On Friday afternoon I was part of a panel responding to Dean Hoge’s lecture on young adults in the Catholic Church.
Dean’s a Presbyterian who’s been lecturing in sociology of religion at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC for thirty years. He was part of the team that published the 1994 book, “Vanishing Boundaries: The Religion of Mainline Protestant Baby Boomers”. On Friday Dean was presenting research on Catholic young adults in the United States, to an audience consisting mostly of Catholic educators and youth ministry staff from Brisbane.
There were some eye openers for me. The top two values in a 1997 survey of Catholics 20 to 39 years old, relating to Catholic distinctiveness, were belief that God is present in the sacraments (no surprise), and a charitable efforts toward helping the poor (interesting). Fourth on the list was devotion to Mary the Mother of God. Emerging values identified in teenagers and young adults included a commitment to short-term projects and a strong will to protect the environment.
Dean took us through a national sample of American Catholics held in 2003, looking at issues of individual conscience and Catholic teaching, ethics relating to homosexual acts, abortion, pre-marital sex and birth control. It was clear that there was a strong delineation between Pre-Vatican II Catholics (63 years and older) and post-Vatican II Catholics (40-62 years of age). Young adults (18-39) were quite similar to the latter. Clearly a lot of the difference was related to generational change, particularly in the emergence of the Baby Boom generation.
Dean talked about the challenge faced by liberal denominations like the PCUSA and Uniting Church in Australia when it comes to identity. As denominations we highly value individual capacity for discernment, education and decision making. We are loathe to tell young adults what to do and believe. Some young adults stay around for that very reason. However many drift off because they perceive to be vagueness in doctrine and distinctiveness. The Uniting Church in Australia does not have much connection with the narratives told by the Methodists, Presbyterians and Congregationalists in earlier years. We focus so much on being accessible and inclusive to Christians of all varieties that we’re in danger of being a generic brand, standing for nothing much.
My response included a reference to brand loyalty among emerging generations. People like Kevin Roberts at Saatchi and Saatchi prefer to talk about love than loyalty, thus the phrase “Love Marks”. We see that at work in the emotional connection many young Australian Christians have with Hillsong. I referred to Pope John Paul II and his inclusion in the Love Marks web site, between Pop Secret (pop corn) and Porsche. We have the challenge of nurturing passion that goes beyond consumerism, modelling this capacity for love in our own lives. I pointed out that organisations like Greenpeace found a following in the Baby Boom generation when a group of people now in their late sixties committed themselves to sharing their vision with students and workers ten years younger than themselves.
Dean Hoge is pictured below (left) with my fellow panel members Selina Harris (Sunnybank Catholic Parish) and Paul Mergard, (right) photographer and Salvation Army church planter in West End, Brisbane.
Forever Young, covered by Sydney band, Youth Group, is an intergenerational text that provides opportunities to explore faith in everyday language of popular culture.
The music video, released this year, shows teenage skateboarders taking part in a contest at the Coca Cola factory at Frenches Forest, Sydney Australia, footage originally shown on Australian youth show GTK (Get To Know) in 1975.
You can see the music video on RAGE, the Australian ABC’s equivalent of MTV on Saturday and Sunday mornings. More people see the video on YouTube.
What’s made the track so popular? The Youth Group recorded “Forever Young” for the third series of The O.C., a music-saturated teen US television drama series, and suddenly found themselves with an international hit, published around the world on The O.C. Mix 5 and now as an EP, Forever Young.
The original song, written by Marian Gold, performed by German synth band Alphaville in 1982 and re-released on the 1989 CD, Forever Young, picked up the uncertainty experienced by Gen X teenagers as they faced a world in danger of nuclear holocaust.
Let’s dance in style,
let’s dance for a while.
Heaven can wait,
we’re only watching the sky,
Hoping for the best
but expecting the worst.
Are you gonna drop the bomb or not?
Let us die young
or let us live forever.
Forever young,
I want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever,
forever, forever?
