In “The Anxious Generation: A Christian Educator’s Reflection,” I explored insights from Jonathan Haidt’s book from a Christian perspective. I specifically paralleled the rise of anxiety among young people with the concepts of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration, demonstrating how these themes could enrich Haidt’s analysis.
In his book, Haidt offers a way to reverse the damage of phone-based living, and I contend, “[t]hrough Christ, we are called to restore broken relationships and lead others toward shalom, modeling a life rooted in meaningful connection”1.
As a Christian educator, I think there is more to write and say on this topic. Hence, part 2.
In Part 4 of Anxious Generation, Haidt discusses the urgent need for “collective action”2 to address the rising mental health crisis. He emphasizes that this crisis is not only an individual issue but a societal one, and as such, it requires a community response. He notes, “we are not hopeless” and “if we can act together, the costs go way down”3.
Haidt’s hope here is rooted in secular ideas and philosophies, specifically a humanistic worldview. He is optimistic for change and hopeful for healing in the future, and I commend that! Haidt’s proposed solutions, which include shifting social/cultural norms around phones and social media, providing innovative tech solutions like age verification, and including governmental policy changes, are his earnest attempt at redeeming the “downward” 4 pull technology has had on humans.
As Christians, however, our hope should look different. We are focused on the forward restoration of all things and are assured that the current suffering and brokenness we experience are only temporary. We have faith in a promise that God’s plan includes a complete renewal of all things and that when this happens, we will experience shalom. Redemption is central to this hope; that through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we are offered forgiveness and reconciliation to the Father.
A simple google search of “what is community on a Christian college campus” brings back a myriad of Christian college and university websites working to articulate how their campus is hospitable (211,000,000 to be exact!)
Jonathan Haidt’s hopefulness to undo the damage of phone-based living is focused on the need to shift culture and communities. As Christian educators, we are in a unique position to work towards redemption and restoration in this area: the campus communities we are a part of.
Haidt’s call for community action aligns well with the missions of many of our Christian colleges. Community is not merely an ideal; it is a vital aspect of our faith. We were created in the garden to live in community with all parts of creation and God. We were also created with purpose in how we develop and grow as humans. Human flourishing across our lifespan happens when we can “secure relationships with God, ourselves, other people, and all creation”5.
At Grove City College, where I teach, we communicate our campus “is a place where real community takes root – enabling students like you to challenge and encourage each other in and out of the classroom “as iron sharpens iron” (Proverbs 27:17).”6
Haidt writes, “Strong communities don’t just magically appear whenever people congregate and communicate. The strongest and most satisfying communities come into being when something lifts people out of the lower level [the profane] so that they have powerful collective experiences [the sacred]”7. This idea is foundational to sociology, but it should not surprise us as Christians.
Haidt implores his reader to understand the spiritual degradation of phone-based living and work to experience the sacred. He calls us into action and advocates that society needs work to change communities. Specifically, he advocates for K-12 public and private school systems to go phone-free. He believes if this can happen, Gen Z and Gen Alpha can experience the sacred.
As a Christian professor, I disagree. While I am in full support of phone-free schools, I don’t think that will allow our youth to experience the sacred. Instead, I think we need to consider how to promote and encourage our students to engage deeply with one another and with God.
Christian college campuses have a unique opportunity to bring students toward the sacred, and therefore, we can contribute not only to individual spiritual growth, but also, perhaps, to address the larger mental health crisis Haidt highlights.
Of course, we are reminded by Dr. Timothy Dalrymple, of Christianity Today, that Christian communities are not infallible when he wrote, “[t]he shallow roots of modern American evangelical communities make them susceptible to the latest movements and trends”8, and we should protect our institutions against these pitfalls.
Additionally, spirituality alone is not often the cure for mental health issues, and I am not trying to suggest such. Mental health interventions are complex, and professional support is often needed. But Haidt’s data clearly indicates that communal disconnection is a driving force behind the crisis. I simply believe the strength of a healthy, Christian community can serve as a small but meaningful part of the remedy.
Jonathan Haidt’s book, The Anxious Generation, should challenge us. While he offers valuable secular insights into the cultural shifts needed to address the mental health crisis of today’s youth, we must recognize that our response as Christians should be rooted in our faith, which should require us to cultivate communities that reflect God’s intent for wholeness and connection.
Footnotes
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Hollenberger, J. “The Anxious Generation: A Christian Educator’s Reflection”, Christian Scholars Review Blog, accessed 10/25/2024 https://christianscholars.com/the-anxious-generation-a-christian-educators-reflection/
- Haidt, Jonathan. Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. (Penguin Press, 2024), pg. 222.
- Haidt, 222
- Haidt, 201
- Hosack, Lisa. Development on Purpose: Faith and Human Behavior in the Social Environment (Botsford, CT: North American Association of Christians in Social Work, 2019), pg. 29
- Grove City College, “Student Community”, accessed 10/25/2024, https://www.gcc.edu/Home/Our-Story/Our-Distinctives/Student-Community
- Haidt, 203
- Dalrymple, T. The Evangelical Mind in the Digital Fields, accessed 10/25/2024 https://christianscholars.com/the-evangelical-mind-in-the-digital-fields/
