I personally believe that the messages of Christianity are at the same time very fundamentally simple / straightforward AND profoundly sophisticated and complex. To me, they are both very important, and both need to be embraced. I think we sometimes tend to ignore the mystery and discovery aspects of trying to find God in our lives, and I think that when we try to put God in a box we take away some of what would get young people excited about Christianity. I’m not sure I said that very well, and I don’t want to offend anyone. Just my two cents.
I think you said it very well. And, no offense taken. But, you bring up a good question...if the "...messages of Christianity are at the same time very fundamentally simple and profoundly sophisticated and complex." what are those messages?
I think what you wrote is quite correct.
Christianity can be as simple as “believe and receive” and it needs to be in the beginning. But Christianity is also a relationship that takes decades to build upon and also one where you need to see God’s handiwork in your disappointments and failures as much as your victories. That’s very nuanced stuff, particularly for those who haven’t take the first steps.
What youth want more than anything from church leaders is authenticity. Be able to admit what you don’t know and say that some Scriptures can be seen in more than one way but that the Author is always correct and we must accept His guidance even when the world thinks differently.