Kenda Dean's new book, Almost Christian caused a bit of a splash with its recent release. 

CNN among other news outlets picked up on the key idea in the book, that the majority of American teenagers subscribe to a mutant form of Christianity that isn't really Christian, just 'almost Christian'.

The book builds on the hugely influential North American National Study of Youth and Religion, published in Soul Searching: The religious and spiritual lives of American teenagers, by Smith and Denton. 

Conducted from 2002-2005, the NSYR involved extensive interviews with over three thousand American teenagers and their parents.  The most oft quoted conclusion of the study is that American religion has replaced traditional faith systems with an 'alternative religious vision of divinely underwritten personal happiness and interpersonal niceness' (Smith and Denton). Smith and Denton labelled this new religion 'Moralistic Therapeutic Deism'.

What Australians can learn

From similar studies of youth spirituality done in Australia the situation is certainly not the same for us.  Religion in Australia has a significantly different culture and 'back-story' than in the US. Nevertheless, there are still many helpful things to learn from the American research.

One thought that has been helpful so far (and I'm still working my way through Dean's book) is to learn from the characteristics of those American young people who bucked the trend. 

Just under 1 in 10 of American teenagers were categorised as "the highly devoted": those who 'are deeply anchored in their religious traditions and their faith communities, who practice their faith holistically and who find coherence, significance and self-integration in knowing they belong to God'.

Dean describes four characteristics that distinguished the highly devoted from the rest: these young people all had
"¢ A creed to believe;
"¢ A community to belong to;
"¢ A call to live out; and
"¢ A hope to hold on to.

Drawing on cultural theorists, Dean presents these four aspects of religious life as four 'cultural tools'. Creed, community, call and hope are tools that are used to establish young people as members of their particular faith tradition. 

Giving young people the right tools

Young people need to know what tools are available to them, to learn what they mean in our community and be shown how to use them effectively.

These are not new ideas. The Scriptures call us to certain tenets of faith (such as 1 Timothy 1:13 'Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners'); we know that in Christ we are given a new identity as a member of God's own family (1 Peter 2:9 'You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession); we have received a high and holy calling (Mark 8:34 'Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me'); and have been given a glorious hope (Revelation 22:20 'He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon."').

My suggestion then is to take these as four diagnostic questions for our youth ministries:
"¢ Are we teaching young people the great truths of Christian belief?
"¢ Are we building welcoming communities in which young people can belong?
"¢ Are we challenging young people with the uncompromising call of Jesus?
"¢ Are we giving young people a clear and powerful vision of the glory to come?

Ask the question of last weekend's youth group meeting, or of the overall youth ministry curriculum.  Have we been overlooking any of these areas?  Do any of these areas need to be strengthened in our ministry to young people? 

Another observation of the NSYR was that young people are most likely to mirror the faith of their parents. So while we're at it, it'd also be worth asking if the adult members of our churches also being equipped to live the Christian life using all of these tools?

FURTHER READING

Kenda Creasy Dean. Almost Christian: What the faith of our teenagers is telling the American Church Oxford University Press. 2010.

Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton. Soul Searching: The religious and spiritual lives of American teenagers Oxford University Press. 2005.

Image Source: Uncanny X-Men #487, published by Marvel Comics (August 2007); written by Ed Brubaker, art by Salvador Larroca; page 8.