If the fathers do not rise to repair the broken walls of the gospel, this generation will plunge into brazen apostasy, and the influence of the church will be obliterated. Like a servant of God recently warned, Christianity in Nigeria may be extinct by the year 2030. If it vanished in Turkey to the least level of insignificance, Nigeria is not an exception, God is not a respecter of persons.
In recent weeks, the global Christian community has watched with shock as Pastor EA Adeboye, one of the most respected fathers of faith in Nigeria, became the subject of ridicule, mockery, and online shaming, especially from children and youths. What is happening to us? How did we arrive at a point where sons and daughters boldly stand behind cameras to dishonour fathers without fear, restraint, or remorse? My heart has been broken.
“And there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord.” (Judges 2:10)
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Around the same time, news emerged that the son of a prominent Nigerian Christian leader had openly abandoned the faith. Days later, another report surfaced: the son of a revered patriarch of faith had refused to follow in his father’s footsteps. And most recently, to my utter grief, I read that the child of one of Nigeria’s most celebrated Christian icons had renounced Christianity entirely and embraced African traditional religion. I was devastated. I picked up my phone and began calling friends and leaders in ministry.
In my 42 years of walking with the Lord, I have never encountered a generation of youths as angry, disappointed, disillusioned, and vindictive as the present one. But is their anger justified, or misplaced?
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The Collision of Truth and Culture
At the centre of today’s Pentecostal movement lies a deep hunger for truth among our children, the younger generation. Yet this hunger is unfolding in a world shaken by powerful ideological forces:
- Feminism, challenging biblical marriage structures;
- Globalism and socialism, pushing toward a one‑world religious consciousness;
- Humanism, redefining salvation as mere kindness and morality;
- Universalism, diluting the uniqueness of Christ as the only way to God.
It is within these cultural storms that the church is attempting to preach the gospel. But here lies the tragedy: many clergy have adjusted, diluted, and rebranded the gospel to align with these cultural forces, producing a powerless Christianity devoid of the cross, holiness, and spiritual authority.
Children raised in this environment see no reason to submit to a gospel that lacks authenticity, depth, and transformative power.
The Failure of Spiritual Blacksmiths
Abraham Lincoln once said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
Scripture affirms this principle:
“If the axe is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but wisdom brings success.” (Ecclesiastes 10:10)
Spiritual leaders are the blacksmiths of God’s kingdom, custodians of doctrine, interpreters of divine truth, and architects of spiritual formation. They are called to labour in prayer until “Christ be formed” in the flock (Galatians 4:19). But many have abandoned this sacred duty and are active in the business of money making.
I once watched the children of an elderly man who served a major Nigerian church weep bitterly as they saw their father mistreated by the very institution he had served faithfully. Their regret was palpable. They confessed that if they could turn back time, they would reconsider their commitment to Jesus and especially to the local church their father brought them into. They had been shown a false version of God, another Jesus, not the Christ of Scripture.
These children may never serve the God of their father. They are part of the angry generation the church is unconsciously raising. While the church in Nigeria, in particular, has witnessed the outpouring of God’s mercies in the past 50 years, there has not been a commensurate display of alignment with Biblical truth and true kingdom mindedness among church leaders. The church has truly made a lot of positive impacts on many lives. The painful crises of insecurity, economic collapse, and bad leadership in Nigeria have evaporated the goodwill of the church in the minds of the younger generation.
In one breath, they are right because much of the Nigerian church top leadership are in strategic relationships with many people in government. Given this, the expectation is that the church will influence the political class in their sphere of influences to lead the nation well in the direction of justice, equity, fairness, and honesty. This is not an unrealistic expectation. The church is the moral compass of the nation. On the other hand, the church cannot take over the functions and duties of elected politicians. It is not the church’s responsibility to protect Nigerians or to make policies that shape the economic direction of the nation.
The Growing Crisis: A Generation on the Edge of Apostasy
Tens of thousands of young people in the church today stand on the precipice of apostasy and atheism. Many are disillusioned by hypocrisy, greed, immorality, and doctrinal confusion among leaders. Others who profess Christianity live lives that bear no resemblance to authentic discipleship.
They are in church but not in Christ. They can organise but cannot agonise. They can pay for anything but cannot pray about anything. They can feast but cannot fast. They can sow for everything, but cannot grow for anything.
If the fathers do not rise to repair the broken walls of the gospel, this generation will plunge into brazen apostasy, and the influence of the church will be obliterated. Like a servant of God recently warned, Christianity in Nigeria may be extinct by the year 2030. If it vanished in Turkey to the least level of insignificance, Nigeria is not an exception, God is not a respecter of persons.
