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August 2nd, 2013
08:00 AM ET
Why millennials need the church
(CNN) - For a time, I counted myself among the spiritual but not religious, Christian but not churchgoing crowd. Like many millennials, I left church because I didn’t always see the compassion of Jesus there, and because my questions about faith and science, the Bible, homosexuality, and religious pluralism were met with shallow answers or hostility. At first I reveled in my newfound Sunday routine of sleeping in, sipping my coffee and yelling at Republicans who appeared on ”Meet the Press.” But eventually I returned, because, like it or not, we Christian millennials need the church just as much as the church needs us. Here’s why: Baptism As former Methodist bishop Will Willimon has often said, “you cannot very well baptize yourself.” In a culture that stresses individualism, the church satisfies the human need for community, for shared history and experiences. And in a world where technology enables millennials to connect only with those who are like-minded, baptism drags us - sometimes kicking and screaming as infants - into the large, dysfunctional and beautiful family of the church. Confession “Sin” is not a popular word these days, perhaps because it is so often invoked in the context of judgment and condemnation. But like all people, millennials need reminding now and then that the hate and violence we observe in the world is also present within ourselves. We can be too idealistic, too convinced we can change the world from our iPads. The accountability that comes from participation in a local church gives young Christians the chance to speak openly about our struggles with materialism, greed, gossip, anger, consumerism and pride. Healing While the flawed people who make up the church can certainly inflict pain on each other and sometimes on the world, we also engage in the important work of healing. At their best, local churches provide basements where AA groups can meet, living rooms where tough conversations about racial reconciliation occur, casseroles for the sick and shelter for the homeless. Millennials who have been hurt by the church may later find healing in it. Leadership Like a lot of millennials, I am deeply skeptical of authority - probably to a fault. But when I interact with people from my church who have a few years and a lot of maturity on me, I am reminded of how cool it is to have a free, built-in mentoring and accountability program just down the street. We can learn a lot from the faithful who have gone before us, and the church is where we find them. Communion One of the few things the modern church has in common with the ancient one is its celebration of the sacred meal— the Eucharist. There is simply not the space here, nor in many volumes of theology for that matter, to unpack the significance of remembering Jesus through eating bread and drinking wine. But when I left the church, it was Communion I craved the most. Churches may disagree on exactly how Christ is present in these sacred meals, but we agree that Christ is present. And millennials, too, long for that presence. There are some days when the promise of Communion is the only thing that rouses me from bed on Sunday morning. I want a taste of that mystery. Confirmation Many churches practice a rite of initiation, sometimes called confirmation. Theologian Lauren Winner, in her book “Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis,” quotes a friend who said: “What you promise when you are confirmed is not that you will believe this forever. What you promise when you are confirmed is that that is the story you will wrestle with forever.” The church, at its best, provides a safe place in which to wrestle with this story we call the Gospel. Union with Christ Those who follow Jesus long for the day when their communion with him becomes complete, and Jesus promises this will happen through the church. The apostle Paul compared this union to a marriage. Jesus describes it as a banquet. No matter what the latest stats or studies say, Christians believe the future of the church is secure and not even “the gates of hell” will prevail against it. As much as I may struggle to fit in sometimes, as much as I doubt, question and fight for reforms, I am a part of this church, through good times and bad, for better or worse. The astute reader will notice that each of these points corresponds loosely with a sacrament—baptism, confession, the anointing of the sick, holy orders, communion, confirmation and marriage. Some would say there are many others. We could speak of the sacrament of the Word or the washing of feet. But even where they are not formally observed, these sacraments are present in some form in nearly every group of people who gather together in the name of Jesus. They connect us to our faith through things we can eat, touch, smell and feel. And they connect us with one another. They remind us, as writer and Episcopal priest Sara Miles put it, that “You can’t be a Christian by yourself.” This is why I haven’t given up on the church, and I suspect why it hasn't given up on me. 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 her. Evans has written two previous posts for CNN's Belief Blog: Why millennials are leaving the church; and Not all religious convictions are written in stone. [twitter-follow screen_name='RachelHeldEvans'] soundoff (4,825 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 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
Very good article. I really appreciate CNN for giving space to Rachel and her beautiful contemplative soul. She is a modern day Henry Nouwen I suspect. I hope and pray she writes a book on Millenials and faith. Bravo Rachel! May the peace of Christ embrace you.
