Iran (MNN) — A restless, young generation in Iran is searching for more to live for.
More than 60 percent of Iran’s population is under the age of 30. In the protests of the past two years, young Iranians have shown a decided shift in their mindset. They are no longer looking for hope or help from political authority, as did the generation under the Islamic Republic of Iran founded in 1979.
To Iranian youth, the government is religion.
“The system, the politics, the government is based on and grounded in the Islamic practices. So when when we refer to politics and democracy, they (young people) immediately think of religion,” says Lily Meschi with Iran Alive Ministries.
“Anything that sounds or smells like religion, they’re rejecting.”
Representative stock photo courtesy of Pouya Hajiebrahimi via Unsplash
Meschi says this is a historic time for Iran. “Because the new generation — Millennials and Gen Zs — are fed up with the religious rhetorics and anything that is like religion. As a result, they are open to new ideas, to New Age spiritualities, including even the gospel of Christ.”
Meschi wants the young people of Iran to know that Jesus said in John 10:10 that He came that people might have abundant life. But while Iranians are desperate for this freedom that can only be found in Christ, they do not recognize Him.
“They think of Christianity just as another religion. We want to sort of wipe off and remove from their mindset and help them have that shift in their mindset of not seeing Christianity yet as another religion.”
Iran Alive offers 24/7 programming through satellite TV to help Iranians understand that Christianity is a relationship-based faith. They use social media and other channels to engage a tech-savvy generation, offering discipleship, Christian community and God’s Word through various means. Read stories of impact here.
“This is an urgent time for all of us Christians to rise up and to really make the message of Christ, make the gospel bold in Iran and among Iranians, so that we could have an amplified voice among all the other spiritualities that are being offered to Iranians,” Meschi says.
You can be part of this through your prayers and support.
“Historically, it only takes one generation for the Christianity movement to be completely wiped off,” Meschi says.
Join in praying for older Christians to faithfully and effectively train leaders of a new generation. Pray that these young people would “truly make this movement of God among Iranians move forward, and keep the momentum going even stronger than the past generation.”
Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of MohammadHosein Mohebbi/Unsplash.