How Can Gen Z Know Christianity Is the “Right” Religion?

Christianity. Buddhism. Islam. Hinduism. Scientology. Satanism. Those are just a few of the major faiths, with the comprehensive list extending far beyond this. The average Gen Zer, who now has a world of information pertaining to all these faiths available to them in their pocket, certainly has a large smorgasbord of religions from which to choose–perhaps more so than any previous generation in human history. This freedom of choice may sound appealing, but in reality it is confusing and overwhelming, to say the least. Gen Z has dozens of options, all claiming to be the path to either joy, enlightenment, salvation, or a combination of those three, and this can be paralyzing. Instead of undergoing a rigorous search process to determine which one, if any, is correct, many choose not to bother, which certainly saves them a lot of time and effort. 

Because of the incredible number of religions out there, there is paralysis from having too many options, but there is also significant doubt from good-faith, Jesus-loving Christians–especially Gen Zers, who are exposed to a diverse range of life philosophies and viewpoints. It is a common occurrence for them to observe the vast array of religions out there and wonder how they can be so certain theirs is the true one. The more they ponder on this, the more pressing of a question it becomes; faith unravels soon afterward. 

I want to explore three possible answers to this question and explore their merit:

• The Omnism Perspective 

• The “It’s Unknowable” Perspective 

• The Christ-Centered Perspective 

The Omnism Perspective 

The omnism perspective states that essentially every religion is based around seeking the same source of truth. Jesus, Muhammed, Buddha, and the rest? Omnists proclaim they were basically teaching the same lessons and were aligned in their goals, although they each had different methods of accomplishing them. In this way, there is supposedly truth in each religion. Every spiritual road leads to the same destination of enlightenment, or salvation, or whatever you might refer to as the highest metaphysical ideal. 

There may be a well-intentioned heart behind this belief: one that desires not to hurt any feelings or make any exclusive statements that isolate anyone. One that desires to find unity. But you cannot find unity where there is no unity. Like we talked about in “I’m Following My Truth,” “argument A” and “argument B” cannot make directly oppositional claims and both be right. And these religions make directly oppositional claims on the regular. 

Christian doctrine teaches of a Trinitarian God, and Islam calls this heresy. Hinduism conflicts with both of these monotheistic faiths (meaning they only believe in one God) by embracing polytheism (belief in multiple deities). Buddhists disagree with everyone listed here by refraining from a belief in any specific God, instead focusing on the individual’s pursuit of persevering through suffering and finding enlightenment…hopefully to reincarnate into something better in their next life. 

To drive this point home, consider some of the central tenets of these religions. This is the Shahada, which is a statement of a core Islamic belief:

“There is no god but God [Allah] and Muhammad is his messenger.” 

The implications of this exclusive statement is that the pursuit of meaning outside of worship and relationship with Allah is futile. Compare this with Jesus Christ’s statement in John 14:6.

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

Guess what? Christianity and Islam just disagreed with each other right here. They are not both saying the same thing. They are not valuing the same principles. They are polar opposites. And that’s not all. Read this quote from Buddha himself:

“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.” 

This appears to negate the sovereignty and providence attributed to the respective deities of Christianity and Islam. I could go on with this exercise and demonstrate how essentially every world religion conflicts with the other, but for brevity’s sake I will stop here.

In answering the question of how the Gen Zer may determine which of the many religions available to them is correct, then, the Omnism Perspective does not provide a compelling solution. 

The “It’s Unknowable” Perspective

This perspective is the problem-solving equivalent of throwing one’s hands up in the air and then storming out of the room. That is to say, it solves no problem whatsoever and instead raises a white flag in surrender. This perspective, especially popular with those who pride themselves as intellectual skeptics, states that because there is such a vast array of religions out there, it is foolishness to think anyone could reasonably determine which one is correct. They may even suggest it is arrogant to assume that you could observe all the different faiths that have existed throughout history and find the one that is right. “What makes you so special,” they may ask, “that you just happened to stumble across the one true religion?” 