As I watch this video and listen to the song with my family and friends, I’ll be exploring questions relating to youth, aging and hopes for the future. I’ll be inviting Gen Xers to talk about their experiences of youth in the 1970s and 1980s, along with the realities of their lives now. In turn, teenagers will have their unique perspectives on the world of the twenty first century and what it might mean to become adults with a future.
The conversation could be rounded out with a reference to Bob Dylan’s 1973 song, “Forever Young”, first recorded on Planet Waves. It would be good to hear from people who despite their physical limitations can look back at their lives saying they’ve grown up to be true, courageous, upright and strong, living with joyful hearts, forever young.
Having explored the songs and video, it’s time to introduce a new intergenerational text for conversation, Ecclesiastes 12:1-2, paraphrased here in The Message.
Honour and enjoy your Creator while you’re still young,
Before the years take their toll and your vigor wanes,
Before your vision dims and the world blurs
And the winter years keep you close to the fire.
Ryan Heath has just been back home to Australia to promote his book, “Please Just F* Off It’s Our Turn Now: Holding Baby Boomers To Account”, published by Pluto Press.
I read a summary of his thinking in his article in the Weekend Australian Magazine over Easter, “War of Words”. The 25 year old journalist says it’s time Generation Y began taking the reins of power and influence from the baby boomers. Imre Salusinszky responds with an alternative point of view. Sadly the article is another example of the press fuelling intergenerational contempt rather than helping people develop a ‘win-win’ approach to intergenerational passing of the baton.
More thoughtful reviews can be found at Bad Analysis February 5 (Andrew Norton). I’ll be back with more when I’ve finished reading the book.
From Ryan’s web site, it appears as though Pluto Press approached him and asked him to write the book. Once again, who is gaining from this approach to generational journalism?
The Pluto Press editorial review:
Australia watch out! This is a snapshot of the generational change that is coming.
A call to generational battle not seen since the 1960s.
Ryan Heath, a twenty five year old writes about his generation - young people in their twenties who he says are very different to Baby Boomers and Generation X.
His book is a sexy snapshot of the people born after 1970 - the people of this century. How they are different, special and ready to take over from Baby Boomers.
Like many of his generation, Ryan Heath has had a gutful of the same bunch of boomers still hogging all the good jobs and holding Australia back. He says: Enough is enough - it’s time for a generational change or Australia will slide into decline.
In a style that is controversial, passionate and with humour, this is an enjoyable and provocative read in the tradition of Mike Moore. A must read for Generation Y and X but also for Boomers who will love to hate Heath’s criticisms and mockery of them.
He pulls no punches when it comes to Aussie sacred cows and institutions - Fairfax, the ABC, and the ALP particularly.
Ryan asserts that his generation is very different to boomers and X’s. They may be smaller in number but are more diverse, better educated, more socially responsible, switched on to new technologies and believe in working through networks rather than hierarchies. He believes they have what it takes to make Australia a better place.
Ryan says Australia is moribund and stultified with superannuated leaders arguing over outdated orthodoxies while business, media, culture and political parties sag under the weight of tired methods and ideas recycled from the 70s and 80s.
According to Ryan Heath, Australian public life has ignored the energy and ideas of younger people leading to mediocrity and decline here, and an exodus of hundreds of thousands of talented young people like himself to take up opportunities overseas, where younger people are given positions of responsibility, and where generations share more fairly.
Ryan grew up near Coffs Harbour in Australia, studied communications in Sydney, wrote for the Sydney Morning Herald, before moving to the UK for a job in public service.
“So retro-ozculture here we come. Just when the lucky country was almost escaped its ocker image,. The latest television advertising campaign to entice Australians to come to Australia features the final line of a young gorgeous girl on the beach asking Where the bloody hell are ya?. Sounds like a comment Shazza the stoned Ocker from local SBS comedy Pizza fame might be screaming at her equally ockerfied stoner boyfriend . It just doesn’t sound credible coming from the sweet young thing circa 1990s dispensing the line probably unbeknownst to most Yanks. It is more of a line to cheer the heart of the baby-boomer Aussie remembering the good old days when Australia was full of real Aussies, you know the type Tony Abbot likes, ones who don’t have foreign names or accents. Peter Costello, Tony Abbot and their like all seem to be suffering form of identity crisis and need to return to an outdated , outmoded era. Where are the these old antipodeans heading for, what are they trying to achieve?