Bet her hubby appreciates the revenue from her books so he can go fishin' with a rock star motorhome and boat.
you are guaranteed to make meaningless comments.
Brava, not bravo. Rachel is female. Get with it, Ben.
Observer says,
"All animals communicate. What you lack is the ability to understand nature"
Very nice critique of Freud from the Frankfurt School. 4 legged Son doggy will copulate with mama doggy in the natural world.. The rich hired wet nurses for their children. Freud and rich friends would never think the nurses were hot. But mama was hot.
It'snot nice to confuse 2 legged doggies. And base science on the confusion.
I have to assume at this point that you have been drinking heavily. you comments make even less sense than usual.
Got MILK??
1%. you could sop up the absurdity in your posts with it.
There are many reasons people flock to churches and Rachel hit a few of them. Community, comfort, leadership, etc. These are all psychological needs, and what the churches provided was psychological band-aids. Millenials are leaving the church for many reasons too, principally, I like to think, because they are discovering that its primitive and mystical doctrines just don't add up. This should have happened centuries ago, but better late than never.
It is the wisdom of the world which does not add up.
"...because they are discovering that its primitive and mystical doctrines just don't add up. This should have happened centuries ago, but better late than never."
There are 'church' groups that provided the community, singing, potlucks, congregational assembly without the anti-factual, anti-science layers of lies over lies. They call themselves Science of Mind, Unity International, Life Enrichment, all under a so-called 'new-age' umbrella that the old-age back-to-the-bible-hour fundamentalists fear and despise and view as a potential threat to their 'flocks'. Why does religion usually have to mean belief in the unbelievable?
There is no "THE churchl" There are many churches. Many groups of people who claim that they are following Jesus, from Russian Orthodox to Roman Catholic to Presbyterian, to Southern Baptist, to Luternan, to he Society of Friends (Quaokers), to Methodists, to United Church of Christ, To Ethiopain Orthodox, to Coptic and beyond Just who is meant by "the church"?
Patricia, "the Church," as it is used here, refers to people who call themselves Christians and profess to follow Christ. There are many denominations that we have divided ourselves into, but there is only one Christ and one God that we follow. Have a blessed day. 🙂
The bible says the church is the body of Christ. It is those who believe in Him and follow Him. Regardless of how many groups of people are calling themselves a church, THE church is everyone who is in the faith, the Christian faith as set forth in the bible.
if only the christians believed that...
You atheist will never get it. It seems so clearly logical to you that Christianity is a farce and fabricated fairy tale yet millions of people give and dedicate their lives to Christ every year. I admit. If it wasn't for my faith and my knowledge of Jesus Christ, the Bible could be seen as just a good story. But isn't it strange that even today, this apparently good story is still attracting believers who are willing to give their all to worship him. We just had baptisms in our church last Sunday and expect more this Sunday. This makes sense, Only God can give you the peace and wisdom necessary to navigate through such a destructive world. You don't see how people can live believing in God and I can't see the sanity in trying to live without him. The world has proven that it can't do anything for me accept to attempt to chop me down.
There are many true Christians out there who are following Christ as they should, but they will never get attention in the press. Only those who fail at being Christians are given press time to discourage others from following the truth. But here is something that is undeniable. No matter how logical your arguments are, you will never change the mind of a person who is spiritually in tune with God. You are spiritually challenged and the spiritually strong confound you. Christ said 2000 years ago that the "gate of hell" will not prevail against the church. So, don't think that your mere humanistic logic has a hope of prevailing. The Church will always be in existence. It will never go away. My relationship with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ makes me more than 100% about this.
So you support hating your family and stoning people when deemed appropriate by the bible? This is what your zombie son of the sky fairy demands.
No
Even if millions of people have a delusion, it's still a delusion..........
