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July 27th, 2013
08:33 AM ET
Why millennials are leaving the church
(CNN) - At 32, I barely qualify as a millennial. I wrote my first essay with a pen and paper, but by the time I graduated from college, I owned a cell phone and used Google as a verb. I still remember the home phone numbers of my old high school friends, but don’t ask me to recite my husband’s without checking my contacts first. I own mix tapes that include selections from Nirvana and Pearl Jam, but I’ve never planned a trip without Travelocity. Despite having one foot in Generation X, I tend to identify most strongly with the attitudes and the ethos of the millennial generation, and because of this, I’m often asked to speak to my fellow evangelical leaders about why millennials are leaving the church. Armed with the latest surveys, along with personal testimonies from friends and readers, I explain how young adults perceive evangelical Christianity to be too political, too exclusive, old-fashioned, unconcerned with social justice and hostile to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. I point to research that shows young evangelicals often feel they have to choose between their intellectual integrity and their faith, between science and Christianity, between compassion and holiness. I talk about how the evangelical obsession with sex can make Christian living seem like little more than sticking to a list of rules, and how millennials long for faith communities in which they are safe asking tough questions and wrestling with doubt. Invariably, after I’ve finished my presentation and opened the floor to questions, a pastor raises his hand and says, “So what you’re saying is we need hipper worship bands. …” And I proceed to bang my head against the podium. Time and again, the assumption among Christian leaders, and evangelical leaders in particular, is that the key to drawing twenty-somethings back to church is simply to make a few style updates - edgier music, more casual services, a coffee shop in the fellowship hall, a pastor who wears skinny jeans, an updated Web site that includes online giving. But here’s the thing: Having been advertised to our whole lives, we millennials have highly sensitive BS meters, and we’re not easily impressed with consumerism or performances. In fact, I would argue that church-as-performance is just one more thing driving us away from the church, and evangelicalism in particular. Many of us, myself included, are finding ourselves increasingly drawn to high church traditions - Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, the Episcopal Church, etc. - precisely because the ancient forms of liturgy seem so unpretentious, so unconcerned with being “cool,” and we find that refreshingly authentic. What millennials really want from the church is not a change in style but a change in substance. We want an end to the culture wars. We want a truce between science and faith. We want to be known for what we stand for, not what we are against. We want to ask questions that don’t have predetermined answers. We want churches that emphasize an allegiance to the kingdom of God over an allegiance to a single political party or a single nation. We want our LGBT friends to feel truly welcome in our faith communities. We want to be challenged to live lives of holiness, not only when it comes to sex, but also when it comes to living simply, caring for the poor and oppressed, pursuing reconciliation, engaging in creation care and becoming peacemakers. You can’t hand us a latte and then go about business as usual and expect us to stick around. We’re not leaving the church because we don’t find the cool factor there; we’re leaving the church because we don’t find Jesus there. Like every generation before ours and every generation after, deep down, we long for Jesus. Now these trends are obviously true not only for millennials but also for many folks from other generations. Whenever I write about this topic, I hear from forty-somethings and grandmothers, Generation Xers and retirees, who send me messages in all caps that read “ME TOO!” So I don’t want to portray the divide as wider than it is. But I would encourage church leaders eager to win millennials back to sit down and really talk with them about what they’re looking for and what they would like to contribute to a faith community. Their answers might surprise you. Rachel Held Evans is the author of "Evolving in Monkey Town" and "A Year of Biblical Womanhood." She blogs at rachelheldevans.com. The views expressed in this column belong to Rachel Held Evans. soundoff (9,864 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 Next »
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Opinion by Rachel Held Evans, Special to CNN
Politics do not belong in religion at all. Was Jesus Christ involved in politics? No! He said, "My kingdom is no part of this world." He spoke of the day when his kingdom would "crush and put an end to all other kingdoms." He said that his "kingdom would stand to time indefinite."
Regarding the writers other concerns: We all want truth and sincerity. If not, why would anyone bother to waste their time seeking it. The word of God can not be twisted into accommodating a plethora of opposing viewpoints, opinions or desires. It is what it is! If we don't agree with God or like what He says then maybe it's up to us to change our views to be more aligned and in keeping with His...after all...He does have the final say!
I wish mainstream Christianity would get that memo and stop trying to legislate their erroneous beliefs regarding abortion and being gay. Jesus (who Christianity is based on, remember?) said nothing about either of those.
