According to the California Teachers' Association Web site, Generation Z is the generation that "while they may be named for the last letter of the alphabet, they'll soon be at the forefront of solving the worst environmental, social and economic problems in history." This generation, born in the mid 90s, are current middle and high school students. They are supposed to be the ones who fix all our problems. This is the generation that will recognize the damage we have done to the planet and to each other and rise up to fix it. This is a perspective by many secular leaders and is a calling that Christian and non-Christian kids are trying to live up to. With social action being all the rage right now, the church has been able to find common purpose with our culture to expand God's Kingdom.

Is social action and world change really the goal of the youth worker? Is mobilizing an army of young people to enact lasting social change what we are called to do?

Justice is part of the calling of all Christians. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, we get the picture that a true and whole faith cannot escape the call for God's people to live into their faith and be about God's heart for our broken world. In the Book of Micah, when God's people had all their great religious practices, the prophet made it very clear the application of their faith was in doing justice, loving mercy and walking humbly with God. We cannot love God on one hand and stand by while the poor are being oppressed. James says a similar thing in his book as he declared faith without works is dead. Our faith shows itself in the way we live. True religion is caring for the needs of others (i.e., widows and orphans).

It is encouraging to see our culture have a heightened awareness and call for justice. To move past compassion ministries and work toward fixing the systems that keep people in systemic poverty is a mighty task. This is also one of the tasks of the church. Christians in power must use their power to stand up for those without it. This desire for justice is also the desire of our culture. Civil rights, workers' rights, going green, fair trade—these are cultural desires that are good and easily can be partnered with because they reflect the heart of God.

The problem with calling students to social action and justice ministry is that these terms are too vague and tend to be just a feel-good sport dealing with ideas and concepts that have no real touch points for them. In our area, students love wearing Toms shoes, drinking fair trade coffee, drinking Ethos water, boycotting Wal-Mart and shopping at American Apparel. These are the markers of students who "care" and who are "making a difference." In many cases, these are token gestures that carry zero weight in other areas of their lives. This is because justice and lasting social change is a job for people with power. Students have no real power to stop hunger, make fair trade happen or stand up for homeless rights or against racial discrimination. Only those with real power can transform unjust systems, not students with too much disposable income.