What troubles young American adults is described as something big and serious, says Christian Smith in “Books and Culture,” a magazine published by Christianity Today article. His article is titledGetting a Life: The Challenge of Emerging Adulthood.
So many forces, not present in past generations, are buffeting and plaguing those in todays group ages 18 to 30. Theyve been played out in such popular sitcoms as
Beverly Hills 90210, Seinfeld, Dawsons Creek and Friends. Their characters deal with big doses of transience, confusion, anxiety, self-obsession, melodrama, conflict and disappointment, Smith notes. (www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2007/006/2.10.html)
He tells of a conference recently at the University of Southern California, led by two authors of a book Passing on Faith, who tested their books finding against more of in the age group. Young adulthood was characterized as a mysterious black hole in the life of the American church. Meanwhile, Jeffrey Arnett interviewed 100 emerging adults across the country and noted his most surprising finding about their beliefs is how little relationship there is between the religious training they received throughout childhood and the religious beliefs they hold at the time they reach emerging adulthood. Statistically, he found, there was no relationship between exposure to religious training in childhood and any aspect of their religious beliefs as emerging adults. However, there remains such a pattern with adolescents.
Evidently something changes between adolescence and emerging adulthood that dissolves the link between the religious beliefs of parents and the beliefs of their children, Arnett suggests. Smith says, even though Arnett did not do his research across America, his findings should make Christians sit up and notice.
He points to researcher Tom Smiths work On the Frontier of Adulthood that determined that young adults today go to church less, pray less and are less likely to believe the Bible is the Word of God. Moreover, they are less likely to be Protestant, more likely to identify with non-religious and have less confidence in organized religion than older adults. Oddly, its found that that group is more likely to believe in life after death than older generations.
Compared to the same age group surveyed in 1973, and repeated in 1985, todays 18-30 group are more distrustful of others, less likely to vote or read a newspaper. Theyre less likely to watch a lot of television, but more likely to be in a favor of making divorce harder, less in favor of legalizing marijuana, less in favor of teenagers having sex, more in favor of making pornography illegal to all, more likely to expect a world war, and more likely to answer dont know to survey questions.
Going to college seems especially like to kill regular church attendance for most, Smith asserted. Traditionally, they returned to church after marriage and family moved into their lives. But the gap between leaving home and settling down has grown typically to 15 or 20 years, putting distance to their church habits of youth. In that time, Smith said, these adults have formed their own assumptions, priorities and perspectives largely outside the church. So if they get back to church, they discover their motives, beliefs and orientations dont jibe with faithful, orthodox Christianity. Faith communities try to reinvent themselves to accommodate, attract and keep this niche group with limited results.
One of those assumptions is the notion of sex and relationship. Emerging adults regard cohabitation as an experiment with (allegedly) marriage-like relationships as normal and not promiscuity, Smith says. For many, marriage itself is seen as a distant event, to be postponed until all degrees are earned, identity and career issues are settled, and the biological clock starts clanging or ones girlfriend will not wait any longer and gives the ultimatum.
Its important reading. Smith, a professor of sociology and director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Society at the University of Notre Dame, says the debate can go on and on as whether emerging adults are a product of the larger world weve create or a reaction to it. Its complicated, and American Christianity so far, has not figured it out.
Thanks much for drawing attention to Chris Smith’s article. In fact, the article appeared in the magazine I edit, Books & Culture, which is one of a number of magazines published by Christianity Today International. It was not published in Christianity Today magazine. I would appreciate a correction. All best,
John Wilson, Editor
Books & Culture
This is no less evident here in Tempe at ASU. Most of the churches in the area are doing a very poor job of reaching out to the University. There is only one church that I know of that is effectively reaching the students. Praxis Church is about 3 years old and has already grown to be larger than 400 adults on Sundays, most of which are college students.