J I a s n s 2 u u newsletter 0 e a 1

a 5 8 r 5 Youth Culture y Youth and Church The Rise of the “Nones” Interesting Statistics When Kairos talks about youth There have been numerous articles written about the rapid The United States has been a it typically has in mind those increase of the number of Americans who no longer identify remarkably stable religious aged thirteen to about thirty. themselves in connection with a church. When asked for their culture. One sign of this The age “youth” begins is religious background instead of saying Catholic, or Baptist, or stability is the percentage of much easier to define than the even Christian, they answer “none.” those employed as full time The church I don’t attend end partly due to the onset of The percentage who say they seldom clergy. puberty. The beginning of or never attend religious services is Since 1840 the percentage has “youth” also is marked in most stable at 40%, but within that 40% there hardly fluctuated. The low was cultures by finishing primary has been an increase in those who 10.5% in 1940. The high was school. claimed no religious background. That 13.7% in 1990. The consistent When “youth” ends is not number nearly doubled in just five rate was about 12%. The stable demand for clergy is tied to a nearly so defined. The brain years. Many articles then concluded finishes growing at about 21. stable weekly church that the percentage of atheists and attendance rate of about 40%. Full-time education may end agnostics is rising rapidly. (It isn’t. anywhere from 16 to 26 or Those numbers remain at about 6% Latinos represent 12% of U.S. later. The other markers such Catholics aged 70 and older. as the start of a career, when combined.) What is actually happening is that non-church-goers simply are no longer They account for 45% of all financial independence, Catholics ages 18-29. marriage, and having children identifying which church it is that they don’t attend! vary from person to person. All Among all non- Roughly 10% of all Americans are of them factor into departing church-goers it is former Catholics. youth and being established as almost only Four percent of Americans say an adult. political liberals they had no religious upbringing This issue looks at several who are claiming but now identify themselves as questions regarding youth to be “nones .” some type of Christian. and church attendance: the Conservatives still Jehovah's Witnesses have the amazing stability of some tend to claim a numbers, the wild drop-off in lowest retention rate of any religious others, and what is behind religious tradition in America at those realities. background. 37%. Take Me to Church Leaving Church Do Babies Bring Them Back to Church? Youth media seldom is positive In its report, Six Reasons Young Do young couples come back to church when they have a baby? toward the church. It mainly Christians Are Leaving the Church , Many of their parents and church leaders hope that they will. ignores the church or is negative the Barna Research Group examines What the Barna Research Group has found is: youth who were regular church- toward it. Take Me to Church, by ●Having a child made no difference in church attendance for goers during their teen years. the singer-songwriter Andrew 50% of parents. Hozier, is the current number reasons that 70% of them no longer ●For 20%, it made two song in the USA. The lyrics attend church in their mid-twenties. are confusing, with multiple them become more levels of meaning, but the song active. is, without doubt, anti-church. ● Having a child The video is even more so. helped 17% of Every Sunday's getting more bleak parents reconnect a fresh poison each week. with church after a Hozier told Billboard magazine: long period of not “Growing up in Ireland, the attending. church is always there – the The report notes no single ● For 5%, having a hypocrisy, the political overarching reason but lists several child helped them cowardice. The video has the cited by 25%-33% of the respondents. become active in a same theme – an organization The reasons are not surprising: church for the first that undermines humanity.” church is boring, the church is time. Take me to church. I'll worship like intolerant, or anti-science. It notes ● However for 4% it a dog at the shrine of your lies. that many young believers find it led to less activity. I'll tell you my sins and you can difficult to live up to the church's sharpen your knife.. (These were mostly standards for sexual purity, or that single mothers.) It is sad when young people like they think the church’s teachings on ● And 2% weren’t Hozier experience the church as sexuality are out of date. sure. negative and oppressive. It is The most common response to a even more sad that the church report like this is the wrong one. It The church has a equips its own youth so poorly in simply tries to fix what is wrong. clear opportunity to handling the real sources of Fixing the flat notes in a bad song connect with young oppression: the world, the flesh does not make it a good one. Figuring couples when they are having children. and the devil. out why we are losing the battle for (The study included parents with children of a variety of ages We have seen and testify that the the hearts and minds of youth may be under 18. Whether these rates will remain stable, rise, or fall in Father has sent his Son as the helpful. More important is figuring this generation is difficult to predict.) Savior of the world – 1 John 4:14. out how to win them.