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NUMB AND NUMB-ER:

NUMB AND NUMB-ER:. Youth and the Church of Benign Whatever-ism. What first caused you to see your life from God’s side of the clock? Did it happen in the context of a congregation?.

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NUMB AND NUMB-ER:

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  1. NUMB AND NUMB-ER: Youth and the Church of Benign Whatever-ism

  2. What first caused you to see your life from God’s side of the clock? Did it happen in the context of a congregation?

  3. THE NATIONAL STUDY OF YOUTH AND RELIGIONChristian Smith, Soul-Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers (Oxford 2005)www.youthandreligion.org

  4. Most consistent findings: • Teenagers aren’t hostile toward religion.

  5. “Most religious communities’ central problem is not teen rebellion, but teenagers’ benign ‘whateverism.’” Christian Smith National Study of Youth and Religion (2005)

  6. Most commonly shared findings across contexts: • Teenagers aren’t hostile toward religion. • Teenagers’ faith mirrors their parents’ faith.

  7. Most commonly shared findings across contexts: • Teenagers aren’t hostile toward religion. • Teenagers’ faith mirrors their parents’ faith. • Teenagers are “incredibly inarticulate” about religion

  8. Most commonly shared findings across contexts: • Teenagers aren’t hostile toward religion. • Teenagers’ faith mirrors their parents’ faith. • Teenagers are “incredibly inarticulate” about religion • A significant minority claim that religion is important to them and makes a difference in their lives.

  9. Religion is most significant for… • Mormon youth • Conservative Protestant youth • Black Protestant youth • Mainline Protestant youth • Catholic youth • Jewish youth • Non-religious youth

  10. Most commonly shared findings across contexts: • Teenagers aren’t hostile toward religion. • Teenagers’ faith mirrors their parents’ faith. • Teenagers are “incredibly inarticulate” about religion • A significant minority claim that religion is important to them and makes a difference in their lives. • Most teenagers adhere to Moralistic Therapeutic Deism as their unacknowledged religious creed.

  11. Moralistic Therapeutic Deism

  12. Moralistic Therapeutic Deism • A God exists who created and orders the world, and watches over life on earth.

  13. Moralistic Therapeutic Deism • A God exists who created and orders the world, and watches over life on earth. • God wants us to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as most world religions teach.

  14. Moralistic Therapeutic Deism • A God exists who created and orders the world, and watches over life on earth. • God wants us to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as most world religions teach. • The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.

  15. Moralistic Therapeutic Deism • A God exists who created and orders the world, and watches over life on earth. • God wants us to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as most world religions teach. • The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself. • God doesn’t need to be involved in my life unless I need God to solve a problem.

  16. Moralistic Therapeutic Deism • A God exists who created and orders the world, and watches over life on earth. • God wants us to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as most world religions teach. • The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself. • God doesn’t need to be involved in my life unless I need God to solve a problem. • Good people go to heaven when they die.

  17. Is your church being colonized by Moralistic Therapeutic Deism? Are you a Moralistic Therapeutic Deist?

  18. A creed to believe

  19. A creed to believe • Personal/powerful God-image(beyond cosmic genie and divine • guidance counselor)

  20. A creed to believe • Personal/powerful God-image(beyond cosmic butler and divine • guidance counselor) • Language (verbal/nonverbal)

  21. A creed to believe • Personal/powerful God-image(beyond cosmic butler and divine • guidance counselor) • Language (verbal/nonverbal) • Community where language is spoken

  22. A community to belong to…

  23. A community to belong to… Proximity

  24. A call to live out…

  25. A call to live out… Actions have consequences

  26. A call to live out… Actions have consequences My life makes a difference in the world

  27. A hope to hold onto…

  28. A hope to hold onto… The world is going in a good direction

  29. A hope to hold onto… The world is going in a good direction I have a part to play in getting it there

  30. Theological Rocks: Foundations for Consequential Faith • A creed to believe • A community to belong to • A call to live out • A hope to hold onto

  31. What makes youth ministry different?

  32. How much does youth ministry at your church actually need Jesus?

  33. A CREED TO BELIEVETeach the GRAMMAR OF CHRIST: Surround youth with those who talk to God, who speak the faith, who tell the stories--who live baptismal lives

  34. A COMMUNITY TO BELONG TO Foster FAITH FLUENCY. Immerse youth in a baptismal community where people practice dying and rising in Christ

  35. A CALL TO LIVE OUT Practice DICTION. Create opportunities for youth to participate in the baptismal life of ministry--to claim God’s call for themselves

  36. A HOPE TO HOLD ONTO Keep YOUR ACCENT. Live Advent lives alongside youth--marked by un-anxious, expectant, and articulate presence (this is as countercultural as it gets)

  37. Which rocks are helping young people speak of Jesus?Which rocks are precarious?

  38. Remember your baptism, and be thankful.

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