Acts 17:22-28 is one of the passages that is the basis of one of my 'Theological Rocks' of Youth Ministry: "God transcends culture but uses his church to infiltrate and influence it in order to bring his light and truth to people."
These passages are about Paul speaking with the Greeks and making the gospel relevant to them. The Greeks were a very spiritual people, but they had little direction as to what they ought to worship. Worried that they might miss worshipping the correct god, they even built a monument to 'the unknown god' - just to cover their bases.
In a way, today's youth culture is a lot like that ancient Greek culture. They're very spiritual, but they have little direction as to what they ought to be worshipping. Fame? Money? Happiness? Personal ambition? Sex? Karma? Allah? Vashti? Personal enlightenment? Jesus? Now, today's youth culture doesn't erect statues and monuments to the things it worships, but they sure do talk about them a lot.
One of the very best questions in Youth Ministry is this: Why? Why do you listen to the music you listen to? Why do you hang out with the people you hang out with? Why do you engage in certain activities? Why do you watch the shows you watch? If you can think of nothing else to ask a kid, find a 'why' question.
Teenagers are at a place where they can understand and articulate their motivations for the things they do. A child does this that or the other thing because their parents tell them to or because their teacher tells them to or because that's just a part of who they are. Teenagers have a greater capacity for choice and they need to understand and accept the consequences of their choices. A child can't always tell you why they do something. A teenager should be able to.
Teenagers are also at a place where they are searching for a 'self' to adopt. It's a time of trying on a number of different personalities, testing them to see which one fits the best. The frustrating thing is that often, that personality is chosen for you by others, especially at high school. You're the smart one, the athletic one, the artsy one, the druggie, the geek, the popular one. And it's strange, but even though everyone else around you is in the process of trying on personalities, no one lets anyone out of the molds that have been decided for them.
Which is why I always say that everything changes after high school. You finally have the freedom to figure out who and what you really are, without the pressure of a high school environment.
But that's a long road to get to my point - teenagers are searching. Just like the Greeks, they're searching for something to put their faith in. We need to recognize and acknowledge that search, the way Paul did in Athens. And then we need to tell them what it is they've really been searching for - a God who loves them unconditionally and who wants to be a part of their lives.
Their 'unknown god' is none other than Jesus Christ!
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