I am not sure such narrow topics can really tell much about the experience of Millennials regarding the Church. Although the trend of postmodernist thought makes it harder for modernist churches to relate well to those who have been influenced by postmodernism.
On a different note, I do not think that simply attending worship services would necessarily change anything, though it might. I think the Church needs to be more intentional about discipleship and that effort is far more likely to be impactful than a worship service.

Dr. Oord, I believe this is a concern that the older generations need to address in the church. Something I have noticed in the church is that for a long time, the older generations are overpowering and en-crouching on a young person’s spiritual life to the point where instead of guiding them, they chase young people away.

I think that the older generation might actually be partly to blame. Not all to blame, but partly. I think that the older generation needs to re-look at how they react when young people do attend church and to be grateful that they are there instead of getting into young people’s personal space.

However, I believe the biggest reason that young people do not associate themselves with any religion is that society as a whole is stepping away from Christian values and values that were in place when the Silents and the Boomers had when they were young. More things are becoming more and more acceptable that were NEVER acceptable before.

Thanks for sharing this information!

As a Millennial, none of these statistics surprise me. Between keeping President Obama in office, supporting same-sex marriages, & environmental issues, I think it’s more of an issue of being dissatisfied with how these offices and issues have been handled in the past. President Obama represents change—and we believe him when he says it’s going to take more time to see the changes we believe in (I’d rather vote out stubborn members of congress than a progressively thinking president). Most of us have gay or lesbian friends we love & want to support. We see that the earth is being used & abused and we could really see the end of our natural resources if we don’t make significant changes immediately (even if that means paying more for things or buying less of others).
It’s not that our morals are out the window, but we’ve been brought up with a view of religion as legalism (which, unfortunately, has been viewed as hypocrisy in many of our churches or homes). Whether it’s for better or worse, perhaps we’re wanting to err on the side of grace and love (or anything that looks like CHANGE). We’re not going to win the hearts of our gay friends to Jesus by drawing lines in the sand and wagging our fingers at their lifestyle.
We are also still hungry for God, but we want to seek Him in new ways than what was handed to us.
To me it is obvious that neither “side” of the gap has these matters figured out in a way that is incredibly productive or effective right now, and perhaps, the millenials need to have as much grace for the boomers as they do for their gay/lesbian friends, but I can tell you that the boomers are going to have an impossible time if their goal is to get the millennials to vote like them, do church like them, or squeeze them into a mold to get our lives to look like theirs.

It seems what you are describing is very similar to the modern/postmodern issue. The younger generations have been formed and reared in a postmodern world. In general many churches have attempted to resist postmodern thought and as such are out of touch with younger generations. I think this is directly related to the statistics that you mentioned.

I too wonder why we are experiencing these major shifts in society and thought. I think technology plays a large part in it. The ability to instantly share information to anywhere and anyone allows us to share ideas and philosophies - good or bad - in an entirely new way with less accountability. The rise in individualism allows young and sometimes unwise people to think whatever they wish - and they can actually make a big difference via the internet. I am sure that fuels the dichotomy we are seeing.

I definitely thought this was an interesting topic. Although, it doesn’t surprise me that the millennial generation is different from the older generations. We are living in a different society and are raised on different things than that of those who are in older generations.
On the other hand, I am very surprised at my generation on the need to re-elect Obama. In fact I am kind of saddened by that. The people I talk about seem to not want Obama back in the office at all because of what a disappointment he turned out to be. So that was particularly surprising to me.
I think the other things mentioned was not really a surprise. It just seems to be where we are headed in our politics. And sadly, it doesn’t surprise me that more people in the millennial generation are saying they aren’t religiously affiliated. More and more people these days aren’t being raised in the church. Or they don’t have good experiences in church when they grew up and so they left the church. There are many causes of this and I personally think a lot of the fault lays on the Church (capital C).
Good blog topic Dr. Oord!

These statistics do not surprise me because all of the issues that are supported by the millennials are strongly promoted by the media. I think that the millennials respond and stand firm on whatever the media says is right or wrong. In the past ten years the biggest issues in the media have been pro-choice, anti-war, eco-friendly, anti-religion, and individualism. Older generations tend to have more experience of how society works and they tend to listen to several different points of view before they decide their position. I think that with the busyness of our American society, there is a lack of research when it comes to political issues. We would much rather support the popular view rather than research the issues ourselves. The popular view is usually that which is promoted by the media.