Even if you think people are delusional, that doesn't mean that they are... And what if the delusion is in thinking that the universe came into being by random chance?
Well said. There are over 1.2 bn followers of Islam and all are living in a state of denial.
No amount of belief makes something true.
I stopped caring what you had to say after you refered to people as "You atheist ".
Love thy neighbor.
Take a step back from your belief and ponder this..A God , impregnates a teenage girl , already betrothed to another man ,so he can comedown into the world as his own son and spread his message..That alone sound as insane as anything in Scientology or Mormonism or Islam .
@chris, yours is an ignorant fallacy. by your own logic the billions of adherents to islam are also justified in their belief.
AND THE INFAMOUS ANGELIC CONS CONTINUE TO WREAK STUPIDITY UPON THE WORLD
Joe Smith had his Moroni. (As does M. Romney)
"Latter-day Saints like M. Romney also believe that Michael the Archangel was Adam (the first man) when he was mortal, and Gabriel lived on the earth as Noah."
Jehovah Witnesses have their Jesus /Michael the archangel, the first angelic being created by God;
Mohammed had his Gabriel (this "tin-kerbell" got around).
Jesus and his family had/has Michael, Gabriel, and Satan, the latter being a modern day demon of the demented. (As do BO and his family)(As do Biden and Ryan) (As does Ms. Evans)
The Abraham-Moses myths had their Angel of Death and other "no-namers" to do their dirty work or other assorted duties.
Contemporary biblical and religious scholars have relegated these "pretty wingie/horn-blowing thingies" to the myth pile. We should do the same to include deleting all references to them in our religious operating manuals. Doing this will eliminate the prophet/profit/prophecy status of these founders and put them where they belong as simple humans just like the rest of us.
Science is a method of testing, and the knowledge from those test, which requires observable control and measure experiments be done on observable things. So ho is it that Science has tested and rendered dead angels, demons, or God? It has not and can not. Religion and the bible are are about our evolving relationship and understanding of God and in a limited way, WHY he does his work. Science can do no more than show me HOW he does his work. There is no way for science to prove or disprove God. It can only show the observable actions and reactions of nature, Gods had at work.
*how *hand
@Jeremy, is this some kind of joke. how about the existence of fairies, dragons and leprechauns? your argument is infantile. grow up and try again some day.
the stupidest religious blog in cnn so far.
Amen to that. First though, which is "the church"?
This is all per her perspective, one among billions. And I'm not buying into it. It's all built on so much smoke.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=AxU3gXy1Qq8
what a load... people need the church about as much as they need cancer. Don't pin your weak-mindedness on all of us.
Don't pin your idea that church is for the weak minded on all of us.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=7lWzTvdtEx0
Hello... Maybe..?
Nice little one-hit wonder that means absolutely nothing. Enjoyed the trip in your Wayback Machine though, Sherman.
If you liked 2525, then you'll...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VsZFiMo8TIc
Everyone should leave the church, it is a joke and a fraud.
Get rid of this farce, accept knowledge and reality.
It is just a fairy tale.....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=7lWzTvdtEx0
Sorry about my double posting of 2525...I meant to post Johnny Cash's Hurt...
Why the fuck would you post either one, Looney Lamb?
You answered your own question there with the word Looney...
Yeah, I guess so. Silly me.
Why should people leave thed church because of your belief?
Please, please just shut up. I am sick of your incessant millennial whining. I'm not sure why millennials are leaving the church but the reason could very well be that they are sitting next to you.
LOL. Hilarious. But either way I'm happy they are leaving. Religion can't die off soon enough for me.
SSDD
Rachel
Being a Christian means that you are a follower of Christ. This has nothing to do with religion, which is born out of man's desire to tell God how he wants to worship God. Even more, as a Christian, you are a part of the body of Christ, which means you are part of his church. The church is you. The church is me. It's not some edifice or building that you can refuse to go to. Each person makes up the church and your church family is no different than your earthly family, there will be some dis-functionalism there also. Don't let that discourage you from worshiping God the way he intends for to. It may be your presence that will change others. Besides, we are in a spiritual war with the evil forces of this world. So, where ever you find people who are true Christians, you are going to find turmoil and conflict. Evil cannot allow the truest places to exist without at least attempting interference. It is our job to fight it as it rears its ugly head.
