Youth and Religion

Neal, here's an interesting article I came across. It confirms somewhat how younger people do still have many questions.

Chris

http://www1.nytimes.com/2007/05/02/education/02spirituality.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

Hey Chris,

You sent me this article awhile back on Youth and Religion on college campuses, and I just had a chance to read it today. I think it falls into the first of two categories of studies/articles I've seen a lot lately:


 * 1) Increased interest in spirituality
 * 2) Decreased participation in religious institutions.

I was pleasantly surprised that the article mentioned "Presbyterian" student ministries at Harvard a few times. The statistics for the Presbyterian church (nationwide worship attendance, church closures, church planting) are pretty bleak, and point to a dying denomination. So anytime light appears at the end of the tunnel (or in the NY Times) it's cause for hope.

I think that a lot of college students today (and I'm about to be one, again) are very interested in God and spirituality, but not so much in religious institutions. Even McAllister acknowledges this in the MP3's you sent me (more on that in the next email), but although he and I agree on the diagnosis, I'm not so sure our proposed remedies are the same.

Consider this: College is a very open place, where beliefs and personalities are being continually stretched, transformed, and challenged. Discussion and debate abound, and multiple conflicting viewpoints are the norm. This is the environment emerging generations prefer when exploring faith and values. And so explore, they do. With great interest, as the article points out.

Then consider what happens when they graduate, and begin attending a church: Often, especially if it's a large evangelical church (although small churches and Presbyterian churches are not immune to this), they are told "Here is what we believe.  Period.  (usually in about 10 bulleted statements).  If you want to be a member, you must believe this, too.  These are the "non-negotiables."  Whether or not this is stated directly or only implied, it's the message that seems to get conveyed, at least to so many of my own personal friends who have abandoned church altogether after an experience like this.

I really believe that if church were seen not so much as a "place where you come to get answers" but rather a safe place where we can all come to ask questions together, and where a diversity of viewpoints can co-exist, we'd be experiencing the same resurgence in spiritual interest that the colleges are seeing.

If we don't, however, I think young people will still turn somewhere to fill the God-shaped hole in their lives...

Just some thoughts. As always, take with a grain of salt--I may disagree with myself tomorrow! :-)

Hey Neal, thanks for responding so quickly. I got busy there last week and was kind of missing our conversations. I really hope we get to meet one day.

You sent me this article awhile back on Youth and Religion on college campuses, and I just had a chance to read it today. I think it falls into the first of two categories of studies/articles I've seen a lot lately:

It's funny, I think what you say here about the PC being a dying denomination could be true. But I ask myself why and I somehow come to a different conclusion. Not all churches and denominations are dying. It seems pretty much just the mainline protestant ones are. I know you've expressed some problems with the non-denominational and evangelical churches, but it appears quite the opposite with them, as far as growth. So what's the difference? Are people in those churches less thoughtful because they want to be told what to believe? Is it just a security thing for them? When I hear people like Ravi and McAllister and McLaren and you, I say to myself, yes there are thinking Christians out there. So again, what's the difference? The best I can tell is the mainline protestant churches have discarded or abandoned the idea of objective truth and the others, the growing churches, have not. The mainlines may say in their constitutions that they hold to basic truths, but in practice they really do not. People pick up on this and I think it just winds up looking like hypocrisy or another club to join. Many, granted not all, people still come to church looking for answers. I think people naturally look for grounding in a world that's so ungrounded.

I think that a lot of college students today (and I'm about to be one, again) are very interested in God and spirituality, but not so much in religious institutions. Even McAllister acknowledges this in the MP3's you sent me (more on that in the next email), but although he and I agree on the diagnosis, I'm not so sure our proposed remedies are the same.

Can't wait to hear it.

I personally couldn't care less about institutions. Where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name... Consider this: College is a very open place, where beliefs and personalities are being continually stretched, transformed, and challenged. Discussion and debate abound, and multiple conflicting viewpoints are the norm. This is the environment emerging generations prefer when exploring faith and values. And so explore, they do. With great interest, as the article points out.

Then consider what happens when they graduate, and begin attending a church: Often, especially if it's a large evangelical church (although small churches and Presbyterian churches are not immune to this), they are told "Here is what we believe.  Period.  (usually in about 10 bulleted statements).  If you want to be a member, you must believe this, too.  These are the "non-negotiables."  Whether or not this is stated directly or only implied, it's the message that seems to get conveyed, at least to so many of my own personal friends who have abandoned church altogether after an experience like this.

I don't disagree with what you're saying here. I really wish sometimes that these churches would just chuck those bullet points. I don't recall Jesus presenting a grocery list of criteria required upon acceptance. And yes that transitional period is a struggle, what with thinking about kids, job, work, as well as your own understanding of God. I really believe that if church were seen not so much as a "place where you come to get answers" but rather a safe place where we can all come to ask questions together,

But, it seems to me a question begs an answer. If we're all just asking questions it seems as though it would feel a bit like a whole lotta' people in a boat with no oars. You can't get anywhere, because there's no destination. And you'd better like the people 'cause you're stuck.

and where a diversity of viewpoints can co-exist, we'd be experiencing the same resurgence in spiritual interest that the colleges are seeing.

This place already exists and has existed for a long time. It's called the Unitarian church. I got married in a Unitarian church. We took classes like "Building your own theology." We could settle things a lot quicker if we just either put up signs that said "Unitarian" on all PC buildings, or just adopted their credos. Unitarians are very happy and comfortable too in their uncertainty and endless questioning, and you really couldn't call them Christian. I'm sounding a bit sarcastic now I know. I think at that point in my life I may have been a bit more post-modern and the Unitarian thing was probably not all that bad a thing for me, so it served a purpose. But is that what the EC is destined to be? A stop-off, or pit stop till you've grown and moved on? For me the difference was I wasn't satisfied with just my questions. I was drawn to the truth. And I still am. Although I do have problems with the church I'm currently attending I'm grateful for one thing, and I think it's a good thing to preserve. I'm grateful that because I have questions about some things, and may not have a full understanding about a particular article of faith, I've never felt pounced upon because of it. People there do sense that we are at different places in our walk with God and so I try to remember that fact and it tempers my stridency when I go to share the "truth."

If we don't, however, I think young people will still turn somewhere to fill the God-shaped hole in their lives...Just some thoughts. As always, take with a grain of salt--I may disagree with myself tomorrow! :-)

Love your thoughts Neal.

In a previous email you shared with me a line from a favorite movie of yours, now let me return the favor.

A movie that I put in my top 5 of all time is "Contact" with Jodie Foster and Matt McConaughy. I'm sure you've seen it. I love the tension between him, the clergyman, and her the rational scientist. I love the part in the movie where she kind of chides him on several occasions for believing in something that can't be proven. At one point in frustration he asks her if she loved her dead father. She looks at him puzzled and says, "yes." After which he responds, "prove it." She can't because she's trapped by the very criteria she imposes on him. At another point in the movie she goes through a wormhole into deep space, but after returning discovers that all the instruments she had to record her trip didn't work and so had no proof. When grilled by the government, the press, and everyone to prove that she had actually been on this fantastic journey, she had to admit that she couldn't prove it, but knew that it was real. She had to come to terms with the fact that there are things that you just can't prove to everyones satisfaction. But that's OK. But the best part of all was when he, the clergyman, states to the inquiring paparazzi at the end of the movie that even though their conclusions may be different, that their goal was one and the same. That being "the pursuit of the truth." This movie spoke to me on so many levels I need to tell you about it. But not now. Another time.

Take your time in responding. No hurry. Your brother from another mother, Chris ;-)