19 June 2018
Final Paper
For centuries, Christian teens have been taking after their parents, attending church, youth groups, and bible studies. The years in adolescence are a time for self-discovery and exploration of religious faith. Generation Z, the generation following millennials, has taken a new approach to religion, including a complete change in the practice of Christianity. Christian teens of Generation Z are attending church less, are less articulate in their faith, and share their beliefs with non-Christians less than previous teenage generations.
Comparatively, Christian teens attend church, and other Christian affiliated events, less than previous generations. According to the article “How Teenagers’ Faith Practices are changing,” published by the Barna group, Sunday school participation has dropped from 35% in 1997 to 30% in 2010. In addition, the typical practice of prayer has dropped from 81% to 71%. The Barna group hypothesizes that this could be due to the new era of technology. The multitude of connection and engagement with others offered on social networking sites such as Facebook and Snapchat highly diminishes the appeal of engagement within the church, or with God. Furthermore, today’s culture makes it difficult for many Christian teens to express their faith amongst their peers. There seem to be a large number of negative stigma regarding Christian beliefs, most often contradicting with the liberal beliefs of today’s youth. The lack of acceptance and understanding of Christianity and other religions makes it difficult for religious teens to fully embrace their faith.
Most teens who affiliate with Christianity are indifferent and inarticulate about their faith. Kendra Creasy Dean explains in her book, “Almost Christian,” that fewer than half of American Teenagers who identify as Christians, actually practice their faith. Dean interviewed a number of teens who do practice their faith, most often coming from Mormon or Evangelical churches. Of those teens, they seemed to all share common traits: a personal story about God, a deep connection to a faith community, and a sense of purpose and hope about their future. Despite these traits, Dean hypothesizes that “churches don’t give [teenagers] enough to be passionate about.” Teens want to be challenged and want their tough questions to be taken on. Unfortunately, the church is turning away from these difficult questions, failing to prepare teens for their adult lives. In result, Christian teens get bored, failing to see the purpose of faith. In addition, Generation Z is the first generation to have had access to the internet and technology throughout their lives. This has constructed common characteristics such as quick minds, and lack of patience. These characteristics produce a common lack of patience for faith. If they can’t see the benefits immediately, they stay away from it.
Christian teens practice evangelism with non-Christian teens less so than previous generations. In 1997 it was reported that 72% of born-again Protestant teens reported personal evangelism. In 2009, that number dropped to 53% (“How Teenagers’ Faith Practices are Changing”) According to these statistics, Christian Teens are engaging in minimal religious conversations with their peers. Many social factors can affect the amount of religious discussion amongst adolescents. For one, public schools (being a branch of the government) have created a strong divide between religion and education. In many history classrooms, teachers are very careful about what they teach and say about faith, going as far as to avoid religious topics even in historically religious topics of study. This creates an environment in which students do not feel comfortable discussing their religion with other students, therefore lowering the amount of Christian evangelism among adolescents.
Although the amount of traditional Christian practice has diminished throughout the generations, many Christian teens have continued practicing faith, but in a different manner. For example, Elizabeth Corrie is a Christian summer program director for high school juniors and seniors interested in receiving what she calls “Christian Training.” In addition to worshiping together, this group takes pilgrimages to various religious communities to participate in community projects. Corrie mentions that she sees “no shortage of teenagers who want to be inspired and make the world better. But the Christianity some are taught doesn’t inspire them to change anything that’s broken in the world.” Corrie’s approach to faith takes Christianity and integrates community and leadership, two things greatly valued by Generation Z. This allows teens to recognize the outward expression of Christianity, pushing them towards maintaining a religious lifestyle.
With a new age of technology and constant interaction, it can be difficult for teenagers to connect to their Christian faith. Many researchers and theologists hypothesis that sermons are not fully serving the curiosity of teenagers. In result, church attendance, articulation about faith, and discussions about faith with non-Christians have diminished greatly. Although many adults see this as a threat to Christianity, some have found a way to integrate faith in areas of their lives outside of the church. For teenagers, Community service projects and pilgrimages have proved to be beneficial in connecting Christian beliefs with the world around them. As Christianity, and our world grows and changes, generations, like Generation Z, will find their own way to make a difference and keep their faith alive.