Chris
The whole church is a big ponzi scheme. It's all a big fairy tale. Stop trying to sell the rest of us on it. Please click on the ads on my article lots tho.
K Thanx. Luv Ya 2.
So now you are trolling us pretending to be the author? bwahahahaha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTHrTOzfqhg&feature=player_embedded
Without Social Chaos being under supervised conditionings, social unrest would annihilate the common goodness issues we are now being offered up. Just on the record, tell me as to just how much longer will Societal Chaos be stilled before it boils over and melts all of today's social hierarchies that find living in the laps of luxuries upon the pennies of their downtrodden..?
People get different things out of going to church. Fellowship, communion, worship, meditating on the Word. Maybe just a hot cup of coffee while dropping the weight of all concerns at the foot of the Cross.
Some get comfort from some church's rituals and formalities.
Personally, i love Jesus' invitation to just come as you are and rejoice in His free offer of salvation. When I saw just what it all truly meant, I was happy to change. No regrets!
In His unbelievable and mystifying love, Juanito.
I get pretty much the same thing out of my Cowboys season tickets.
Being a cowboys fan, you MUST have ALOT of faith!
What's ALOT?
@ athy:
ALOT either pertains to the incredible abundance of faith that cowboys will make the playoffs this year, or my error in spelling 'a lot'.
In this case, its both!
It's it's, not its. And the Cowboys don't have a chance.
I used to love to see the Cowboys come to San Francisco to play. They would jog out onto the field and you could see their poop shoots where hurting.
@ Mirosal,
Free will is still there and He invites us to choose. There is going to be a New Heaven and a New Earth, i.e. a New Creation to replace this old one. The "prepared" Kingdom is His blessing and "reward" for those who choose to follow Him (by faith). Unlike what many pastors, theologians and evangelists proclaim, the dead are not active, i.e. they are "asleep" in the grave as the Scriptures plainly teach. The first resurrection is when Christ returns, and then there is a 1,000 year pause.... So why choose to remain dead when one can be made alive in Christ the Creator and enjoy the blessings of the Kingdom?
Are you prepared to tell that to the 5 billion others who do not share your views? Do you think you can convince a Jew or a Muslim that YOUR way is the right way? You offer nothing but an opinion about a 2000 year old book filled with 3000 year old stories. The Norse had Valhalla, the Greeks had the Elysian fields. Why don't you believe in those things as well? Once you've answered THAT question, you'll know why I've dismissed your view. You offer words, but not one iota of anything resembling what could be considered to be evidence of any kind. You didn't just drink the Kool-Aid, you bathe in it.
So the bottom line is that you want evidence to what I am saying, is this correct? If I bring forth solid, convincing evidence, then perhaps you will listen to what I have to say?
This "evidence" had better be pretty good, because your cult's fairy tales can't even keep their story straight regarding this cult leader.
@ SDC
Fair enough. The time is quickly coming.... and so is the Kingdom....
A 2000 year foreplay isn't a quick coming! 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=7lWzTvdtEx0
@ Mirosal:
The other gods you mentioned died out with the cultures.
Considering that Jesus did not write anything, and that His influence outlasted the Roman Empire and all attempts to extinguish the Truth, your comparison to the aforementioned cultural religions may not be the best.
The one true God offers His Promise of salvation, offered Himself as sacrifice, and offers us eternal life. No man made god ever mentioned did the same. If God was made up, then all the other gods you mentioned surely would have included the same.
He is the first and only to claim to be beyond the confines of time and definition. The prophesies in Scripture have, and are still being, fulfilled.
It's a bit hard to explain why a poor, unemployed carpenter from Nazareth and his 12 yes men(among a host of others), armed with only parchment and a conviction would have such a strong influence throughout the world 2000 years later.
