Charting the Future: Screaming Eagles Week
As we think about charting the future, it’s important to consider our traditions of the past. One of the venerable customs at Northwest University is Screaming Eagles Week. We thought we’d share a recap video of this year’s celebration with a happy announcement: the gloom and social distancing of the COVID-19 Pandemic has come to an end!
For a couple of years after mask requirements and social distancing ended, we observed a real nervousness among Gen Z students with regard to being together in large groups and in close proximity. As you watch this video, note the total abandon with which students celebrate their propinquity and community. The pandemic is over, and students are returning to truly normal behavior. There is no doubt that the strictures of the COVID-19 nightmare have injured institutions and created what Jonathan Haidt calls “the Anxious Generation.”
I have noticed something about this generation: they are either all in or all out. For example, Gen Z reads less than any generation on record, but at the same time, book sales last year spiked to an all-time high in America on the strength of a huge increase in sales to Gen Z readers. That seeming paradox unravels when you realize that while in general, Gen Z reads less than other generations, it is also true that Gen Z readers read with a passion that sets them apart. I have noticed the same thing about their spiritual life. While Gen Z is the least religious generation since the Revolutionary War, the young people who do love Jesus love him with all their heart! That passion for Christ shined at this year’s NCAA National Football Championship, when players from both the Ohio State and Notre Dame teams went out of their way to include their testimonies in their interviews.
Gen Z has had a hard run. But Gen Z is bouncing back. Many young people today love Jesus with a great passion, and they will provide a solid foundation of commitment and energy and dedication that will put the churches of the future on a solid footing. Recently, we saw 25 high school students accept Christ here at Northwest during a worship service attended by area youth groups.
We are training—right now—the pastors and leaders of the next Great Awakening. I believe it with all my heart! Only students with a passion for Jesus choose Northwest, and I see the quality and intensity of their faith on a daily basis. That’s why I wrote a book about their future: The Sixth Great Awakening and the Coming Renewal of the American Church. You can get a copy of the book on Amazon by clicking on the link and buying it. All proceeds will go to the general scholarship fund at Northwest to help our students prepare for their future roles as ministers in God’s Kingdom. Whether they become church ministers, government ministers, or serve in any other capacity, they will be ready to lead the Church on to the greatest harvest in world history.
Thank you for staying involved with our students and our mission!