This retrospective ockerism has recently been invading television advertising and is making a return to Australian popular culture it seems. It takes me back to the simpler life we led as kids in the seventies north of Brisbane or even further back to my sixty something mother’s youth. I am happy to leave the past where it belongs in the past. Women were still relatively powerless; a house quarter acre block was affordable in most parts of Australia; the dollar was stable; protectionism isolated Australia from the vagaries of the world economy; the white Australia policy had not long been dismantled; education had become accessible to all; multi-culturalism just rumour in federal parliament and Skippy ruled. It was an ideal time if that is what you are used to.”
There is something disturbing about the advertising campaign. The scene featuring the Aboriginal dancers features a spokeswoman who looks more Italian/Greek than Aborigine.
I’d be curious to see how other Gen Xers and younger are responding to the ad. MzzD’s cynicism is tied up with a disillusionment with a swing to conservative values in Australian politics. Surely there are Baby Boomers who are likewise disturbed by such trends.
A 2003 mailing from the Barna Group reveals as much about the Barna Group as about small churches. The heading downplays small churches because of their lack of fast growth. However we see some of the first signs of Barna’s engagement with an emerging disinterest in large churches.
Barna puts this down to two factors -
1. Early adults without children don’t need a program-style church.
2. Busters tending to be turned off by the impersonal nature of large Boomer-led organisations.
There are a few other reasons that Barna doesn’t put his finger on. Perhaps we’re seeing a growing cynicism over approaches to church that require seven days a week commitment to a campus-focused church rather than to family and local community. Large churches are often led by pastors who are highly driven to produce results - results measured in numbers attending worship and programs.
Small Churches Struggle to Grow Because Of The People They Attract
September 2, 2003
(Ventura, CA)
The United States is dominated by small churches, with the average church attracting less than 90 adults on a typical weekend. The greatest attention flows to large churches, especially the 2% of churches that attract more than 1000 adults in a typical weekend. A new study by the Barna Research Group, of Ventura, California, shows that there are both demographic and theolographic reasons why small churches stay small and large churches grow larger. While some church growth can be attributed to geographic location and population growth, the Barna study indicates that there are fundamental dynamics at work that keep small congregations from growing numerically as well as several basic factors that contribute to the numerical expansion of mid-sized and large churches.
Overall, the research found that the typical Protestant church has 89 adults in attendance during an average weekend. In total, 60% of Protestant churches have 100 or fewer adults on a typical weekend, while slightly less than 2% have 1000 or more adults. Examining the figures in terms of where adults attend, however, the statistics show that about four out of ten church-going adults (41%) go to churches with 100 or fewer adults while about one out of eight church-going adults (12%) can be found in churches of 1000 or more adults.
Demographic Drawbacks for Small Churches
Based on a study of the church-going habits of 4501 adults randomly sampled from the U.S., the Barna survey discovered that small churches (defined as average weekend attendance of 100 or fewer adults) are more likely than either mid-sized (301-999 adults) or large churches (1000 or more adults) to draw people who are not college graduates and are more likely to appeal to people with lower household incomes. George Barna, director of the study, suggested that a �downscale� demographic profile often correlates with less aggressive growth patterns in organizations and a limited number of effective leaders.
Surprisingly, the research showed that adults under 35 years of age are more likely than are older adults to attend small churches. Barna cited two dominant reasons for this pattern. The first is the relative absence of children among younger adults. This impacts one�s choice of a church because providing children with a quality ministry experience is one of the main reasons why many Americans attend a church, and larger churches typically offer more programs and opportunities for children. The second reason why younger adults are more likely to attend a small church relates to the Baby Bust generation�s disinterest in participating in Boomer-led organizations and in large-scale enterprises. Busters are more interested in being personally known and connected, which many believe is more difficult to accomplish in larger churches.