To the terminally deconstructing Gen Zer who is already balking at the overwhelming number of religions and feeling a degree of doubt rise up within them, the argument posed by the “It’s Unknowable” Perspective may prove to be the final nail in the coffin of their faith. But it does not have to be. This perspective, along with its often quite aggressive proponents, are approaching the issue with an attitude that is already dismissive of faith–a preconceived notion that faith is so silly and useless that it isn’t worth the trouble of bothering with. Ponder this a moment. Nobody would hold to this “It’s Unknowable” sentiment on anything they actually cared about. 

Since when, if you found a pursuit valuable and worthwhile, has a preponderance of choices discouraged you from using your faculties of reason as well as your personal experience to narrow down your list of options until you finally make the choice you deem to be correct? Never. If it is important to you, then you will take the time to discover which one is the right one. 

The people who hold to an adamant “It’s Unknowable” Perspective regarding Christianity or religion at large do not hold to this philosophy in other areas of life where it would also be applicable. If you are in the West, for example, then most of these skeptics will hold to a firm belief that some form of democracy is the best system of government available. But under their own logic, how can they know this when there are countless possible systems of government available to try? There have been so many differing governmental structures throughout world history–is it not arrogant of them to assume they have discerned the best one? What about aristocracies, constitutional monarchies, or oligarchies? How do we know those aren’t correct instead? If their answer to this approximates “well, the reason we can know democracy is best is because it gives a voice to everyone instead of a select few or an individual,” then they can say that with perfect utility–they are right. However, in answering, they have also demonstrated that even amongst a multitude of options, the truth is knowable and well worth taking the time to pursue. This applies to the area of faith as well. 

Or what about political stances? It is more than likely they have passionate beliefs in this arena. Why are they, in the presence of so many alternative viewpoints, so convinced that their political philosophy is superior? Why do they hold to the opinion on, say, immigration, that they do when there is a plurality of opposing ideas? What about abortion? Welfare? It is because they saw fit to do some digging in order to arrive at a conclusion that–as far as they could tell–was the truth? If this is possible to do in the realm of politics, it is possible to do in the realm of faith. 

In closing, the “It’s Unknowable” Perspective, like the Omnism Perspective, does not hold up to scrutiny: the truth is out there. Even amidst a crowded assortment of competing ideas, it’s out there. It’s knowable. We must find it. 

The Christ-Centered Perspective 

This perspective states that the truth can be found by observing the actions of one central figure: Jesus Christ. In His roughly three years of earthly ministry, He decisively showed the world that He was its savior–the Son of God and God in the flesh all at once. We have already gone over much of this in the chapter on scriptural inerrancy, but so central is it to the Christian faith that it must be reiterated here. 

Jesus Christ claimed that He was sent from the Father to seek and save the lost. He said it is only through Him, the eternal Son of God, the perfect sacrifice of the world, the Messiah, that one can be saved from their sins and enter into relationship with God. It is only through Him that mankind can avoid separation from God in hell and enjoy eternal life in heaven, free from sorrow, sin, and suffering, dwelling in God’s majestic presence forever and ever. 

These are stupendous and supernatural assertions. If someone claims they are God in the flesh and the only possible path to salvation, then they had better back their claims up with action in order to prove it. Jesus did just that. And not only did He do it; there is a historical record of Him doing it. 

Let’s start with, as we discussed earlier in this book, Jesus’ fulfillment of prophecies. The Old Testament is packed with what we refer to as Messianic prophecies–these are predictions that Jesus would come and die for man’s sin hundreds upon hundreds of years before He ever did so. In the Gospels, Christ fulfilled approximately three hundred of these prophecies. We shall start with some of the ones regarding His initial arrival. 

Isaiah 40:3-4

“A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain’”

This is a prophecy written approximately seven hundred years before Jesus’ birth. It foretells of a man who would prepare the world for Jesus, informing it of the coming savior. Fast forward to Jesus’ time, and John the Baptist is doing just that. 

Isaiah 7:14

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin  will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

This prophecy, which again originated some seven hundred years before Jesus walked the earth, predicts His virgin birth, which both the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke acknowledge.

Next, read these prophecies centered on Jesus’ ministry:

Isaiah 53:3

He was despised and rejected by mankind,

    a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.

Like one from whom people hide their faces

    he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

This tells us that Jesus would be largely unpopular, rejected by the elites and even the common folk of His day. Indeed, Christ was met with much resistance and anger almost wherever He went. When they were face-to-face, humanity looked upon its savior and we spat on Him–and of course, ultimately, we crucified Him. 