I want to defend agaist the notion that the millenials are becoming less moral or less Christian. I believe that the millenials, having grown up with these issues in more of a spotlight, have had to come to terms with them much differently that the boomers. The sheer amount of press on these issues has played an enormous role. I also see the age old swing of the cultural pendulum. Coming from the ridged church going boomer generation the millenials are now turning away from those ways to try to find a better way than they have seen. I don’t know if I can say that the millenials are more enlightened but as the pendulum swings further from the boomers the things we value are inevitably going to change as well.

I do not think that millennials are neither lost or enlightened in any full sense of those terms. I think that humanity through time has had new and different ways to think about things, especially religion that is informed by society and the context in which they live. No group, whether defined by age or something else, has everything completely right. They all probably do or believe things that are off base and they all probably have beliefs that are good and true.

Tom,

These statistics are important. They provide a view of our world we Christians cannot ignore. As I have listened to many of those who speak from the progressive side, their message is often encapsulated in Christian views. If I lived in a part of the world where I worked by the sweat of my brow to keep the man who lived on the hill living in luxury, I would be very depressed. Now, a person comes to me and says, “You see that man on the hill? He has gotten rich off of your hard labor. I propose that he share what he has so that people are treated fairly.”  A second man comes and says, “You see that man on the hill, living in luxury?  I propose a way that you can one day live the same way. It will be up to you to make that change by working harder but, you too have the opportunity to live a life of luxury.”  Now, which one would I follow?  The first man (a Marxist)or the second one (a capitalist)? 

The problem is that the millennials are exposed to arguments that are noble. The failure is that in real life, in a sinful world, they just don’t work. All one has to do is look at Communism. It has failed. Socialism has failed everywhere it has been tried.  Yet, they sound noble. 

Therefore, we cannot judge the merits of the millennials’ understanding of how the world SHOULD work. We just need to do a better job of explaining why the noble ideals do not work in the real world.

This is what Jesus did. He said the poor will always be with you.  He did not stand up against the Roman’s. He did not speak out against slavery. He did not try to change his world through political speeches and movements. He accepted the world he lived in as a reality that the fledgling movement had to face. He then worked on the hearts of the people. Even at that, he did not succeed, he died alone on a cross. It was only by the Holy Spirit that the real “Change and Hope” begin to become a reality.

Between the schools (taught by many of the ‘60 progressives) and the media (more mellennials get their news from John Stewart more than any news source), we as the Church need to be relevant, show the big picture, and show that change comes through loving God and our neighbors. Not the ballot box.

These statistics are not surprising to me. Every generation shifts. What surprises me is that in the CotN, a church that champions love supreme, there seems to be no significant voice that is speaking out for equality on behalf of LGBTQ. At the risk of sounding like old timer I quote the Black Eyed Peas “Where is the Love?”

Dr. Oord,
  I agree with Jordan what you are describing seems to be similar to the modern/postmodern issues. I have often wondered why there seems to be such a radical change. Most of the stat’s you mentioned didn’t really come as a surprise to me. And all though it is true it saddens me to see that I think that most people in the millennial generation are saying they aren’t religiously affiliated. In the end I do not think it need to be an issue for the churches to resist postmodernism I think its being up to date with the culture so you can relate to the news generations. I think this is a great topic to think about. Good pick.

Millennials. Huh. There seems to be a lot of concern about the Millennials. It gives me the impression that the ‘unchurched’ of the Boomer and Silents have been written off. I am not sure if I am one of the first Boomers, or one of the last of the Silents ... but since I am far from Silent, I must be a Boomer. I dunno. What I do know is that I am an old gasbag and that I move fairly comfortably from one social generalization to another.

Aa casual examination of comments on Facebook and other social networks demonstrates that Millennials can be as intransigently judgmental and as viciously self-righteous as any of their predecessors. Which isn’t surprising, since those traits are part and parcel of the human condition.

