The claim that absolute truths are at the core of Christianity is viewed with increasing skepticism. It takes much longer to build confidence in people, and longer for them to become fully grounded in the truths of salvation. We cannot presume a base of generally agreed upon truths. Though most people in Canada say they believe in God, and a surprisingly high percentage say they have faith in the Christian message, many have little to undergird those professed beliefs. Even a rudimentary knowledge of the Bible is missing, as we have a generation that, unlike the previous generation, had little religious teaching growing up.
People are skeptical of organized religion and they mistrust religious leaders.
On the other hand, people have a real spiritual hunger. Youths seem to have an openness to spiritual answers much greater than even a decade ago. A church congregation that is genuine in its Christianity, offers a loving, caring community and exhibits patience and tolerance over things that aren't sin, can do much to reach this sort of society with the life-giving gospel. The key word seems to be authenticity. People will respond when they see a genuine faith, reflected in a humble, caring heart.