Theolographic Limitations in Small Churches
The study also found that small churches have some theolographic limitations � that is, their spiritual beliefs and practices reflect challenges that are less prevalent in larger congregations.
The data revealed that small churches have a lower proportion of attenders who are �spiritually active,� which was defined as individuals who attend a church service, read the Bible, and pray to God during a typical week. This paralleled a finding that showed small church attenders are less likely to claim that their religious faith is �very important� in their life.
In addition, the research showed that adults affiliated with small congregations are less likely to be born again, less likely to believe in salvation by grace alone (i.e., not by good deeds), and less likely to have an orthodox view of God (i.e., holy, creator, ruler of the universe, alive today). The report indicated that such views undermine a solid theological foundation for congregational growth and may suggest that other spiritual perspectives that conflict with the Bible are common in smaller churches.
Mid-Sized and Large Churches Attract Aggressors
Demographically, mid-sized and large churches attract a higher proportion of �upscale� adults � those whose education and income levels enable the church to take more risks, be more aggressive in marketing, and draw resources from deeper pockets and broader backgrounds. Barna also noted that upscale individuals are more often comfortable with leadership requirements and decision-making, and tend to be more excited about organizational growth. He pointed out that large churches, in particular, appeal to Baby Boomers � one-quarter of church-going Boomers (25%) attend churches of 500 or more adults, compared to just one-sixth of church-going Busters (17%) � and Boomers are infamous for equating success with growth and large-scale operations.
One of the most intriguing patterns emerging from the study portrayed mid-sized churches as having the highest proportion of born again believers. Barna suggested that many mid-sized churches grow numerically because their born again members actively invite non-born again people to the church. This often has the effect of swelling the church�s numbers so that it reaches the �large� category while simultaneously diluting its born again proportion.
Larger Congregations Are More Conservative Spiritually
Adults attending mid-sized and large churches are more often people who are conservative in their theology as well as their social and political views. �Conservative people more often play by the rules,� commented Barna. �That helps to explain why mid-sized and large churches are often more solid on the theological foundations: those congregations are populated by people who want to know the biblical boundaries and expectations, and then are eager to work within them. Their energy and tangible resources are more focused and the result is more productive ministry.� The researcher also said that sociopolitical conservatives outnumber liberals by a three-to-one margin among church-going adults.
Hope for Small Churches
In spite of the obstacles revealed in the research, small churches have tremendous potential. �These insights simply identify some of the critical challenges that the average small church has to address,� the California-based researcher stated. �Small churches play an important and valuable role in the religious landscape of America. They reach millions of young adults who have no interest in a larger church setting. They have tremendous potential for building strong community, as well as spiritual foundations. And small churches often grow into larger churches once they develop significant internal leadership and creatively overcome their resource limitations.�
Barna also questioned the value of growth for its own sake. �Jesus did not die on the cross to fill up church auditoriums,� he cautioned. �He died so that people might know God personally and be transformed in all dimensions of their life through their ongoing relationship with Him. Such a personal reformation can happen in a church of any size. After all, the goal of every church should not be numerical growth but spiritual health and vitality.�
The tracking research conducted by Barna Research indicates that small churches will certainly remain prevalent in America for the foreseeable future. �Megachurches draw media attention, but they collectively account for less than one out of every four adults in church. Given the values and goals of people in the two youngest generations � the Busters and Mosaics � we anticipate mid-sized churches becoming a more significant force in the future, with many of those churches spawning new congregations rather than expanding to become megachurches. However, large congregations are here to stay and meet the needs of a specific segment of the population. If church leaders can maintain a focus on transformation rather than numbers, then we could enter an era of healthy churches at all sizes and shapes and shed the unhealthy spirit of numerical competition that currently distracts many churches.�
Research Source and Methodology
The data described above are from telephone interviews with several nationwide random samples of adults conducted from January 2002 through May 2003. In total 4501 adults were interviewed in studies that explored church attendance, spiritual beliefs and practices, and demographic correlates. Nine demographic factors and sixteen theolographic factors were compared across seven levels of adult attendance at Christian churches. The size levels examined were less than 50 adults; 50 to 100; 101-200; 201-300; 301-499; 500-999; and 1000 or more adults.
