Young People Seek Rootedness

In this episode of The GenSend Podcast, Shane Pruitt, Paul Worcester, and Lacey Villasenor welcome Trevin Wax, NAMB Vice President and visiting professor at Cedarville University, to discuss the shift of young people flocking to Catholic Mass and Eastern Orthodox liturgy. Discover what’s driving this move; why “otherworldliness,” not aesthetics, is the real draw; and how youth and collegiate leaders can respond with conviction instead of panic. 

Whether your students are asking questions about the Reformation, drifting toward TikTok theology, or longing for a worship experience that doesn’t feel like the rest of their week, this conversation gives you the historical grounding and practical language to shepherd them well.

Also in This Episode: 

• Understand the real data behind the “rise of Catholicism” narrative and why the numbers tell a more nuanced story than the headlines 
• Learn two core theological differences to clearly and charitably explain evangelical convictions to curious students 
• Get vetted apologetics resources to hand off to students without becoming a full-time Catholic/Orthodox debate expert yourself 
• Walk away with a working definition of “liturgy” that applies to every church—contemporary or traditional—and tools to be more intentional about your own 
• Hear how to disciple the mid-to-late 20s age gap that’s most drawn to higher liturgical traditions and celebrity-culture rejection 

Helpful Resources: 

• Gavin Ortlund’s Christian Apologetics on YouTube 
• Talking with Catholics about the Gospel: A Guide for Evangelicals by Christopher A. Castaldo 
• Roman Catholic Theology and Practice: An Evangelical Assessment by Gregg Allison 
• 40 Questions About Roman Catholicism by Gregg Allison 
• “Churchiness Is Back” by Trevin Wax  
• The Lord Is My Light by Trevin Wax 
• The Gospel Way Catechism: 50 Truths That Take on the World by Trevin Wax 
• GenSend on Instagram and YouTube 

★ Find more resources to lead the next generation on mission at 
https://GenSend.org 

★ Subscribe to The GenSend Podcast on your favorite podcast platform 
 
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Shareable Quotes: 
 
“Every church is liturgical; everyone's got an order of worship.” 
—Trevin Wax 
 
“The 20-year-old on TikTok did not figure out something that 2,000 years of church fathers said otherwise.” 
—Shane Pruitt  
 
“The average student is going to go with whoever gets to him first.” 
—Paul Worcester  

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