Teenagers turned on to God

Canadian youth are using mass rallies and Internet prayer networks in their quest for God

KEVIN HEINRICHS
CW Managing Editor

Canada isn’t known as a nation of people who wears their faith on their sleeves. Society tends to value a quiet pluralism rather than a bold pronouncement of faith.

Don’t tell our youth that. From various pockets across the country, young adults seem to be shedding the “whatever” motto for one more like the label that the 14,000 teenagers accepted at a youth conference last spring in Edmonton: “Historymakers.”

Conference-goer 19-year-old Natalie from Edmonton said she learned to be more open and unashamed about her faith, especially in worship. “We need to live for Jesus and what we believe.”

That seems to be a growing sentiment among Christian teenagers and twentysomethings in Canada. While it’s difficult to gauge the phenomenon statistically, the anecdotal evidence is unmistakable. Youth are becoming turned on to God.