Gregory E. Reynolds was ready to change the world. A bright-eyed college student who believed that all religions were heading in the same direction, Reynolds and his peers thought that the generations before them hadn’t gotten it quite right. Western civilization could use a little shaking up.
Sounds like a Millennial radicalized by Twitter, or maybe a Gen Zer on Tik Tok, no?
Not quite. Reynolds was a college freshman in 1968. His formation didn’t occur on social media but at rallies where he heard radical activists like Abbie Hoffman. Now a presbyterian pastor, Reynolds chronicles his journey in “The Woodstock Generation Swallowed Me Up and Spit Me Out.”
Disenchanted by his exploration, Reynolds began to experience the person of Jesus. More than a guru, more than a good guy, Jesus was a Savior.
It’s all too easy to fear the waves that could sweep our children away from the truth. Everything feels so new in youth, like no one has ever seen this clearly before. In just the past few weeks, Tik Tok teens have “discovered” skorts—a fashion trend that women still alive today have seen repeat at least three times.
While the forms may change, cultural and countercultural promises are no different than the clothing styles that reemerge every few decades. And the excitement and wonder that captivates a youthful heart are still just as strong and alluring.
If the trends feel worse, bigger, and more frightening than those of generations past, remember: God’s faithfulness cannot be thwarted by human shifts and swings. Through the darkest cultural moments, he has drawn wandering hearts to himself. Whether we’ve pitched a tent in Woodstock or Tik Tok, our God leaves his front door unlocked, ever ready to welcome us back home.