As for specifics ... I find rabid hatred of the general Christian bent toward homosexuality to be an insult to Christ’s teachings. In this, I tend to agree with the Millenniums and their view of the Church Universal’s position. Let me ask this: What is the COTN’s position regarding ordination of a gay or lesbian pastor? Is the ‘homosexual nature’ in and of itself that abhorrent sin? Or is it the practice of homosexual behaviors? What would be the COTN position toward ordaining a gay or lesbian pastor who was celibate? How does the COTN respond to a single, heterosexual Millennial pastor who, if not cohabiting with his/her squeeze, goes off on those long ski weekends with him/her? If the COTN will ordain a single heterosexual pastor, does the COTN not expect that pastor to remain celibate? Why not, then, a gay/lesbian pastor? Define the ‘abhorrent sin’ a little rationally for me. Please. I’m having a hard time working up the proper level of hatred, here.

While I supported the Afghan adventure, which centered on nailing the Taliban and Al-Qaeda to the proverbial cross (but not The Cross), I think we are making a big mistake with this ‘nation-building’ adventure. Page Smith, in his “A New Age Now Begins”, describes his view of why American republican democracy works for us, and how circumstances combined in a unique way for that seed to germinate. None of that exists in the Middle East. (We might re-examine how and why McArthur’s reconstruction of Japan, also a very alien culture, was so successful, but that’s another story).

Abortion? That’s not the government’s business. It’s a religious and theological thing. The Republicans need to keep their religion out of their politics. Perry is in lockstep with his preacher, John Hagee, who is as hateful an excuse for a ‘Christian’ as you will find anywhere (and so I too exercise judgmentalism) and so long as Perry cannot separate Hagee from the Perry Political Agenda, Perry will never have my vote.

Millenniums tend to support President Obama and his agenda. I also notice that the majority of the Occupiers seem to fall into the Millennials’ age range. I don’t support the Occupiers. I have yet to hear anything from them, no matter how ‘intellectually’ they try to frame it, that is not some form of whine about why the government and/or the rest of us owe them something. I guess I’m an old enough gasbag that that’s a dog that just don’t hunt very well. OTOH ... Mitt Romney? Why, the man is a Mormon. Most ‘Christians’ I know consider him to be a heretic. Further OTOH, so is Glen Beck a Mormon, yet the same people who regard Mormons to be heretics and non-Christians are eating out of Beck’s hands and more or less worshipping at his feet of clay.

There is little rational thinking politically or religiously these days.

Perhaps that is the unchanging quality of it all?

Any time we pit, even for argument or statistical sakes, one against the other there is an issue in that we fail to recognize that in the ‘otherness’ of the other we ourselves have something to learn of value. The cultural shift of the Millennials does not need to be feared by the Silent or the Boomer generations. There were things that were damaging, ideas and directions inside and outside of the church, with serious consequences, as there probably will be with the mentality of the Millennials. It isnt fair to boil it all down to cultural reaction or a reaction to a reaction, but perhaps society is learning and growing and so is the church in new and different ways. It may be that 50 years from now the Millennials children will be searching for a new way of being. My question in regaurds to religiosity is that is the essence of what God and the Church is working towards being worked against in Millennialist ideals, in some way perhaps, but the same could also be said for the Boomers and the Silent. What I would like to know is why the Church tends to act like discussion and the direction in these decisions is going to lead to its extinction. If the Church is the Church then isnt the good being worked towards in all things. The question then becomes, what is the good. If it is to give freedom and Life (like that of the Incarnation) in the advancing of the Imago Dei, then discussing these issues is important, but often the manner in which we do so is more important.

I absolutely agree with Faith. I think, perhaps, the biggest mistake that I’m seeing rampant amongst my fellow Millennials (even to the point of being a pitfall that could be incredibly damaging to the future of Church) is the lack of appreciation & honor for the heritage & momentum that the previous generation has set in motion. Although we may want things to look different within the context of Church/lifestyle/our personal values compared to our parents’, we MUST come to a point of AT LEAST honoring those who’ve journeyed before us. To walk away & cease discussion is to divorce us from the story that we’ve been drawn into. We may not be happy with what we’ve been given, but that is where we need to learn to think like we are Sons & Daughters of the King and have these conversations with those that have carried the mantle before us. If we were able to receive from them the wisdom & impartations that they have received from their previous generations & (most importantly) from God’s Spirit, then we would truly be able to be iron sharpening iron—in which both “irons” recognize that both are indeed “iron” & that both could receive some “sharpening” and learn & receive from either side—because we are The Church. We are a family. To walk away from this sharpening process—to disregard the conversations (that may end in disagreement)—would be an injustice to both parties. May our prayer be that the Spirit make the path known. We are in this together!

