Simple is not cheap. . .

We live in an age when people talk about simplifying their lives, decluttering the place where you live as well as how you live.  Around us we see that the up and coming generations seem less interested in home ownership and are more content to rent.  They are also less likely to drive or own a car than those who went before them.  It seems like some idyllic view of life that may be clothed in perhaps a little contempt for the sins of their parents and grandparents.  No one would dispute the fact that they have little interest in the things of their parents and grandparents except to haul them off to the thrift stores.  This generation seems to be less overtly patriotic, less devoted to religion, less committed to hard work, and be less interested in marriage and children.

The same generation, however, does not appear to be living more economically because of these choices.  The things they do purchase tend to be higher cost -- from the latest greatest techno toys with all their screens to the pricey coffees to the craft labels on their brews to the designer labels to the Uber trips and deliveries to the cloud based apps and subscriptions they cost.  They may have less stuff but the stuff they have costs a premium price.  In other words, money is even more important to this generation because of the champagne tastes they have on their beer money.  They get their incomes from jobs that demand less and parents who have saved more and half spend more than they earn.  As consumers the younger generations are more likely to buy sustainable, high-quality, products and are willing to pay the premium for those products -- on average `0-`5% more.  They value personalised products and are often drawn to brands that share their point of view on political issues.  They prefer not to shop at the big box retailers but prefer boutique shops (both online and brick and mortar).  They do not carry cash and use cards and, on average, carry a hefty credit card balance.  They have side hustles to add to their incomes to help finance these choices.

They have pictures but they are digital and not printed.  They have playlists but no CDs.  They have streaming movies but no DVDs.  Their world is largely virtual and this is both a result of things around them as they were raised and of their choice to be content with this digital life.  They think they are adept at multitasking — eating (59%), listening to music (59%), talking on the phone (45%), or even dancing (28%) while scrolling screens. Overall, people surveyed said their online time happens while they're watching TV (59%), in bed (65%), on the toilet (43%), and at work.  They imagine a world in which everything is virtual and look forward to that evolution and do not seem to be bothered by privacy concerns or the safety of such a digital world.  They prioritize the digital life over the real life.

It is no wonder, then, that in person worship is not as important to them or why they fail to find a difference between what happens online and in person.  Their realities are blurred in the sense that they do not feel a personal need nor do they desire what happens face to face -- especially in Church.  That said, I am not at all advocating a strategy for the Church which surrenders the real to the virtual or the in person to the digital.  In fact, I am saying the opposite.  This is not a good trend and the attention given to AI seems even more inclined to keep the younger generation within the prison of their screens, online every minute of the day -- a prison from which they need to be set free.  If stuff was the illusion of real life to the generations before, the virtual world is the illusion of real life to the generations now and to come.  They have never lived without constant access to their digital world and so they do not even know they are being held captive.  The gospel is for them as for all but it may have to speak differently to these people.  They may just think that they have not become captive to the world simply because their world is virtual.  Are virtual sins as bad as real?  Do they even count?  

As I began, the replacement of the real with the virtual brings with it a new set of challenges to those who proclaim the Gospel but in many respects the need is the same.  One thing to remember, however, is that living the virtual world is not cheap and it costs not only in money but in the demands placed upon those who live it.