#Truth!
well said well said in truth men hearts must change before the world dose and as said i never seen a u-hall truck follow a hurse to a grave yard and these paster have to stop putting band aids on wounds the req, surgury stop making god out to be a gini or the bible a magic book and start doing what jesus has said in matt, 25 , and luke 16:19 take care of the poor
I agree 1000% The so-called church leaders needs to understand that in order for people to return to the Building they need not to impose their personal opinions above the Word of God. Also, Ministry does not equal Money so they need to stop using the Bible as a way to force people to give money and if they do not they are cursed
So, a good reason to believe in God is because God created the universe? This is the silly, circular reasoning that millennials avoid.
My invisible pink unicorn created the god that created the universe.
Not silly at all.
Multi-verse, string theory, and other purely naturalistic explanations of the universe are also circular reasoning. For example, if you say this universe was birthed from another universe, the question would then become: How did that universe come into being? Then that universe would need an explanation of its cause..ad infinitum, leading to circular reasoning.
In my opinion, I find it more rational to believe an uncaused, eternally infinite, all powerful being created this universe than infinite, purposeless universes that we can't empirically verify.
One thing we can't do is argue that this universe has always existed and is eternal. Modern cosmology demonstrates evidence for the big bang, a beginning point to this universe. One may argue infinite universes or one may say God, but both positions are still circular in their reasoning.
If you disagree, your thought are more than welcome. However, I don't desire a polemical debate and want to be respectful.
The church is not supposed to supply you with what you need/want – that is not what the gospel is about – it's not about you – it's all about Him. That is what is wrong with the church today – people want to be catered to instead of themselves giving to others. It all boils down to selfishness.
Why is He so emotionally needy that he NEEDS it all about Him? You would think He would be more concerned with how we treat each other.
Obviously...you never read the article or the Bible for that matter by your response. We...as Followers of the Way...are supposed to be salt and light...but those like you are more than content to watch a whole generation have no reason to deal with spiritual as long as those like you "feel" comfortable with how it's always been done in America.
Well said. These churches have to accept that without real change they are simply going to lose. They may be willing to accept that, but the very fact that they are losing might also tell them that some of their asumptions were wrong.
What's funny is that much of the suffering of those in souther baptist circles didn't have to happen. The church was liberalizing in the 60s and got sucked into a horrible black hole for 40 years. Just reversing those years will be an accomplishment.
They're leaving because the idea of a personal God is incredulous to an educated person. The latest generation sees no need for Stone Age religious claptrap in a modern world and are smart enough to synthesize their own morality without some pervert or drone telling them what to think. There are much better explanations for life then, "God did it!"
Well said. Agreed.
There are plenty of educated people who believe in God.
And there are plenty of ignorant people who reject God.
Even when I was a self-professed intelligent atheist I had to admit to that. It would be immodest to not do so.
Ill bite, JFKman. What is your explanation on how the universe came to be? You can scream evolution all you want, but math doesn't back you up. The odds of the universe coming to "be" naturally are just too incredible to happen.
So maybe, "God did it" is a more reasonable explanation after all.
There is plenty of evidence for evolution.
We don't know exactly how universe started. We are at the beginning stage of explaining it. Saying "I don't know" is preferable to jumping to the conclusion that it must have been a deity or magic.
When we first learned that disease was caused by pathogens, not some deity's judgement or evil spirits, that was all we knew. We didn't know how or why they caused it, nor did we know how to cure or control it. One hundred and fifty years later, diseases that previously killed millions have nearly been eradicated.
One hundred fifty years from now we will know much more about how the universe came into existence, but that can't happen if you just sit back and say, "Well, I don't understand it so gawddidit."
Atheists believe this:
– nothing formed all the universe's matter and energy in a fraction of a second, once and never again for no reason
– nothing formed life
– nothing formed species
– nothing formed male and female
– nothing made sure that male and female progressed along together over history
– nothing never predicts anything
– nothing never says what it did or will do in the future
– nothing never never talks to someone
– nothing has no plan at any time
– there is no evidence of nothing doing anything
– even so, atheists claim nothing created everything
Believers in God have this:
– God said what he did
– God predicted what would happen in the future
– God said what happened in the past
– God has a plan that spans the entire history
– God created the universe and everything in it
– God formed life
– God formed species
– God made male and female and had them progress along together over history.
