Douglas Coupland, the author who is credited with coining the term “Generation X “ back in the early 90’s,has an interesting phrase that he used to describe the sharp distinction Baby Boomers were trying to make between themselves and the “next generation”. He called it “clique maintenance”, which he defined like this:

 “Clique Maintenance: The need of one generation to see the next generation as deficient so as to bolster its own collective ego.”

In some respects, this could be called “classic” Generation X cynicism, but at the same time, there is a core of truth that cannot be ignored, regardless of the way in which is it communicated. The tedious game of constantly having to define who is “us” or “them”, who is “cutting edge” or “irrelevant”, or who is “in” or “out”, is no more uncommon among adults than it is among squabbling children in the school playground.

Todd Hunter has referred to this as the “other syndrome”, the need of Christians to endlessly draw lines to see who is “in” or not. Todd maintains that it is counter-productive to our mission in the world to have a mindset that requires us to constantly be categorizing people to see if they “fit“ or not. Community cannot be honestly built with these worldly ways of looking at people.

But we do it too...

Unfortunately, the same attitude of clique maintenance shows up regularly in Christian circles, but with a curious twist. If I could re-write the above definition as I’ve observed it in many places, it would look like this:

“Clique Maintenance: the need of one generation to see the previous generation as deficient so as to bolster its own collective ego and sense of ‘calling’.”

The place I have seen and heard this sentiment the most is usually in conferences focussed on the emerging generations. Having been called to and involved with the emerging generations for most of my Christian life, I have had ample opportunity to see and hear it first-hand. It usually sounds something like this:

“The previous generation(s) blew their opportunity to do great things for God; but now God is raising up this generation to do great things for the Kingdom, to take the land that the previous generation(s) failed to.”

Some refer to the emerging generations as the “Joshua &Caleb Generation”, because they will enter the Promised Land. The inference, and often baldly stated judgment, is that everyone over a certain age is automatically part of the generation of Israelites who died in the wilderness due to their lack of faith and disobedience.

Weighing Prophecy by Scripture

There are a number of problems with these kind of grandiose pronouncements:

1. Who says the previous generations failed? And on whose authority has that judgment been made?(Rom.14:4)
2. What criteria are being used to make this assessment?(1 Cor.4:3-5)
3. What if “honouring father and mother”, in principle, means honouring those who have “carried the torch” before us?(Eph.6:1-3,Deut. 5:16)
4. If God opposes the proud, why would we want to have people convince us that we are the “chosen” generation -- better, stronger, more passionate, more anointed than those who came before -- and not expect to find God opposing us? (and then be surprised to hear in ten years that now “we” are “them”, and the truly anointed generation is only now emerging)? (James 4:6)
5. Can the emerging generation (however you define it) say to the other generations “I have no need of you”, and vice versa? And should the older generation(s) say “Because I am not young, I am no longer necessary?” (paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 12:21)?
6. How can we honestly expect to be Biblically obedient to the call for the “older to mentor the younger” if we keep listening to people urging us to judge and replace, and thereby dishonour, the older? (Titus 2:3-10)

My dream is for the day when our main identity is that we are adopted sons and daughters of God, servants of the King, and the friends of Jesus. I hope for the time when we no longer have to resort to a “worldly way of thinking” (2 Corinthians 5:16-17), which results in the division of the Body and slander and judgments between denominations, “streams”, and generations.

My prayer is not only that I will run the race well, but also to finish well (2 Timothy 4:6-7).

Like the Psalmist, I pray that God will enable me to pass on what He’s given to me, even as I continue to run! (Psalms 71:17-18)

Is my turn over already?

A number of years ago, I was at a conference where the speaker was “prophesying” the same sort of things that were listed above. At that time, “Gen X” was the anointed generation, and the poor Baby Boomers who’d “failed” needed to stand aside and let the younger generation show them how it was done.

I turned to our lead pastor (who at fifteen years my senior, was clearly part of the failed generation), and asked him how hearing these things made him feel.

He just smiled a knowing smile and said, “They told us the same thing ten years ago. And they‘ll be telling your kids the same in another ten.”

It didn’t seem to bother him that much to be judged so harshly in a public forum; he was determined to follow God’s call on his life no matter what others thought of him or spoke against him.

Does this mean that there is no specific, God-ordained “call” on the emerging generations? I absolutely believe there is! Every generation has a call on it to further the kingdom. Keith Green once said, “this generation of believers is responsible for this generation of unbelievers”, and that is an ongoing statement. But to assume that the call on the next generation necessitates and demands the nullification of the call on the previous generations is based in a spirit of pride and elitism.

If we allow, on a generational level, “clique maintenance” to become entrenched and fail to embrace both the generations who went before and those who are coming after, we will find ourselves living out a modern version of 1 Corinthians 1:11-13, where Paul rebukes the Corinthians: (I am paraphrasing, of course) “One of you says, ‘I am of Gen X’, another, ‘I am of the Joshua & Caleb Generation’; still another, ‘I am of Christ’;” (inferring that the others weren’t, I suppose).We will only see the cycle of prophesied promises turn into prophesied judgments over and over again.

My heart for all the generations and expressions of the Body of Christ is that we will stop finding ways of pitting people against each other (to bolster our own egos),and learn to bless what God is blessing, and to choose to walk in a radical humility (the opposite of selfish ambition) that prefers others above ourselves (Philippians 2:3).

Like Caleb, the spy with the good report (Numbers 13:30, 14:6-9), whom we named our son after, I want to stand, no matter how old or “uncool” I am or become, and say with conviction: “Give me this mountain!” (Joshua 14:10-12). And God have mercy on the prophetic wanna-be who tries to tell me, anytime until I’m actually in the grave, that I’m no longer “called” to further the Kingdom (Matthew 28:19-20)!