I calling on you and your highly scrutinizing and intelligent mind to explain the staying power of this so called fairy tale. If this was all a lie, how could it have survived for so long against severe opposition throughout history, and why is it so strongly believed today in a highly connected and sophisticated world of today?
In His Love, Juanito.
No real opposition since the 4th century. And the vast majority of the world's population does not believe as you do. Like it or not, Christianity is in decline (and Isam is ascending).
We don't have to convince anyone with what we believe, we only witness to the Lord Jesus Christ and His Good News. It is up to the individual to believe or not. God does not require believers to convince people nor does He require us to prove His existence. It is God's sovereign will not to show Himself. It is clear that He reveals Himself through His mighty work of this Creation. We Christians live by Faith in God Almighty, the Father, Son (Lord Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit.
"It is God’s sovereign will not to show Himself."
God seems to like to play hide-and-seek, huh?
"It is clear that He reveals Himself through His mighty work of this Creation."
Horseshit. That's not clear at all. Hence, the questions.
So... the author's NOT yelling at Republicans who appear on "Meet the Press" anymore?
Anyway, fine by me if she wants to fight the good fight for tolerance and compassion within her yahoo-driven Evangelical church. The one crucial point she brought up at the beginning but did not talk about further is "religious pluralism." Many of the positives she writes about can be found in other churches, and I don't think she is going to get very far insisting to Jews that they need Jesus in their heart, LOL. In fact, some of the merits she lists can be found in non-religious service organizations.
Lots of people treasure the message of peace, humility and faith in God found in the Bible and other traditions but can do without the come-to-Jesus-or-else angle.
Without professing her hate for Republicans, how could she be featured on CNN two weeks in a row?
Jealous much? Lucky for you John that we don't filter out your spiteful comments. Yet.
The religious blogs are the only place CNN allows a discussion of science minted post 19th century.
He could smell her from his position, directly downwind of the Santa Ana’s, the putrid air-born tendril of urine and body odor makes a formidable weapon. Her socks, slung over the tops of her borrowed Converse flaps. Here teeth only a reminder of public service announcements. The hair was everywhere. Not untidy exactly, just….everywhere. Like a blanket over her. She had a pleasing form though. Hard not to look twice. So hard in fact, many had made her their project. Each had failed. For her the addiction was her destiny and would lead to her death. But not today.
Joe Skinner rarely looked up when he was walking in L.A. Nobody on these streets needed directions or knew where any stars lived. This was Korea Town, the crossroads where Heaven and Hell conduct their business. It was different now. The riots broke the peace and historians were quick to point out that Korea Town was marginalized during the Rodney King Riots of 1992 and it was happening again. Neighborly “hellos” became tense and less friendly. If you want someone to get your back, stay in your part of town. And don’t bother calling 911.
Joe called 911. The voice on the other end of his “iMate” spoke in hushed tones. Joe laughed. He knew they would have to follow up on any call. If Ryerson shows up, He’s dead. Joe still had friends everywhere in the eight block neighborhood of K-Town. He walked without being disturbed, but only because he understood protocol. K-Town in 2033 was not only unsafe, it was anarchy and there were untouchables.
That is when he saw it. A photograph. Hard to see in the wet gutter, but the man in the image was beautiful. Long flowing hair that wasn’t messy but practically covered his whole upper section. Skinner reached for it. It sizzled in his fingers and glowed. This was Jesus and he was come unto the Earth to save humans at long last.
Joe on the other hand really wanted to get baked before work and needed a paper and Jesus was handy. It was wet but they had one of those electric 2025 hand dryers in the rest room of the filling station he stood next to. He blazed, and soon saw Jesus once again. This time Jesus stood before him saying, “I brought unto you a miracle and this is how you betray your lack of awe to the sight of me?
Joe thought a moment and finally looked at Jesus and said, “You crazy fuck, here, toke up bro!” The party lasted long into the night. Jesus got tore up and the moral of the story is that Marijuana should be legal in the United States.
Oh sorry, this article was about something stupid, not marijuana.
Sired Apples' Bush...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=UtkP5gTX6Hc
Legalizing marijuana is straight up Reagan boiler plate.