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Two years ago, the evangelical world eagerly awaited the release of what was being lauded as "the greatest evangelistic tool of our time." The anticipation built as a brilliant marketing campaign invited pastors and church leaders to pre-screen Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ movie, and its trailer spread virally online. The supposed anti-Semitism controversy notwithstanding, evangelicals and Catholics worldwide pre-purchased tickets for opening night.

It's all about relationships. So said fifty youth workers from around the country who convened at the National Leadership Forum in New York City last month to explore why evangelical Christianity is increasingly irrelevant to urban youth culture.

Teens don't just think we're out of touch and condescending (although those are very real issues). They don't just find us corny or passé, with music, movies, and literature that lack production value (more real issues). More fundamentally, they've concluded that we simply don't care, at least not enough to meet them on their terms.