I really struggled reading this article to be honest. I think that far to many times we focus on statistics and again we are looking at this generation versus that generation. You over there and us over here. I think that this shows how seperated we even talk about each other, even when we realize this gap is extremly apparent. It makes it sound like we are affraid of what “they” are doing. The more we do this, the less we are discussing as one faith based community what each others concerns are. Like you said at the end it is a difference between your parents and your students. It is your community. So why are we not communicating? We are not affraid of each other. We shouldn’t be affraid to be discussing this with each other. It is not like these issues are new, maybe the way we are looking at them are, but many people have considered this stuff before us and will continue to after us. So where are we going to make the connection?

None of the statistics in the Pew Poll surprise me much. Being a millennial, I see the trends lessening regulation of same-sex marriage and abortion, and also a discontentment with government. With regard to the religiosity of my generation, I believe the Church is in a critical state right now. In a highly individualistic society, the traditional ways of categorizing Christians into broad categories such as fundamentalist or evangelical doesn’t work for us (I would almost argue, that it never really has). Denominational identifiers are also fading with the rise of non-denominationalism. In my opinion, the future of the Christian Church is in an intermediary phase, which would affect the way millennials involve themselves in politics.

I do wonder how much ethics does play into some peoples decision on whether they will go to church or not. If one does hold that there is an injustice in not allowing same-sex marriage, and the church refuses to address that injustice, then why would they support something that does not support what they believe ethically? The same could be said of the environmental conversation. I was raised that we are to take care of the earth, and that we are not serving God when we neglect his creation, both human and nature. Personally I could not attend a church that is anti-environmental. I think that for many in my generation we see the importance in equality for all, and with the environment, and when the most vocal churches are anti-what we believe to be good then we do not want to be a part of it. Talking to my non-christian and non-church going friends they all say that they have no problem with God, or even Jesus, it is their followers that they have a problem with. I think that when the Church does begin to focus more on justice and equality for everyone, no matter the race or orientation, and starts to take care of the planet then it will see a growth in the areas of millennial’s and generation X-ers.

Although I am not surprised about any of these statistics, I do think this is a problem concerning the disconnect between generations. It seems to me like millenials want to be as individualistic as possible. As a generation we seem to want to figure things out on our own and figure out a “better” way to live and help the world. However, I believe we need to work together as generations and learn from each other. We need to consider that those who are older than us will usually have a better understanding at how the world works so we can learn from them. Also, as Christians, I think we need to do a better job at connecting the generations. The baby boomer generation almost seems intimidated by the millenials and the millenials seem to think that they have it all together. But if we can learn to learn from one another then I think these issues will become less of a problem as we make it more clear as to what is “right ” and “wrong.”

This may be reading too much into the statistics or misinterpreting the world around me, but it seems as though we are on the verge of a drastic change in American culture and especially within the Church.  As others have already noted in these comments, the move from modernity to postmodernity is probably fueling the way that young people think and act and that is flowing over into the way everyone lives.  Though I would not consider myself a futurist, if I were to venture a guess I would say that opinions on political and social issues are not the only things that are changing.  The way we think, believe, behave, participate in politics, engage in social issues, and even live as Christians is going to be different in 50 years.

This is an interesting blog topic indeed. I feel like there is little surprise to how older generations view topics differently than younger generations. I also feel that culture has changed drastically between the generation gaps. This affects the way millennials view the world and those of the silent generation. Also want to say the environment in which people are raised in affects their view on these topics. Now that is going far deeper and more impossible form for this blog, but is something to ponder about.
Anyways I wouldn’t want to say that millennials are lost or enlightened, but have grown up in a time where other issues seem more pressing. That a dialogue needs to happen between the generations in reasoning and understanding.

Honestly, I believe that every generation is unique in many ways - including their beliefs on various issues. That does not mean that one group is necessarily wrong and the other is necessarily right. A lot of it is just different emphases. A lot of times, this is caused by the push back of each generation. For example, my parent’s generation was much more strict/legalistic—probably too much so. My generation is pushing back against that and so tends to be much more “loose” and is willing to let more things go. In all honesty, both generations have issues. Past generations I would say are too legalistic and need to take a lesson in love while I would argue that my generation is too tolerant in the sense that we believe that we have to accept a person’s actions in order to love them. Both generations can and should learn from the strengths and weaknesses of the other.

