In this post, I am summarizing a really interesting article from Christianity Today by researcher and author of Generation Ex-Christian, Drew Dyck. You can read the entire article and see a video interview with Dyck at the following link:In the past two decades, the number of Americans claiming "no religion" has nearly doubled, from 8.1% to about 15%. This can be attributed, primarily, to 20- and 30-somethings drifting away from the faith of their youth, numbering closer to 22%. The problem is less, "Who is unchristian?" than, "Who is EX-Christian?" What is behind this drift, and what can we do about it?
Some say this happens every generation, but the numbers are 5-6 times the historic rate for young Christians who stray from the church in their late teens and early twenties. Plus, young people are delaying the factors that usually bring them back to the church (namely, marriage and children). If they are away a decade rather than a couple years, the estrangement is considerably more problematic. So the problem remains - why?
Does it revolve around moral compromise? Is the disconnect between their upbringing and their behavior too great to accommodate? Perhaps, but it appears to be much more complicated than that. New Atheist literature may be involved. They may have been hurt by the church. They may have been enticed by other spiritual pursuits (Buddhism, Wicca, etc.). But Dyck's research indicated that, almost invariably, it had more to do with their experiences INSIDE rather than OUTSIDE the church.
His research seems to point toward a superficial theology taught (or at least implied) in many churches - what sociologist Christian Smith calls "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism." This is a theology that revolves around a distant deity that rewards people for being "good, nice, and fair" and focuses on helping its followers "be happy and feel good about themselves." Understandably, this inauthentic, surface-only faith holds little attraction to a young person (or anyone else, for that matter) who is trying to make sense of the world and maintain their faith in the midst of the very real struggles of life in a broken world.
So maybe this is the why, but the question remains - what do we do about it? We can do only so much to "fix" the culture, and we have little control over those that hope to seduce us away from the faith, but what we CAN control is our response to it all. For example...
First, try not to get hysterical.
Second, avoid the two typical responses, which are (1) going on the offensive with our most compelling "arguments" and unintentionally judgmental sermons, and (2) disengaging completely.
Third, engage ex-Christians (or those who express doubts while still in the fold) and their doubts with love and compassion rather than trite platitudes or criticism for asking "insolent questions." Dyck relates that nearly every person he interviewed expressed unchristian push-back from their Christian "friends" (one was actually slapped on the face!).
So, basically there is no substitute for thoughtful and prayerful engagement of those with questions and doubts, whether inside or outside the church. Can I go out on a limb here and suggest that the perfect solution for helping the average Christ follower engage the doubter is Q Place? If you are unfamiliar with Q Place, you can learn more at http://www.qplace.com/ or you can email me, but basically Q Place groups are groups intended to meet people where they are and engage them in spiritual questions without telling them what to believe or judging them for disagreeing with us. Sounds like just about the perfect solution.
I will finish with a quote from Drew Dyck: "This means viewing their skepticism for what it often is: the tortured language of spiritual longing. And once we've listened long and hard to their stories, and built bridges of trust, we will be ready to light the way back home."
Amen, and amen.
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