– God told prophets, kings, scribes, angels, Jesus, and others to tell us what he did and wants, and they did that often dying for it.
Quite a bit more that God does that isn't recorded, and it too confirms he is God, and that Jesus was sent to die for the sins of others, and raised up again the third day. He did it for those that believe him and repent of their sins, and do the will of God.
@ Rules of Conduct
Your list re: atheists is a bunch of lies. We don't know how everything started. Just like we didn't know what caused smallpox two hundred years ago. Science is hard, but that's no excuse for dismissing it and swallowing "magic" as the answer.
"Quite a bit more that God does that isn't recorded, and it too confirms he is God,"
If it's not recorded, how do you know about it?
What is this unrecorded information, and how does it confirm "he is god"?
Why do you lie about what atheists believe? Isn't that one of the Big Ten No-Nos in the Magic Kingdom?
I saw the "highly sensitive BS meters" and became hopeful. Then my hope was dashed when that was equated to the "consumerism and performances". Could it be that the BS meter is telling millennials that this whole concept of an omnipotent being is, well, BS?
I think she was referring there just to the obvious marketing attempts.
Amazingly insightful article. Couldn't have said it any better. I am a democrat and cannot stand when pastors direct their politics at me. Politics should have no place in the church according to the word of Jesus.
There will never be a "truce" between science and faith (because by "truce" you really mean: equal validation for both, equal esteem, equal acceptance among the intellectually honest and educated).
It is impossible to reach identical conclusions independently using FAITH on one hand and OBSERVATION on the other, and therefore the two modes of thought (mysticism and rationality) will always be contradictory. You can't hope to marry science and faith any more than you could hope to marry, say, Facism and Libertarianism....they are both based on fundamentally different premises and their goal sets are diametrically opposed.
You're thinking: but the goal of both science and Christianity is TRUTH! Let's not kid ourselves...the goal of Christianity is not THE truth, but rather YOUR truth.
“There are good reasons to believe in God, including the existence of mathematical principles and order in creation. They are positive reasons, based on knowledge, rather than default assumptions based on a temporary lack of knowledge.”
–Geneticist Francis Collins, the leader of the Human Genome Project and currently the director of the National Insttutes of Health in the United States.
The problem for me isn't the existence of a higher power or a creator (though that raises many questions). It's the leap of faith people make from going to a creator to that creator being the Christian god.
If it's just a creator, then for all we know it could be Zeus or some alien species or a computer simulation like the matrix.
The author is making a case for/suggesting the possibility of ultimate compatibility between science and CHRISTIANITY, specifically....not simply being open to the possibility of the existence of a higher power/creative force.
In regards to your quote, I would suggest that Christianity is the very essence of "default assumptions based on a lack of knowledge."
“Recently I have gone back to church regularly with a new focus to understand as best I can what it is that makes Christianity so vital and powerful in the lives of billions of people today, even though almost 2000 years have passed since the death and resurrection of Christ. Although I suspect I will never fully understand, I now think the answer is very simple: it’s true. God did create the universe about 13.7 billion years ago, and of necessity has involved Himself with His creation ever since. The purpose of this universe is something that only God knows for sure, but it is increasingly clear to modern science that the universe was exquisitely fine-tuned to enable human life. We are somehow critically involved in His purpose. Our job is to sense that purpose as best we can, love one another, and help Him get that job done.” (Smalley 2005)
–Richard Smalley, winner of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery of a new form of carbon (buckminsterfullerene or “buckyballs”).
quark 0704...
Does not truth come from the readings of the word and knowing of all words understanding meanings..? Where then does truth remain standing if meanings cannot be as devotional understandings..? Do not many people stop thinking becoming themselves as mindless beasts ever to be herded here to there and made to eat this thing and drink of the other thing..?
Drivel.
You shouldn't overgeneralize about "the church" as there are over 30,000 protestant denominations worldwide. It is presumptuous to judge all of them.
"I will completely sweep away all things from the face of the earth, says the Lord. I will sweep away man and beast, I will sweep away the birds of the sky, and the fishes of the sea. I will overthrow the wicked; I will destroy mankind from the face of the earth, says the Lord." Zephaniah 1:2,3
I found her use of that expression a bit disturbing, too. I'm not sure what she hopes to accomplish with it...it's not likely a natural expression.
AMEN!!!
