But. . .
(from The Rev. Howard Bess is a retired American Baptist minister, who lives in Palmer, Alaska. His email address is hdbss@mtaonline.net)
". . . Joel Stein, a writer for Time Magazine, has recently written a lengthy article about the Millennials. As I read it, I realized he was talking about my grandkids’ generation. To the descriptions I just shared about my grandkids, Stein adds additional notable qualities of Millennials. Race, sexual orientation, and gender do not matter much. Some observers see Millennials as self-centered, selfish and narcissistic. Their voting record (turnout) is disappointing. They seem to be too busy with “me.” They are able to live with a high level of chaos and are not motivated to “straighten things out.”
I confess my German heritage pushes me to make things orderly. I am clearly out of step with my grandkids, but I am pleased they accept me without hesitation.
In Stein’s article he did not burden the reader with a lot of statistics. He simply states “I have the facts.” Gallop, the Pew Foundation, universities, and news bureaus are getting the same numbers. Millennials are not challenging our culture. They are creating a new one and have not asked permission from anyone over 30.
Prior to the Stein article in Time, the Barna Group, a research organization that specializes in religious subjects, published the results of a massive study of Millennials with church backgrounds. The phenomenon of the cultural changes fostered by the Millennials is hitting churches big time.
Researchers have verified the “rise of the Nones.” The Pew Foundation research found that one in every five American is religiously unaffiliated. The Barna Group wanted to know specifically who made up the swelling tide of nones. Over one-third of all Millennials are nones. The Barna research became even more specific. Among Millennials who were raised in a church tradition over 50 percent are now nones.
The Barna studies show Millennials to be socially mobile, intellectually adventuresome, detached from institutions, and frustrated with churches. Many Millennials are still interested in religion and want a personal faith. Christian churches and institutions do not fit in the picture.
In the Barna Group research, they introduced new categories for understanding those leaving churches. They identified sub-groups they called “nomads,” “prodigals,” and “exiles.” I noted that the categories all indicate significant movement. With Millennials there is no “status quo.” They are on the move.
What is behind all this? Just now few are venturing a guess. However, Joel Stein is correct. We have the facts. The numbers are not lying. The patterns that are being described are reality.
Are Millennials a case of arrested maturation? Has mobility produced a new kind of rootless generation? Is this a product of the flat world dominated by computers that do not need human contacts? Has Facebook replaced family and primary social groupings? How does this relate to the emergence churches?
I do not know how to explain the emerging patterns. I do know that my grandkids are great young people. I do not believe the Millennials will let us down. However, I observe the chaos and get a bit nervous. I am tempted to join Maxwell Smart and fight the evil of chaos. Then I am reminded of the first law of chaos. Chaos increases the possibilities. Millennials may be the best hope for the future of humankind. . ."
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