The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample is �1.8 percentage points at the 95% confidence level; the maximum sampling error for the subgroups of church size ranged from a high of �6.7 percentage points among those attending congregations with 201-300 people to a low of low of �3.2 percentage points among those attending churches of 50 to 100 adults. All of the interviews were conducted from the Barna Research Group telephone interviewing facility in Ventura, CA. Adults in the 48 continental states were eligible to be interviewed and the distribution of respondents coincided with the geographic dispersion of the U.S. adult population. Multiple callbacks were used to increase the probability of including a reliable distribution of adults.
The data regarding average church size was drawn from telephone surveys conducted by Barna Research among a national random sample of 1202 Senior Pastors of Protestant churches. That sample has a maximum margin of sampling error of �2.9 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.
�Born again Christians� were defined in these surveys as people who said they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today and who also indicated they believe that when they die they will go to Heaven because they had confessed their sins and had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. Respondents were not asked to describe themselves as �born again.�
�Theolographics� refers to the spiritual practices, beliefs and self-identification of individuals.
Christopher C Walker has just published his book, “Living life to the FULL”, an autobiographical exploration of spirituality and theology for today’s baby boomers, published by Open Book, August 2005.
In his introduction Christopher introduces generational differences, focusing on the distinctive features of the baby boomer generation, drawing mostly on Hugh Mackay and Craig Kennet Miller. He then goes on to describe his own experience of growing up as a Baby Boomer. He writes about the experience of turning fifty and turning attention to questions of spiritual capital usually associated with the end of life.
God as Mystery
Chapter 1 is dedicated to an exploration of theology that takes seriously the mystery and enigma of life on earth. Christopher writes on the paradoxes found in a suffering turbulent yet beautiful world. He outlines the impact of Sigmund Freud on the world view of Baby Boomers. Jean Paul Sartre and Albert Camus are used to represent a twentieth century atheistic perspective. Einstein’s theory of relativity, along with ‘uncertainty principle’ of quantum mechanics, is tied together with Baby Boomer relativism. Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and Karl Marx’s materialism are presented as foundations for an agnostic approach to religion.
Christopher goes on to present a Christian interpretation of the human condition, outlining the distinctive nature of humanity, in terms of capacity for transcendence as well as sin. He goes on to present a theology in which the nature of God is the mystery of the world.
Jesus as Model of Humanity
Chaper 2 is Christopher’s section on Christology, written in the context of the Baby Boomer interest in fulfilled humanity. He begins with a consideration of Baby Boomer idols and ideals, with a focus on James Bond for men and the intelligent attractive woman who can assert her equality in the workplace and also manage children and family. He presents Jesus as a role model for Boomers in their mid life years - his approach to family, career, his purpose in life, enjoyment of life, relationships, spirituality and how he faced suffering and death.
Spirit of God
Chapter 3 is dedicated to a theology of the Spirit of God - the Activity and Energy of God’s Spirit. In the context of Baby Boomer interest in the paranormal and non-rational Christopher launches into a consideration of Biblical teaching on the Spirit. Having outlined a conventional Evangelical theology of the Spirit he makes it clear that Boomers can only experience the Holy Spirit as they acknowledge that the Spirit was living in Jesus in a way that did not happen with anyone else. In his section on grace Christopher writes about the prevenient work of the Holy Spirit. He explores the process of conversion as a work of the Holy Spirit.
