Richard Flory on Gen X Religion

“The majority of books published on Generation X and religion concern how one or another religious group might figure out to ‘reach’ Xers with a particular religious message and attract GenXers to their group.”

Richard Flory came to this conclusion during his research for the book, Generation X Religion. Together with Donald Miller he led a team of researchers to explore the values and practices of religious gatherings focused on Generation X.

Donald Miller and Arpa Misha Miller provide a useful introduction to understanding Generation X, exploring the trends while acknowledging the subtleties. The key point they make is that while GenXers are not attending traditional mainline churches in great numbers, despite their commitment to finding and expressing authentic spirituality. What this book is about, then, is the ways in which new movements and environments are being developed to provide authentic attempts to mediate the sacred.

What follows is a ‘wild assortment’ of institutions in which people gather together to offer one another some support, nurturing and love. I’m fairly sure they’re all in the Los Angeles region.

Spirituality Embodied

Lori Jensen, along with the editors, writes about growing openness to body adornment among Gen Xers. We get to visit Sid’s Tattoo Parlour, linked up with the local Calvary Chapel. Julia Winden Fey follows up Tom Beaudoin’s hint that Gothic culture has something to tell us about spirituality. She comes to the conclusion that in many cases Goths form a movement something between a subculture and a cult.

GenX Multicultures

LaDawn Prieto takes us to Urban Mosaic, a worship event held in a nightclub by Mosaic pastored by Erwin McManus. Arlene Sanchez Walsh helps us explore Gen X Christian expressions of Latino Youth Culture in two main settings, Victory Outreach and Vineyard. Sharon Kim writes about the competitive but effective environment of second Generation Korean Campus Ministries at University of California Los Angeles. Gregory Stanczak tries to work out what has attracted so many Gen Xers to what has been described as a cult, International Church of Christ, earlier known as the Boston movement and until recently led by Kip McKean.

Community and Congregation

Lori Jensen is back again to provide some sociological analysis of the planting of Gen X congregations in the Calvary Chapel movement, a movement started by and for Boomers. Douglas Hayward takes us behind the scenes at the ‘Toronto Blessing’-style Harvest Rock church. We get to meet the pastor, Che An, who has founded a worldwide Harvest Movement. Kimberly Leaman Algallar and Richard Flory write up the story of Loveland‘s Primetime, a predominantly African American church pastored by Chuck Singleton. J. Liora Gubkin introduces us to the growing Jewish service, Friday Night Live at Sinai Temple, led by Rabbi David Wolpe. And finally we are given an insider account of Church of the Redeemer – an ‘early-days’ incarnational church plant in South Central Los Angeles.

Conclusion

Richard Flory provides the concluding chapter, “Toward a Theory of Generation X Religion”. He begins by saying that we’ve moved past trying to fathom the process of secularization and church decline. It is now time to study the emerging spirituality that is being expressed in new forms of religion. He draws together two approaches to sociology of religion: Wade Roof Clark’s study of religion through the lense of Baby Boomer culture, and Donald Miller’s study of the phenomenology of the emerging “New Apostolic” churches.

Richard paints the picture of youth spirituality expressed in religion that is experiential, entrepreneurial, provides a sense of identity, allows for inclusiveness (race, ethnic or gender related), and is authentic. He describes a common Gen X criteria for measuring authenticity: the degree of nonjudgmental & nonhypocritical ways. Another key is the capacity to live honestly, recognising the ups and downs of life. He says that Gen X communication is identified by experience, narrative, creativity & example, not by rational argumentation for truth claims of particular religious belief system.

As with the Baby Boomer churches, the Gen X churches are said to gravitate towards independence rather than denominational loyalty. They are more likely to favour lay-led consensus rather than hierarchical approaches to authority. Like the Boomers, the Gen X churches demonstrate a sense of religious consumerism. However they are more likely to develop a boutique approach in which distinctive entrepreneurial approaches to style and substance are explored.

Flory comments that many Xers find their sense of meaning in the context of community and intimacy.

Richard finishes with a challenge to religious leaders. We need to understand the shift in emphasis from written text to narrative, image and experience. We need to learn to tell stories, including the stories of contemporary pop culture. It would help if we appreciate the resonance of these stories in Xers lives and equip GenXers to tell own stories in religiously irreverent terms. We need to trust Xers to do the right thing, rather than direct their every move. We need to downplay hierarchies of authority and all their implications. And we need to realise that Xers are likely to invest in local issues where results can be seen.

When I first picked up this book, I was a bit turned off by the material on tattoos. Not by the tattos mind you. But by the fact that there was little evidence that this was distinctly Gen X culture that was being described. However, in the context of the whole book, the chapter helps the reader come to terms with a wide variety of sub cultures that in some cases transcend generational boundaries. Tom Beaudoin in Virtual Faith calls for research into the expression of Gen X spirituality for the non ‘middle class white’ culture. Flory and Miller and their team have done just that, from the perspective of religious sociology. No doubt it could be said that their perspective is pertinent to the multi-ethnic multi-cultural environment of Southern California. More homogenous parts of the world can still learn from the principles explored here, even if they don’t experience the same scale of diversity.

I could imagine using the same approach in exploring emerging generational culture in other contexts. Work with a team to identify common goals and shared approaches to research. Enter an environment that is clearly resonating with the particular generational cohort, observe, interview and reflect in the light of wider trends. What we’re talking about here is action research, practiced in live situations. What would complete the scenario is the capacity to reflect on learnings with the various hosts in ways which help lead to ongoing focused work.

Richard Flory teaches sociology at Biola University in La Mirada, in southern California. He has a personal web site. Donald E. Miller is professor of religion at University of Southern California, Los Angeles.