When the Fathers Carry Swords but the Children Do Not
“Now the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the Lord.” (1 Samuel 2:12)
“So it came about, on the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people… but they were found with Saul and Jonathan.” (1 Samuel 13:22)
What a tragedy. On the day of battle, the children had no swords. The sword represents the Word of God, sharp, undiluted truth. Today, many youths do not know what a sword is. They have never been trained in Scripture, prayer, holiness, or spiritual warfare. Instead of the world coming to the church for sharpening, the church now goes to the world. Culture is shaping Scripture instead of Scripture shaping culture.
Our children are going to the Philistines to sharpen their swords. Many are already singing the Lord’s song in a strange land.
The Dangers of Careless Living Among Church Leaders: Lessons from Pastors Whose Children Turned Away
Throughout history, the church has witnessed painful examples of great ministers whose children rejected the faith, not because the gospel failed, but because careless living, hypocrisy, or imbalance in ministry created wounds that never healed.
- William Franklin Graham Jr. (Billy Graham) – Franklin Graham’s Rebellion
Before becoming a global evangelist, Franklin Graham openly rebelled against Christianity. He later admitted that he rejected his father’s faith because he saw Christians who “talked the talk but didn’t walk the walk.” His rebellion illustrates how inconsistency among believers can push children away from God.
- Charles and Andy Stanley – A Painful Family Rift
Before becoming a pastor, Andy Stanley walked away from the church for a season, deeply wounded by the public moral failures and conflicts surrounding his father’s ministry.
This story highlights how church conflict, leadership scandals, and unresolved wounds can damage the next generation.
- John Piper – His Son Abraham Piper’s Public Atheism
Abraham Piper, son of the respected theologian John Piper, became a vocal atheist and critic of Christianity. His story reveals the danger of children growing up around deep theology but lacking personal encounters with Christ. May the Lord restore him to Christ.
- Paul and Jennifer Washer – Their Son’s Struggle
Paul Washer has openly shared that one of his children walked away from the faith for a season, despite being raised in a godly home. This underscores the truth that even the most faithful parents must fight for their children in prayer, discipleship, and example.
These stories are not for condemnation but for warning. They remind us that:
- Ministry without balance destroys families.
Hypocrisy kills faith in children.
- A leader’s private life shapes the spiritual destiny of their home.
- The next generation watches more than they listen.
When leaders fail to live what they preach, the children become angry, wounded, and spiritually confused.
The World Is Getting Hotter; The Church Is Getting Colder
The fathers are aging.
The children are aching.
The world is getting hotter.
God’s lovers are thinning out.
Post‑modernism, relativism, and cultural tolerance are replacing absolute truth. Society increasingly mirrors the Roman Empire, tolerant of all religions except Christianity.
Persecution is rising globally. The future of the African church rests in the hands of today’s youths. But will they carry swords? Will they sharpen their own blades? Will they stand for Christ in a hostile world?
The Urgent Need for Intercession, Discipleship, and Authentic Christianity
What does this generation know about:
Intercession?
Sanctification?
Discipleship?
Genuine repentance?
Compassion for the poor?
Faithfulness and self‑control?
The gifts and fruits of the Spirit?
Eternity and eternal rewards?
Evangelism?
The walls of the gospel are broken. The next generation stands on the edge of apostasy. We must call them back with surgical urgency.
The Power of Godly Mothers and Fathers
Susanna Wesley prayed for her children daily, birthing revival through intercession.
Morrow Graham shaped Billy Graham’s destiny.
Katharina Luther strengthened Martin Luther’s calling.
History shows that when God wants to renew a nation, He raises a blacksmith.
Jonathan Edwards was such a blacksmith. His sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” sparked the First Great Awakening. Today, as Dr David Jeremiah lamented, our generation has rewritten that message into “God in the hands of angry sinners.”
Who are these angry sinners? They are the angry generation the church is unconsciously raising.
A Warning to the Angry Youths
To the youths whose tongues are sharp against the fathers:
The causes of evil do not excuse the consequences of evil.
You may be angry, and rightly so, but you do not have the authority to judge your fathers. God does.
Like Samuel, you must rise above the failures of Eli.
Use the little light you have to spark a greater flame.
Every man must carry his own cross.
A day is coming when we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
Conclusion: The Call to Return to Truth
Let those who steal, steal no more.
Let hypocrisy cease.
Let leaders repent.
Let the church return to truth.
The next generation is going to war without swords.
If we do not live the truth, they will never catch the flame.
If we do not model righteousness, they will never walk in it.
“One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts.” (Psalm 145:4)
May God raise blacksmiths again.
May He restore the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the fathers.
May the church awaken before it is too late. God bless the Body of Christ.
Ayo Akerele is the senior pastor of Rhema Assembly and the founder of the Voice of the Watchmen Ministries in Ontario, Canada. He can be reached through [email protected]. You can connect with him on: YouTube: @VoiceoftheWatchmen, TikTok: @drayoakerele, Instagram: @drayoakerele, Facebook: @Ayo Akerele
