A new fashion trend may signal hidden strength in the next generation.

USA (MNN)–Some people say it’s the height of Christian cool–others say it shows a glaring generation gap.

It’s the new fashion trend in the marketplace: T-shirts with a sketch of Jesus, emblazoned with the phrase ‘Jesus is my homeboy’. More than likely, you’ll see a young person wearing it. The next question: trend or offend?

It’s a merge of pop-culture and faith. Global Advance’s David Shibley. “This generation is very visually oriented, and they have to have something visual that confirms or reiterates their faith. I believe that young people are searching for ‘handles’ for their faith.”

He points out that for many young people, they have a quick identification, but little in the way of grounded teaching, or the ‘why’ behind their beliefs. Their doctrine may be weak as well, which is where the older generations step in.

In fact, a partnership between the generations–one with the teaching, the other with the passion. Shibley says this has led to a great movement in short-term missions among young people.

He adds that this generation has been tested unlike older ones. “As far as U-S martyrs on U-S soil, so far, it has been young people. This, to me, signals that this is a very precious generation to God and a singled-out generation by God for some very important purpose in His heart, not only to their generation, but to the ends of the earth.”