Isaiah 35:5-6

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened

    and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

6 Then will the lame leap like a deer,

    and the mute tongue shout for joy.

Water will gush forth in the wilderness

    and streams in the desert.

Jesus would fulfill this by carrying out a ministry that was nothing short of miraculous. Every Gospel recounts His miracles, in which He feeds the five thousand; heals the blind, sick, and deaf; and enables the cripple to get up and walk. Those are just to name a few! 

Zechariah 9:9

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!

    Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!

See, your king comes to you,

    righteous and victorious,

lowly and riding on a donkey,

    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

In the fulfillment of this oddly specific prophecy, Jesus Christ rode into Jerusalem riding atop not a majestic steed, not a glorious stallion, but a lowly donkey. 

Isaiah 53:5

But he was pierced for our transgressions,

    he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was on him,

    and by his wounds we are healed.

This, of course, is describing Jesus’ agonizing death on the cross, which He willingly took on to save all who believe from sin. This was, quite literally, the “punishment that brought us peace.” He paid the debt that we could not. 

And it is by His wounds that we are healed. 

Some may object and ask if this is “confirming scripture by using scripture” (i.e using the Gospel accounts in the Bible to support the ancient prophecies in the Bible). We must understand here, though, that the writers of the Gospels did not conspire together and say “let’s all write a fantastical tale about this Jesus fellow and make it so that He fulfills a whole bunch of Old Testament prophecy. Then we’ll slip these stories in with the rest of scripture.” 

I am not even sure that the authors of the Gospel knew they were producing inerrant scripture–they were simply recording what each of them had heard and seen and compiling these things into a historical document. And with that in mind, the fact that there is such unity in what the Gospels say, despite them being written by wildly different men with wildly different backgrounds is amazing, and it lends even more credibility to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John as historical documents. 

Matthew was a tax collector–a social outcast spurned by basically everyone. John was likely a poor fisherman. Mark was younger than the other Gospel writers, and his exact occupation is unknown, but we do know he was a missionary who traveled with Paul. Luke never met Jesus personally but was a competent historian and physician, writing his account of Jesus’ life under the request of a man named Theophilus. 

Each of these four Gospel accounts differ in style, structure, and their presentation of certain events, even the three “synoptic” Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) that potentially borrowed from a common source. Some describe stories that others do not, so reading one will allow you to fill in the gaps of the other. However, they do not conflict and always agree on the fundamentals: Jesus came, He died, He conquered death by rising from the grave three days later, and He will one day return to be with His creation. These are genuine historical documents. There has never been compelling proof that they have been altered or doctored to fit an artificially constructed narrative, and they all make the same claim: Jesus Christ fulfilled all of these ancient prophecies about the savior of the world down to the most minute of details. This is proof of His Godhood and also demonstrates the supernatural nature of scripture. 

Speaking of historical realities, let’s discuss the proof that Jesus rose from the dead, because, it must be noted, solid evidence of the resurrection proves His Godhood, proves He was Who He said He was, and proves the validity of the Christian faith. 

It is a historical fact that a man named Jesus existed, garnered a large following because of His teachings, and was later crucified by the Roman Empire. It is also a historical fact that His followers testified to having witnessed Him rise from the dead and believed He was the savior of the world. This was not a lie they concocted for personal benefit. Conversely, their claims brought them an onslaught of persecution and suffering. Instead of fame and riches coming their way, they had to endure poverty and social ostracization. They were routinely attacked or imprisoned for what they believed. They were executed in the most horrific of ways. So help me, reading the traditional accounts of how the original disciples of Jesus Christ were murdered never fails to make my skin crawl. But they happily endured every manner of abuse and disrespect. Again–all on the basis that they had witnessed Jesus rise from the dead. I can think of no probable method of explaining this away. 

To me, the miraculous fulfillment of three hundred prophecies, the historical authenticity of the Gospels, and the historical aftermath of the resurrection lift Christianity far above its “competition,” so to speak. Especially when paired with the intimate relationship I now enjoy with Jesus that has so drastically transformed my life and my character, I am left convinced the Bible is true–its God is the one true God! The presence of multiple religions need not cause anyone to terminally deconstruct.