And simply loss of belief. We've been brought up being exposed to doubt, and that makes you question things yourself. Plus smaller denominations paradoxically encourage that doubt, by explaining how and why their denomination broke away from mainstream churches and went out on their own. By explaining their founders' doubt of the mainstream churches they were raised in, they encourage their children to also question the one they are raised in. Likewise for parents who change religion as an adult, they're setting an example for their children to question the religion they're raised in and to choose their own.
Jen, you raise a great point. It's as if we keep trying on ill-fitting clothes that don't suit us at all, mesmerized by the fancy colors. The Millennials have access to information that many of we older types never did, and are justifiably unwilling to buy into the fairy tales. I hope that what I'm reading in your post isn't a longing for the past when we dutifully believed in whatever we were raised in...that would be a huge step back in my opinion.
No, no longing for the past. I'm an atheist now.
Dear Rachel, Pardon the informal address to you but I feel we are long lost friends. You must have listened to me spit and sputter on this issue and realized I needed an eloquent voice to reach a wider audience! Thank you for being my voice that I know is a collective of more than we realize. I long for the day that searching for a place that I can worship and serve isn't a task that feels too daunting to even get started.
To thy own self be true. love your neighbor as yourself. If you can not find community make one.
God asks for no more.
Bob in Encinitas
It seems like our writer is well down the path to letting go of the supernatural (religious belief systems) and embracing only the natural. I hope that she will realize that there is far more beauty in the world when we open our eyes and remove the chronic distraction that is religion. Science and religion are indeed mutually exclusive and therefore cannot coexist – trying to reconcile them together will always end up being a waste of time. Science does not demand unwavering belief based upon a lack of evidence and is always questioning itself. This is very healthy from my perspective and is diametrically opposed to "don't question, just believe". Sadly because of this, religion is the very best way to get good people to do wicked things.
I think you are completely, and utterly wrong. I'll quote one of the top–if not the most important–scientist of the 21st century to argue that one can definitely reconcile Religion and Science. "I believe that the universe was created by God with the specific intention of giving rise to intelligent life. Given that we observe DNA to be the information molecule of all living things, one can regard therefore it as the “Logos” that God has used to speak life into being. Don’t misunderstand me, it is clear that the process of evolution by natural selection over hundreds of millions of years is the “how” that explains the marvelous diversity of life. But that doesn’t provide the answer to “why.” I think God provides that answer."
But you see- it's not about you or me. IIt doesn't matter what you or I want- what matters is what God wants. The church is not where you go on Sunday. The church is the body of Jesus Christ. If you are a part of that body, which happens when you believe on Jesus Christ, and you want to know what GOD wants, read His word and He will show you.
I'm glad to hear you don't fall for the entertainment-based church of today. It is a joke. But Jesus Christ only made one truce, the truce between God and man, which he purchased with his own blood. Take it or don't, but you can't make up your own God and your own way to worship and think that it's all the same. It's not. Jesus Christ is the only way to God. God leaves no room for compromise.
That is a hateful statement to most, but it is what God says in His word. For those of us who believe, to not tell you that would be hateful. There is only sorrow and Hell waiting for those who do not repent and put their trust in the Son of God- Jesus Christ the Savior of all.
lh, I love being told that only sorrow and Hell is waiting for me! Thanks for spreading your ignorance widely.
Why are you upset with me? It's what God says. It's Him you're upset with, so talk to Him about it. I didn't come up with the plan, He did. I tell you to present information, not to try and "win" you. That's what the modern churches today are doing. They are kissing up to nonbelievers, and nonbelievers don't buy it- because it's PHONY. You don't have to believe what the Bible says, but don't ask real believers in Jesus Christ to sugar coat it for you to make it more palatable. We don't have to change the word of God to make you happy. Sorry.
Psalm 2
1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
lh, when you quote wicked things from a 'magic book' that I reject as anything other than a rambling, incoherent and often outright wicked piece of marketing, this I must take as your opinion. This is the reason you proselytize or am I missing something?
Jesus Christ would not like what has happened to His church. He would be the first to condemn what it has become. This is precisely why He broke away from Judaism. Get some perspective, son.
wow. Great article. I am 54 and what you said is EXACTLY the problem. My generation wants to control others so, they continue with this BS.
Stick with it.
