Leland, J. (2000, May 8). "Searching for a holy spirit." Newsweek, pp. 61-63.

OVERVIEW

Recently, 78% of teenagers said that their religion was important to them, but only half said that they attended services regularly.

With this dichotomy in mind, the article examines the various—seemingly conflicting—religious trends within the youth subculture. According to this article, fundamentalist groups among the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim traditions have all experienced growth due to a resurgence of young membership. And as Wade Clark Roof, a professor of religion and society, comments, " ‘There is a hunger for guidelines that parents haven’t offered.’ "

This rise in fundamentalism is contrasted with the more broad-based appeal of consumer-oriented religion. Many teenagers are picking and choosing what they like from a number of different religions and denominations, preferring the label "spiritual" to "religious."

The article shares the spiritual lives of several teenagers: one experimenting with different religions, one an evangelical Christian, and another, a Muslim. Each are portrayed as finding their own way along the journey of life; the article concludes with an appeal to the desire of most teenagers to find a way of living among relative truths.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1. Where do you fit in on the spectrum of set-in-your-beliefs to open-to-new-things?
2. Do you think it’s necessary to attend religious services regularly?
3. Are the religions basically the same?
4. Do you consider yourself to be spiritual?

IMPLICATIONS

• Teenagers are continuing to express their faith relativistically.
• Those who serve them must recognize this trend.
• Teenagers are increasingly open to spiritual things.