Companions for the Journey
Chapter 4 is Christopher’s thesis on the connection between the Biblical narratives and the Baby Boomer interest in community. Having gone from creation through to the end of the New Testament he turns his attention to the history of the church, covering the development of Christendom and Reformation. He acknowledges the valid reasons that many Boomers have for staying away from the church. He attempts to outline what the church should and could be, as the true expression of the community of Christ. He points to the example of Aberfoyle Uniting Church in Adelaide as an example of a church that effectively reaches Boomers without losing integrity. Christopher goes on to give an autobiographical account of the people with whom he has travelled through life.
A Spirituality to Sustain Us
Chapter 5 is Christopher’s connection between Biblical spirituality and the spiritual quest of stressed Baby Boomers. He takes his readers through the spiritualities of Abraham, Moses, Isaiah and Jeremiah. Perserverance and spirituality go together, he concludes. He goes on to an exploration of Psalm 16, 19, 51, and 73. Jesus is presented as the model of prayerful resistance to temptation. Paul’s spirituality is described in terms of action, boldness and freedom. Christopher points Boomers to the lessons learned from the spirituality of Antony of Egypt, Saint Brigid of Ireland, (celtic spirituality), John Calvin (mystical union with Christ), the Wesleys, (private and public disciplines). He finishes with a connection between the Myers Briggs personality typology and spirituality, outlining his own personal approach to spiritual disciplines.
My Initial Response
So how does this rate as a resource for Baby Boomers considering spirituality for life?
It’s certainly interesting reading Christopher’s experience of growing up in the Baby Boom era. But the theology is not what I would call engaging.
I think it’s a matter of genre. It’s not clear who Christopher is writing for. If he’s writing for Baby Boomers considering spirituality, he’s gone over their heads. He’s making sweeping generalisations about Baby Boomers rather than appealing to them. For a book designed for the Baby Boomer audience, spirituality appears far too late in the plot. Perhaps it’s a theology textbook, designed to help people connect sociology and theological texts and Biblical narrative.
It seems to me that this book would benefit from a healthy edit. The chapters seem to go on too long without section breaks. The book would be much more interesting with the addition of photographs. Perhaps the book would come alive with the comments of other Baby Boomers engaging with Chris’ theological assertion.
The most recent session in the Generations in Conversation course focused on translation as an approach to contextualisation. As a theological text we used Darrell Guder’s book, “The Continuing Conversion of the Church”.
We started with Darrell Guder’s background, working in Presbyterian and Lutheran settings, providing oversight for Young Life and developing theology in theological seminaries in the USA. He’s currently teaching at Princeton. See my post on Guder’s material at GodPost.
Guder starts by talking about the development of concepts of mission and evangelism as Christendom came under question. He invites us to found our understanding of mission in the nature of God - a relational God who lives in the tension of trinity - a missionary God who sends, is sent and lives in context.
Guder writes that
“Mission is to be a continuing process of translation and witness, whereby the evangelist and the mission community will discover again and again that they will be confronted by the gospel as it is translated, heard and responded to, and will thus experience ongoing conversion while serving as witness.”
At this point I thought that it would have been good to start with a context for Guder’s questions. I’d tried to do that by looking at recent television commercials and their attempts to translate into youth culture. What would make this session more effective is some insight from Guder on contexts in which he personally has encountered the need for translation.
Despite having photos, and powerpoint presentations, the use of quotations almost always leads to glazed eyes, particularly after lunch!
Having said that, we had a look at the challenge of translation without the sin of control, as well as the inevitability of reductionism in which a form of Christianity is made out to be normative and becomes a distortion. See my notes at GodPost for more.
We took seriously Guder’s assertion that the basis of the Christian gospel is the Christ event rather than a set of ideas about Jesus.
Boomer Translation
As we had a couple of Boomers in the group we started out with an analysis of ways in which the Christian gospel has been translated into Boomer culture.
Informality rather than formality. Entertainment as a value. People and personality count. We are now used to the use of movie culture in gatherings of Christians, not only in the use of multimedia but also in the sense of storyline and multisensory experience. We have developed product placement without a strong sense of awkwardness. Think of the Purpose Driven campaigns.
