Young “Nones”

There is a growing chorus of young people who call themselves “nones.”  They are the ones when asked what their religion is, they reply, “none.” Demographers say that among twenty-somethings this is up to 30% of that age group.

I have participated in two dialogues now where we have talked about young people either leaving the church or never wishing to find it in the first place.  In so many ways, this represented my life before I was 20 years old.  But Christ and the church became very important to me in my twenties.  And I suspect that it still is true for a number of young adults.  But I think we all realize “times they are a changin’.”

Listen here to an NPR interview with people in their twenties who talk about faith (Young People Interviewed).  NPR did a series this week called Losing My Religion.  In the interviews I still hear searching.  And I hear a generation who hopes for a God that “makes sense to them.”

I still have tremendous hope for our young people.  I know so many that are gifted, compassionate, and spiritually open.  I pray that they will not be easily satisfied with a god of their own making and desires.  It is easy to become attracted to a god we get to define and “manage.”  But we discover that this ultimately does not satisfy our souls.

Yet, I readily acknowledge that Christians and the church need to do a better job of listening to young people.  And I have no doubt that that the church mechanisms and structures indeed may change as we embrace a younger generation even while the faith underneath is the continuous thread.