Almost Christian 5

Kenda Dean’s new book, Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers is Telling the American Church, makes some basic claims: one is that far too many of America’s “Christian” youth have absorbed “moralistic therapeutic deism” and her second is that the church context is responsible. (I take this to include parents, pastors and churches.)

What is it that stimulates “generative” faith, a faith that flourishes and sustains? For those of you who have paid attention to this kind of question, what do you think are the most important factors in helping young adults grow into a generative faith?

First, she knows that there’s no magic potion, which she cleverly calls “flux capacitor.” The church seems to be in search for spiritual capacitors — curriculum, methods, or cultural tools. If we just do it right, the attitude of many is, kids will grow into spiritual adults. She speaks of this as a delusion. The age-old model is simple: telling God’s story and enacting it have been how the Church has always nurtured faith.Dean never lets go of the problem: MTD, and she compares MTD’s “theology” with the self-giving, sacrificing gospel of God in Christ, and finds the former bankrupt. The Christian vision is a God who loves like that and a People who loves with God’s love.

Then she explores the cultural toolkit of “highly devoted teenagers” to find four elements:

1. Claiming a creed: she pooh-poohs the idea that creeds don’t matter and shows that highly devoted teenagers know what they believe more and see that creedal faith has being much more personal. The opposite of classical deism. They have parent-like images of God, who is both personal and powerful, and who disciplines as a parent.

2. Belonging to a community:  one’s sense of belonging to a community is a more accurate predictor of future faith than church attendance. Caring congregations created connectedness. She uses the sociological category of “authoritative communities”: provide adults, mutual regard, boundaries, and shared long term objectives.  Thus, highly devoted teens have adults in their lives, and more than just parents; pastoral friendships matter to them; the group is more than a support system but a spiritual environment.

3. Pursuing a purpose: there is morally significant universe in which the highly devoted dwell, and this framework provides meaning and direction for life. Oddly, mainliners and Catholics, upon whom the social gospel has more impact, show less evidence that moral responsibility means following Jesus. They have less of a morally significant universe in which to dwell.

4. Haboring hope: MTD teens are not hopeful; highly devoted are. There is little eschatology and little sense that they must answer to God for MTDs.