The message of the cross has been developed in ways that help Boomers discover and explore meaning, destiny, purpose and personal fulfilment. Jesus gives me meaning in life. He’s my master - giving me purpose and direction. He’s mate, providing me with friendship and intimacy. He’s helps me matter, helping me make a difference.
We talked about the reductionism that was emerging with these translations. We were seeing the loss of values of sacrifice, generosity, and community for sake of community rather than �me�. Giving was often promoted by Boomers as a good investment. Time was now more valuable than dollars.
Post War Translation
We now went back a generation to explore what the gospel might mean for those before the Boomers. We looked at the values espoused and lives by those who carried the values of the Uniting Church Adult Fellowship. This was a generation who found meaning and purpose in service, helping others, often in formal ways such as the Blue Nursing Auxillary. These were people who often had very few resources but had gifts of time. Fundraising was carried out by using the skills shared by Adult Fellowship members. Meetings were associated with information sharing and enfranchisement. The election of a woman as the President of the Adult Fellowship was not just a case of filling a gap. It had emerged in a time when women had little formal say in the wider church. We noted that many people in the seventies were struggling to make the transition from fellowship group to small groups focused on discipleship, prayer, personal sharing and Bible Study.
The Christian Gospel for these earlier generations, was often linked with having a place, a job, or a role. There was a sense of following in the way of Jesus who helped people and gave them a job to do, caring for the widows, the orphans and the poor. We noted the development of organisations such as Lifeline and Blue Nursing as expressions of this translation of the Christian gospel.
As leaders we explored what the Christian good news might be now for older generations coming to terms with the growing complexity of life in the community. What might the good news of Jesus be for people as they experience generational dissonance? Their contribution to an intergenerational handing on of faith was participation in the gospel. As we connected older and younger together in mentoring and shared work projects the gospel would take on new meanings for both. We noted the trend of developing child care centres in aged care centres.
Gen X and Y Translation
We talked about streams and key leaders in the emerging generations. We were seeing a growing sense of creativity in the electronic and digital fields, linked with the visual arts, rock music and ethnic diversity. Culture was being mixed (as in hiphop) and created.
As an aid to considering fresh expressions of the gospel for these emerging generations we considered the resource, 10 Gates to the Cross, based on John Driver’s book, “Understanding the Atonement for the Mission of the Church.” A Mennonite missionary, Driver has worked hard to develop understandings of atonement that take seriously the contexts of ethnic origins, socio-economic situations, life searches and personality.
The ten New Testament ‘gates to the cross of Jesus’ are outlined by Gordon Miller in a translation of Driver’s work for the New Zealand environment. They are deliverance, suffering, leadership, martyrdom, transformation, cleansing, service, peace, forgiveness and family. Forgiveness is the one approach that we were used to using to guide people into making a life-changing connection with Jesus. On reflection though, we realised that many people did not fit that gate when they were led through the ’sinner’s prayer’.
We looked at images of the cross in terms of Gen X and Y cultures.
Rather than just talking about Jesus winning a conflict and leading us into victory, we talked about Jesus struggling on our behalf to win us freedom and release.
The image of Jesus as our represenative, the leader, lent itself to the concept of modelling for us the re-invention of our lives in the image of God - helping us discover our true calling to life life with passion, desire, beauty and engagement with the Earth. We looked at the Earthy resurrection body as a key focus for starting again, following the Human One.
Another expression of Earthiness was the call to reconciliation in the context of peace, justice and ecology, being one with the land.
We examined the concepts of new ownership and slavery referred to in the New Testament. In the emerging generational context young adults were relating to Jesus as their mentor and coach rather than as their owner.
We explored the concept of adoption into a new family. This was good news for many young people who were longing for a community or context in which they were not alone.
We explored the New Testament concepts of cleansing and covering. Could this be linked with the relationship with God - ’someone who will look after me’. Or were were we looking at the removal of shame � the �feeling of being dirty� � linked with abuse? The development of a new state of purity, a fresh start, the removal of stigma and the development of a new identity? