Allow me to introduce you to Damaris.
I have known her since she was a young elementary grade student and now she’s in college. I adore her—so when I saw that she was writing I naturally wanted to share her thoughts with you.
Damaris recently wrote an article for an online website, Odyssey, which showcases student-written articles that are posted on Facebook and shared on all forms of social media. Odyssey is a social content platform for millennials, from all walks of life, to share their ideas and perspectives about relevant topics which otherwise may not be heard. I’m so proud of Damaris for her bold stand.
We live in a society where words; descriptions and slang, are tossed around without thought and Damaris does a terrific job of addressing the issue.
Please hear the gentleness in my voice: For those of you who are not believers in Jesus; this article does not apply to you. This is fodder for debate among those who claim to be Christians.
Millenials and ‘Cool Christianity‘ reminds me of when God, in Genesis, gave Jacob the name Israel. We read in Exodus 1:9 that God’s people, who are slaves in Egypt, are still called the Israelites. They could have been forced to assimilate into the Egyptian culture, or they could have attempted to become part of the Egyptian empire, but they didn’t. They remained different from the nation and culture around them. I think their peculiarities kept them enslaved; knitted together. If the Egyptians had been friendly to the Israelites it would have been easy to melt into the surroundings. God didn’t want them to blend. He wanted them to be set apart; not accepted as friends of the society. We are not called to soak in our culture. We are called to exude Christ-likeness.
“Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.” Psalm 1: 1-2
The above verses also speak to us on the topic of ‘Cool Christianity’. We are called to be 
friendly, to love other people, and to speak the truth in love which is different than walking alongside them and absorbing their worldly philosophies. We do not stake claim with them, or affirm or agree with what they are saying, or doing, if it is out of line with scripture.
Keep writing, Damaris! You do it well and I agree with you, “Let’s try to have as much of Jesus as possible and become more like Him. If the world rejects us, all the better. We are not here to blend in anyway.” We are to glorify God, love Him while we love and serve others, maintain unity with fellow Christians, and keep our identity in God—like the Israelites did.
A person who knows right from wrong and chooses to do what’s wrong is a sinner.
Is there forgiveness of sins? Of course! Christ’s finished work on the cross provides our redemption through the free gift of grace.
The apostle, Paul, addressed this in the book of Romans:
“So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we’ve left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn’t you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land!
That’s what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we’re going in our new grace-sovereign country.” Romans 6:1-5 The Message
Read Millenials and “Cool” Christianity by Damaris Wyand at theoddyseyonline.com