It also concerns non-material aspects of life such as language, values and world-view.

The importance of understanding culture is reflected in the amount invested by advertising companies in culture research in order to find out what is missing in the culture and more importantly to market their goods so that they are acceptable in within the particular culture.  The Times Research Foundation (India) invested Indian Rupees 50 lakhs on a  “360 degree below-the-skin” nationwide research of teens.  The results are available to those who are willing and able to pay Rupees 3-5 lakhs to acquire it.

However Christians, understanding culture is much more significant than to provide a marketing context. It is a means of defining a context and framework for living and communications.  Culture is significant too in that it offers answers, provides meaning to “life questions” and moulds world-views, values and behaviour.

One popular division of youth generations is that of “Gen X” and “Gen Y”. While this may have originated in North America the term “Gen X” is popularly, though not universally used in India as well. It refers to those born between, 1961 and 1981.

This generation will now be between 25 and 45 years.  The culture of this generation is different from that of the present youth culture.  A glimpse at the culture of this generation will help us see the shift in the culture of the next. It is thought that this generation was fun loving but also pursued other things, and seemed to hold a balance between pleasure and other pursuits.  They sought to be autonomous with a focus on results; they were pragmatic and loyal to their leaders.  

Generations do not seems to have clear bold lines drawn between the cultures they create, rather one generation emerges out of the other forming a mesh.  So from the culture that “Gen X” created came “Gen Y’s” culture.  Gen Ys are those born between, 1980 – 2000, who are now below 25 years. It is said that Gen Y is the largest generation.

They are the first to grow up exclusively in a digital age and are globally orientated.  They seem to take on the responsibility to equip themselves with various skills and training. What constituted a normal family has been different for this generation and they live in a world of constant and turbulent change.

For these young people fun is their hallmark, they want to be “in” and “cool”.  They find structures difficult; they prefer to be fluid, mobile and connected. They are dynamic, creative and very capable. Mega events grab them, they like things big.  They seem to have a fascination for the body, which is seen by “body art”: tattoos, body piercing, fashion and designer wear clothing.

It is also a mix and match culture for youth, whether it is clothing, food, values, life-style or religion.  This “mix n match” frame of mind is carried into religious experiences as well, for absolutes do not matter any more.

 In the last couple of decades, shopping malls have mushroomed in South Asian metro cities resulting in changes in shopping styles and attitudes for urban middle classes.  These changes are seen in a shift from committed buying to window shopping, test driving a vehicle or several of them before deciding, checking out brands, prices and performance, even reading reviews before deciding.  This has a bearing on the patterns of decision-making, whether it is purchase of goods, formation of worldview or response to the Gospel.

For the middle classes, larger bank accounts and availability of loans have resulted in larger houses, bigger cars, better amenities and commodities.  And as Zwingle points out, “Goods move.  People move.  Ideas move.  And cultures change.  The difference now is the speed and scope of these changes.  It took television 13 years to acquire 50 million users; the Internet took only five.”  Zwingle (1999: 12)

Globalisation has given us a culture with many options, whether of TV channels, multiplexes, or Brand names.  We have a wide range of food, fun and fitness.  There is also a choice of religious or spiritual experiences and alternate healing like Yoga, Art of Living, Reiki, Acupuncture, etc.  We must also note the large number of educational programmes, courses, and skill training.

Music changes rapidly, and is seen as well as heard, reinforcing the message of the lyrics.  Movies have the added dimension of mystic and magic.  In addition, into the real world the virtual has come to stay.

These cultural changes as characteristics of globalisation have brought about shifts in two main areas:

Increased knowledge and its easy availability have changed perceptions leading to high expectations from people and programmes. 

We observe changes of attitudes especially in work cultures. Preferences have shifted from government jobs to multinational companies and private sectors, from “professional” jobs like doctors and engineers to media, home and fashion designing modelling etc.  Jobs are no longer nine to five (9 - 2 -5), but anytime to anytime.

Out sourcing of business has allured many young people to call centres, and part-time jobs. Business Process Outsourcing (BPOs), part-time jobs, extra and evening courses, pubs to chill out at, has all resulted in evenings that go into the night and nights into day. 

These factors have also introduced a culture of short-term commitments to jobs.  They are often looking to make vertical and lateral changes, grow, and above all make more money.

These changes in work culture for young people, along with other factors, also increases levels and experience of stress. Such increase in stress levels is in turn an important factor in the significant increase in high suicide rates and other health and relational problems. 

A post-modern worldview underlies the values and morality of many those youth who influenced by or belong to the global youth culture of today.  In this worldview truth and morality are no longer rational, absolute and universal but experiential, relative and “Glo-cal” – both global and local in expression. Biblical morality and the truth of the Gospel are unacceptable, and considered prude and bigoted and this is reinforced by a reaction to growing religious fundamentalism.

Therefore, in regards to morality, whether, it is in the area of drugs, sex or social rules and behaviour the attitudes are non-judgmental and left to the individual.  However morality is not absent – the greatest immorality or sin is seen as inflicting injury or hurt of any kind, whether physical, emotional, sexual etc.

We see global culture reflected in the church in many ways. Here are just two of them:
“Mac Worship”
It is amazing how Christians sing the same choruses all over the world but in the same style. It is often either the “Vineyard” from America or “Hillsong” from Australia type of music. These are not wrong in themselves. . However, when “Worship” is considered good only when the singing has been with real gusto and accompanied by drums and other loud instruments, then we are missing a whole range of other forms, styles or liturgy in worship.

Swaying of the body, swinging of hands, tapping of feet and choreographies, are perhaps a reflection of the new interest in the body, and also of the post-modern validation of emotions and experience - worship is not just an activity or expression of the mind, but the heart and feeling as well.

Short-term Missionary Commitments
There seem to be fewer young people willing to commit themselves to long-term missionary service. Within a year or two many desire a change, wish to move on and try out new openings. 

In some places, the church has whole-heartedly welcomed these changes, in other places it has sought to understand and accommodate, and in yet others it seems to have condemned and criticized.  But, most often church generally has been slow to recognize the changes taking place.