Following Christ Faithfully: Unexpected Insights from PsychologyWeek 2Passing the Torch:Challenges in Reaching the Millennial Generation

Today’s Plan• Consider the profile of

today’s teens and emerging adults regarding faith

• Look at the role of socialization in the process

• Consider ways we might reach them more in accordance with the Bible

Key Terms• Socialization

▫ Process by which a culture encourages individuals to accept normative and expected values E.g., public schools implicitly

teach NOT to speak of religion at all and to tolerate a range of positions

▫ Key for Christians is issue of competing cultures – thus often “create own” in Christian school Though often this not too

different in important ways than the culture.

• Internalization▫ Process by which an

individual transforms a formerly externally prescribed regulation into an internal ones

▫ Stated simply, it is the process of “owning” the faith one is taught as a child

▫ Key process in adolescence and young adulthood

KEY POINT• “Study after study has shown the importance

of the socialization process in determining people’s present religious beliefs.” (Spilka et al., 2003, p. 106)

• Proverbs 22:6. “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

• That is…it matters greatly how we train our children in the faith if we aspire to their faithfully following Christ as adults

• So, how are we doing???

Some Important Stats• For teens, 13-17 years

▫ 82% see faith as somewhat or very important

▫ Only 18% see it as not very important

▫ 49% see it as important in shaping decisions

▫ 42% of U.S. 14 yo’s in a religious group Highest of 28 countries

surveyed

• College students▫ 58% see “integrating

spirituality” into life as important

▫ 77% pray at times▫ See selves as highly

religious 37% of women 25% of men

▫ Seniors in college who see religion as important 47% of African

Americans 27% of Hispanics 21% of Caucasians

Remember Last week?

•Over half of American adolescents see themselves as spiritual but not religious

•Compare▫Indonesia (mostly Muslim) 100% see

religion as important▫Philippines (mix of religions) 87%▫Nigeria 93%

More Teen Stats• Of Protestant teens

▫ 33% believe in reincarnation

▫ 31% believe in communication with the dead

▫ 21% believe in psychics• Only a small % of

American teens believe there is one true religion

Role of Schools?• Research suggests that

going to a Christian elementary and/or secondary school does not change likelihood of persevering in the faith▫ That is, above the

influence of a Christian home

• While as noted earlier, public education trains one to keep religious beliefs private and not talk about them

• College▫ Stresses cultural relativism

and religious tolerance so may be negative for faith

▫ During college years, little change in the highly religious and the unreligious

▫ But those in the middle, the somewhat religious, become less so

▫ Tensions of being Christian: conflict with Dating scripts

(expectations of sex) Modest attire

Why the Doubts?• Association of religion with

intolerance• Reaction against religious

pressure tactics• Association of religion with

negative human qualities• Toxins in the church:

▫ Unhealthy teaching▫ An “in group” that shows

lack of love for others• KEY to success:

▫ Reaching out beyond the youth group to larger circles of people

Who Reaches Kids Best????

•The Mormons!!!!▫Most likely group for kids to keep faith of

parents•Why?

▫Very deliberate in teaching the doctrines of their faith Even 1 hour of “seminary” in AM every day

prior to school▫Specific subculture▫Required service

Parent-Child Agreement Studies• More agreement here than many other areas• Stronger relationship when families endorse a

specific creed (thus Mormon success with kids)▫ What does this say to our “just give me Jesus”

approach?• Mothers may be more influential

▫ Especially since in Western cultures women are more religious than men!

• Keys▫ Quality, warm relationships▫ Communication and emotional support▫ Parental harmony on religion▫ Modeling of faith (and other role models in the church)▫ Service to others▫ Speaking of faith regularly in the home

Soul Searching…Christian Smith

“Moralistic Therapeutic Deism”

•Teens believe, but not well-thought out ▫Nor discussed with friends▫Merit of religion is helping self and others

more than oriented toward God “Religion actually appears to operate much

more as a taken-for-granted aspect of life, mostly situated in the background of everyday living, which becomes salient only under very specific conditions” (p. 130)

Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, cont.

• Inarticulate faith▫ “Many teenagers know abundant details about the lives

of favorite musicians and television stars or about what it takes to get into a good college, but are not very clear on who Moses and Jesus were” (p. 134)

▫ E.g. one girl said faith was very important but had nothing to do with relationships, dating, school work, or any aspect of ordinary life

▫ Quite inexperienced in actually discussing faith• Being “too religious” is also seen as bad• Individualistic: key is not judging others

Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, Cont.

• Teens have instrumental view of religion “Most instinctively suppose that religion exists to help

individuals be and do what they want, and not as an external tradition or authority or divinity that makes compelling claims and demands in their lives, especially to change or grow in ways they may not immediately want to…”

▫ For many teenagers, God is treated as something like a cosmic therapist or counselor.” (p. 147-8; italics added)

▫ Thus, don’t hurt self or others is the morality▫ And don’t devote your life to a religious cause▫ More for you than in service of a God who IS▫ So 22% drop in church attendance though claim faith is

still important▫ Rarely did teens see God as someone who call them

(Quote, p. 149)

Summary of the MTD “Faith”• God exists and

created and orders the world, watching over life (like Deism)

• God wants people to be good and fair (moralistic)

• The central goal of life is to be happy and feel good about oneself

• God doesn’t need to be involved in life except when a problem arises

• Good people go to heaven when they die

• Thus, religion is therapy to help one feel good, happy, secure, and at peace, make possible by a God who is just there for emergencies

• How does this challenge the message we send??

Groups of Emerging Adults (Smith and Denton, “Soul Searching”• Committed traditionalists

▫ 15%▫ Strong beliefs and practice▫ Can articulate faith

• Selective adherents▫ 30%▫ Pick and choose from faith▫ Toss ideas they think

irrelevant• Spiritually open

▫ 15%▫ No personal commitment

though open to some ideas▫ May be spiritual but not

religious

• Religiously indifferent▫ 25%▫ Most profess religion but

don’t practice it and don’t care that they don’t

▫ “It just doesn’t matter much”• Religiously disconnected

▫ 5%▫ Little or no exposure to

religion as grew up• Irreligious

▫ 10%▫ Skeptical▫ Argue against religion▫ May be angry at religion

And the Bible???• “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our

God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9 ESV)

Implications for Us• As parents

▫ Take Deuteronomy 6 very seriously and intentionally teach our children Yes, of God’s love and

compassion But also of sin And moral expectations And how we are to live

positively for Him▫ Live the faith▫ Get kids out to serve

others▫ Talk about faith day by day

• As a church▫ Incorporating children

more into the life of the church

▫ I have argued elsewhere that children should be in worship

▫ Finding places in worship for them to participate

▫ Praying for covenant children

▫ Supporting families

Youth and college ministry

▫Vision MUST be more than to entertain and please them

▫Relationships key E.g. Pray for Me is great, but even better if time spend

with the ones who pray▫Service activities outside of regular meetings▫Serving other groups in the church … especially

across generations!!▫Teach doctrine▫Teach moral expectations

Do’s AND don’ts▫Create a counterculture to the world around us

Rather than trying to entice by looking like the world