The majority of students on college campuses currently are members of Generation Z (Gen Z). They are adults, born between 1997 and 2012, and the most stressed cohort to ever embark on their journey through higher education. They are reporting “the highest stress levels of any generation in the country,” according to the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Stress in America 2020 report, as well as the highest suicide rate.[1]
The COVID-19 pandemic sent all high school and college students home into virtual learning environments for eighteen months starting in March 2020, exacerbated levels of stress, leaving some with feelings of hopelessness and depression. One recent study reported one in five Gen Zers have had thoughts of suicide.[2]
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In his book The Anxious Generation, Jonathan Haidt argues that the diminished hours of free play during the formative years of childhood coupled with cellphone overuse and social media fixation are largely the causes for Gen Z’s mental health issues.
But what are the steps to recovery? It’s not as simple as putting the phone down or carving out playtime—whatever that would mean for an early 20-something-year-old.
Christian higher education offers faculty an unprecedented opportunity to help Generation Z by teaching and modeling gospel truths.
The Bible teaches that God has made every individual “a masterpiece,” created in God’s image and destined for a divine purpose. It is up to the faculty at Christian colleges to help students realize this truth and find the purpose for their lives by pointing them to Christ.
Not every student who attends a Christian university is a Christian, or if they are, they may not give much attention to their spiritual lives. Our campus, Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBAU), is situated in paradise, one mile from the Atlantic Ocean. The Florida beach is a huge draw for students. And so is athletics. We are an NCAA Division 2 school that offers a variety of sports to both men and women. Several years ago, one of my male nursing students surprised me when he told me he was an atheist. He said the only reason he came to PBAU was that he had been awarded a baseball scholarship and knew of our reputation for having a great team.
A recent multi-year survey I conducted of 168 of my students revealed that 10 percent did not attend church and 21 percent did not have a regular time of Bible reading or prayer. However, among those 21 percent, almost the same percentage said they sought guidance in this area.
We must make room for the doubting Thomases.
Gen Z’s desire to do, not just observe, coupled with FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), has created an “unsettledness in their lives, helping them to remain open to God’s purposes.”[3] Many have developed relationships “that transcend their physical locations,” creating a desire to learn new languages and cultures.[4] This is a characteristic that leaders can take advantage of and direct students towards kingdom purposes. These distinguishing characteristics afford professors unparalleled opportunities to help Gen Z understand their identity in Christ through a comprehensive understanding of the gospel.
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Professors must be known as people who love their students, are interested in them as individuals and not just names on a roster, and are willing to become involved in their lives both inside and outside of the classroom.
Teaching subjects in fields of expertise with passion and excellent pedagogy is a professor’s calling. But teaching at a Christian institution of higher education requires more: “In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness” (Titus 2:7, NIV).
[1] American Psychological Association (2020). “Stress in America™ 2020: A National Mental Health Crisis,” https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2020/sia-mental-health-crisis.pdf.
[2] The University of Queensland of Australia, “One in five adolescents have suicidal thoughts or anxiety,” June 22, 2020, “Data collected from more than 275,000 adolescents aged between 12-17 years across 82 low-, middle- and high-income countries found 14 percent of adolescents had suicidal thoughts and 9 percent had anxiety over a 12-month period. The overall pooled prevalence was approximately one in five.”
[3] Chip Bugnar, “Don’t Miss Gen Z’s Missionary Potential,” The Gospel Coalition, September 3, 2023.
[4] Bugnar, “Don’t Miss Gen Z’s Missionary Potential.”
Image: “Palm Beach Atlantic” by Nick22aku on Wikimedia Commons
I argue that Gen Z’s biggest problem is that the American Psychological Association has largely replaced God in their lives.
Everything is viewed as a mental health issue and not a soul issue, everything is an appeal to the therapist and not to the Lord. And this isn’t a problem?