It's not just the millenials who are leaving. People of all ages are leaving for the same reasons the millenials are. I'm not a millenial. I think about joining a church, but then I see this hostility and judgment and demonizing other people and delving into politics and it just turns me off of organized religion. I consider myself spiritual but not religious. I've been told by "Christians" that this is wrong because I can't truly have a relationship with God unless I belong to a church. I call BS on that. I live in South Dakota and all I have to do is get in my car, hit the interstate, cross the Missouri into West River and I feel a lot closer to God in all that empty space than I ever did in a church building. And I feel that way because that land is God's creation. I also meditate and I read up on Buddhism because a lot of Buddhist teaching compliment Christ's teachings, particularly the Sermon on the Mount.
Ironically, I was raised in a Protestant denomination that is considered liberal and I was taught that there is no one right path to God/Enlightenment/Nirvana/Flying Spaghetti Monster or whatever else your Higher Power might be called. There is the path that is right for you and the path that is right for you is the one you must take. Even if you don't believe, and you know that deep in your heart that this is true and right, then that is the path you should take. Faith and spirituality are deeply personal and whatever a person believes or doesn't believe is nobody else's business.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way. Since when is being a good person not enough?
Most the churches are infiltrated which in in turn makes the beautiful religion of Christianity look bad which in turn leads people away from not just attending church, but also from Christianity.
I liked that the article pointed out how many of the infiltrated churches try to appeal to young people by including new music and games and activities. All these things are even worse as they serve to distract people and try to to sell them something which Christianity is not. Also I think its important to mention that most anybody, not just Millenials, realize that the churches today are simply one man lecturing you on why you should essentially value your Minister/Pope/etc. instead of your God.
I think people are overall smart, and I think people have serious questions about religion even if they are not Christian. I think people would prefer a church that is styled after how Paul originally imagined the concept of a church. As a place where people gather to discuss and debate religious matters and everyone has a voice and opportunity to speak. Not as a place where you sing goofy songs and get lectured about how great Pastor Bob is.
You want a truce between science and religion? Ain't gonna happen! You can't believe in miracles, an afterlife, an omnipotent God and tons of the other patently false and absurd things in Christianity and then attempt to say you have no conflict with science. THAT will get you laughed at.
What is supposed to happen when some kid gets curious about church and goes on the Internet only to eventually learn that it's all rubbish? Every dumb, canned justification by the church about why you should believe has been blasted away so many times from the average YouTuber all the way up to physicists and scientific societies that you practically have to stick your head in the sand to avoid it.
"Wrestling with doubt" is just trying to fit the square block of your religion into the circular hole of reality.
“Those who say that the study of science makes a man an atheist must be rather silly.”
–Nobel Prize winning physicist Max Born, who was instrumental in the development of quantum mechanics.
“Those who say that the study of science makes a man an atheist must be rather silly.”
–Nobel Prize winning physicist Max Born
All these people claiming the Holy Spirit isn't there, that God isn't there, and that Jesus isn't who he said he is, the Son of God. They say this and claim others will laugh at them. OK, laugh at this:
"nothing all of the sudden for no reason what so ever, in a fraction of a second, created the entire universe, once and never again"
Are you laughing?
That's what atheists believe.
🙂
When you say that atheists believe in nothing and nothing came from nothing, could you please provide a citation?
Otherwise, you're just spreading lies and making baby Jeebus cry.
Well no one in science says everything came from nothing, we just don't know where the energy of the big bang came from and are content with saying "I do not know" until further evidence comes forth. Christians on the other hand say a middle eastern deity named Jehovah just happened to exist and nothing else did, then he made a man out of dust and a woman from his rib, meanwhile a talking snake tricked these first humans into eating a magic fruit that gave them the knowledge of good and evil, then a 600 year old man built a boat that had 2 of every animal on earth.. etc etc. I take no comfort in middle eastern theology, it does nothing to help us understand reality. Oh and science has observed quantum fluctuations that in a sense create nothing from something, read about Virtual particle pairs and be amazed. Oh and you won't found out about them by reading the Bible, you must find a book of real knowledge, not the musings of iron age goat-herders.
I hate to break it to you, but my husband is a full professor of biology and a nearly lifelong professor of faith in Christ. We are dealing with some of the same frustrations Rachel speaks of, but in no way do we feel our faith conflicts with science. In fact, we feel they complement one another perfectly. Yes, we believe in evolution and an earth and universe that are billions of years old. People like you are as guilty as Christians that claim the Bible as science.