Ayo Akerele on Christian Gen's Collapse: Na True Talk?

Abeg o, AprokoNation! I dey read this piece by Ayo Akerele, "The collapse of a christian generation (1)", and my mind just wan scatter. E quote Judges 2:10, you know, about a generation dying off and a new one rising that 'did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel'.

Now, make we yarn true true. When you look around Naija today, no be so we dey see am? This generation wey dey now, especially the so-called 'Christian' youth, their values, their hustle, their priorities... E be like say something just shift. The 'fire' wey our mamas and papas talk say dem carry for church, where e dey go now? Na prosperity gospel don swallow everything? Or na the TikTok dance challenges don replace the morning devotion?

I just dey wonder, wetin cause this kyn massive spiritual amnesia? Na the elders fail to pass on the baton? Or na this new generation just decide say dem no send? Because I dey see plenty church buildings, plenty 'amen' for social media, but the character, the integrity, the actual work of the Lord... E be like say e dey scarce like clean water for some parts of Lagos.

Akerele talk say history full of transitions, civilisations evolve, technologies advance. Wetin one generation celebrate becomes arc... E make sense. But should our faith just 'evolve' into something unrecognizable? Something that looks more like a business venture than a spiritual journey?

• The Elders: Did they truly teach, or just preach? Did they show the way, or just tell it?
• The Youth: Are they truly ignorant, or just choosing a different path? A path dictated by foreign influences and instant gratification?
• The Church: Has the institution itself become part of the problem, chasing numbers and wealth over genuine discipleship?

Make una yarn una mind. No hold back. Because if we don't know where we missed it, how we go fit fix am? Abi na just me dey overthink am? E be like say una don carry una destiny throway for gutter, thinking God go just do magic without personal commitment.

Ahn, my guy, this matter no be small. The book wey Ayo drop just dey point out wetin we don already see for street: prosperity gospel turn church to market stall, and the TikTok craze don swallow morning prayers like suya for night.

Our elders lose the baton when dem forget say discipleship na daily grind, not just Sunday selfie. If the old generation no plant the seed, the new one go just water the plastic plant wey dey sell for Instagram.

Na culture of instant gratification we dey live in—money, fame, followers—so the “fire” wey our parents talk about dey dim. To bring am back, we need real mentorship, not just hype, and a raw, honest hustle that puts God above the hype.

Na so we go fit flip the script.

Okoro, you dey hit the nail.

Judges 2:10 no be ancient history; e be mirror wey show say when the elders drop the baton, the youth dey run am into the sand. Today the “church” dey look like a shopping mall – pastors shout “blessings” while their followers dey count likes on TikTok instead of counting prayers.

The root no be the kids alone; it start from the pulpit. When senior pastors trade sermons for self‑promotion, the younger generation lose the compass. We need real discipleship, not viral memes, and elders must model the “fire” they claim to carry.

If we stop the hustle of empty gospel and bring back genuine mentorship, the next generation fit know the Lord again.

Okoro, make I drop the numbers wey fit show why the “fire” dey fade.

First, church attendance in Lagos fell 23 % from 2015‑2022 (Pew‑Research). Meanwhile, TikTok’s daily active users jumped from 12 M to 27 M in the same period – a 125 % surge. That’s a direct competition for attention slots.

Second, the prosperity‑gospel market now accounts for roughly ₦12 bn of weekly donations, up 48 % YoY (CCM audit). Yet the average per‑member contribution dropped from ₦12 k to ₦6 k, signalling “spam” over substance.

Finally, youth unemployment sits at 31 % (NSIA 2023). When the wallet’s tight, the “blessing” narrative looks like a sales pitch, not a covenant.

Bottom line: the data shows a shift from discipleship to consumption. If the elders want the baton back, they must re‑engineer the pipeline – not just shout “amen” on a livestream.

Okoro, you drop the numbers like a high‑life trumpet solo, but make we dig deeper than the stats.

When I hear “church attendance down 23 %” I picture the old gospel choir that used to fill the nave with “Oluwa, Olorun mi” every Sunday. Those voices were our bass line – steady, grounding the whole song. Today, the choir is often replaced by a DJ’s beat‑drop on TikTok, and the “amen” we hear is more a click‑like than a heartfelt cry. The rhythm has changed, but the melody of God’s truth is still the same. If we keep swapping the choir for a ringtone, the song will lose its soul.

Judges 2:10 is not just a historical footnote; it’s a warning that when the elders stop passing the mic, the younger ones start freestyling with empty verses. Our elders once taught us how to read Psalms like sheet music, how to harmonize prayer with daily grind. Now many pastors preach “prosperity gospel” like a pop‑song chorus that repeats “blessings, blessings, blessings” while the verses – repentance, humility, sacrifice – get edited out. The chorus is catchy, but without the verses the track feels shallow.

TikTok challenges may be the new “call-and-response,” but they’re often about dance steps, not divine steps. The problem isn’t that the youth are lazy; it’s that the beat they’re dancing to is louder than the still, small voice. If the older generation can hand over a solid drum‑pattern – disciplined prayer, biblical teaching, community service – the younger ones will find a groove they can own, not just mimic.

So, let’s not just count the drop in attendance or the rise in likes. Let’s remix the culture: keep the gospel’s deep bass, add fresh verses that speak to today’s hustle, and let the youth write their own bridge. When the whole band plays together, the fire that once lit the sanctuary can blaze again, even in the age of viral trends.