come in a sincere response to the love of Jesus. According to the Bible, we are complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10).

How may we feel confident about life and emotional assurance about the future? 

“Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete,” says John 16:14. Does a crippling anxiety grip you most days, and you’d like to feel peace and clarity of mind? 

As a believer, remember the promises of Philippians 1:6: “Being confident of this, that He (Jesus) who began a good work in you (at the moment of salvation) will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (the day when we are in Christ’s presence forever).”

In our summer camps throughout the U.S. (the seven camps we hosted, plus other camps and conferences at which I am invited to speak), we see teens “walk the aisle,” and make commitments to Christ. This is why we do all that we do!

Scholar J.I. Packer noted that Christian hope is much different than mere “optimism.” He said, “The believer can say with truth, on the basis of God’s own commitment, that the best is yet to come.”

Clearly, American youth (and persons of all ages) need to experience the reality of abundant life in Jesus Christ (John 10:10). They need to know that their very existence was planned by God for blessing and purpose.

The church has Christ’s mandate to proclaim the truth — and in this era, believers are strategically positioned to help people escape the grip of hopelessness. Within the context of our own ministry events, our staff is encouraged time and again to see teens joyfully respond to the Good News. The truths about God and one’s identity in Jesus provide the foundation that drives out nagging anxieties and false beliefs.

Mental and spiritual confidence are but two of the many blessings that make for stable emotions when, as Isaiah 26:3 says, “our mind is stayed on Thee.”  Does “perfect peace” and deliverance from anxiety sound pretty appealing in these times (c.f., John 14:27; Philippians 4:6-7; Colossians 3:15)?  Fortunately, for all who will believe, Jesus is as close by as a prayer.