I don’t find it surprising that there is such a large gap between the way the different generations view social and ethical issues. Times are changing, always have been, always will be. I wouldn’t be surprised if generation x and the silent generation disagreed on issues with their older generations as our younger generations do with them. Also, I am not quick to say the younger generations views on certain issues such as same-sex marriage, war, and abortion are caused by their lack of church attendance, neither can I say it is the Holey Spirit. Of the two, I would lean towards the Spirit, but also stake it on the fact that younger generations these days are more willing to be tolerate and practice acceptance.

One of the biggest things that really stood out pertains to one specific word: “...have not been properly nurtured by religious communities?”
Well surely the Millennials have been nurtured - that is inevitable. But “properly” has such large weight in the question that it changes the direction of the question altogether; it even suggests the condition and status of the religious communities. Personally, I push the blame on the religious communities adapted by the Boomers and Silents, despite the fact I side more with them. I think they truly have done a poor job of properly nurturing us, giving us merely the “rights and wrongs” and not enough of the “why’s”. It is not much of a surprise the results these polls yield, but I do think many things need be reconsidered that are both directly and indirectly influencing all that are involved within such statistics.

I tend to think the views the millennials tend to have toward these issues is a reflection of our reaction toward the church culture we stepped into. Many millennials have witnessed churches that have been at fault for being too rigid, and in this have failed to adequately love the people around them. Thus, we have emerged as a generation that is desiring to rectify the problems/rifts created by those who came before us. Additionally, we are operating from a place of being heavily influenced by the postmodern movement. Postmodernism brings a new acceptance of challenging tradition and cultural norms. In light of these factors, it does not surprise me at all that these differences exist between the generations. However, I agree with Emma in predicting the future to be one in which church-goers find a more moderate view on many issues. It seems that a rejection of absolute truth can only last for a season before the people feel the dearth of truth and come back to middle ground.

Honestly, most of this does not surprise me at all. I believe that my generation, inside or outside the church, is looking for change. Actually, we are demanding it. We recognize the mistakes of our parents and grandparents. My question in all of this is, what are we going to do about? We can moan and groan all we want. But if we are not willing to take a stance and take action for our convictions. We are no different than our parents. And it is more than voting for who we want as president. It is time we take action. Teach our parents and the next generation what it means to be Jesus to the whole.

I just think my generation is looking for change. I think in a lot of cases we have seen the way things have gone in the past generations on different issues such as war and marriage and we haven’t liked what we have seen. I think we have seen the fruitlessness of war, and are looking for change. I think we have seen the flippancy towards marriage, even in the Church, and we are looking for something different. I think the Church has sadly lost a lot of its authority on marriage given the divorce rate statistics within the Church. Not to mention the less than oustanding response of much of the Church towards the homosexual population. I think my generation has seen a lack of christ’s love in this attitude and again we look for something different. The results of these issues has made the advice of the Church a voice that falls upon deaf ears.

I cannot speak for my generation, but I do tend to embrace a more compassionate outlook towards different views and issues than my grandparents and even my parents.  I grew up in the deep south, very indoctrinated in the church, but as I grow older, i find that many christians I affiliated with as a teen are very hateful in their views of the world.  I cannot support, even with my presence, the atmosphere of violence, hate, and downright discrimination that older self-proclaimed christians tought as truth from the pulpit, in living rooms, and generally in daily life.  This has in large part led me away from my family and the church.  Since I was a young teen, I have yearned for open dialogue of this with these people close to me, but the more I seek personal opinions from my elders, the more hostility that pours forth. For me, this is the biggest reason I stay out of church and have an exaggerated distrust of self-proclaimed christians who offer misguided direction for our future.  I am tired of being assualted as the scapegoat for older christians, when all I really want from them is compassionate dialogue based in intellect instead of fear and ignorance.  Everyone’s reality is not the same, and all of our truths are relevant.  Until we can openly discuss these things in relation to thelogy and real life in conjunction with addressing pertinent needs of society, there will always be the so-called generational gap between our views of the world.