As in the days of Nebuchadnezzar, young people find themselves under pressure to bow to the statues of our times – navigating the idols of sexuality, identity, and tolerance for all ideas. Young people are told they can believe whatever they want, so long as they don’t dare put their ideas onto others. They can worship Jesus, Buddha, or a flying spaghetti monster providing they keep it to themselves. Add to that the addictive nature of social media resulting in many young people being connected to a device every waking moment of the day. They might be discipled in the way of Jesus at a weekly youth group, but they are also being discipled into secular culture with every scroll of their smartphone.

In the Old Testament book of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar builds a giant statue and commands his people to bow down and worship the image. The citizens of Babylon play along and bow to the statue; to do otherwise is a death sentence. Nebuchadnezzar was a fearsome ruler who would not think twice about eliminating dissent. The statue itself holds no special power but there is strong pressure to conform. If people want to ask questions or argue there is a fiery furnace awaiting them. But within the crowd are three brave Jews: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego who refuse to play along. They believe that God alone is the creator of life and that he is the ultimate authority over right and wrong. They work for the king, but they will not bow to his statue. When their non-compliance is reported, the king gives them an ultimatum: bow to the statue or face the consequences.

For the past two decades of my adult life, I have been blessed to represent Jesus in schools as a teacher and a chaplain. I’ve spent many years leading Church-based youth ministries and I’m often found sharing Christ on camps and beach missions. Sometimes I reflect on my own experiences as a teenager and how different the world is today. The world has changed dramatically in a generation. Young people face issues today that were almost non-existent during my high school years. The world feels less certain than it once did and opposition to the Christian faith feels stronger. In the 1966 Australian census 88% of Australians identified with Christianity and not even 1% of people declared themselves to have no faith. Fast forward to today, the number ticking the no religion box has climbed to 38.9% and Australians identifying with Christianity has halved to 43.9%.

The followers of Jesus have felt the societal shifts as the years have passed.

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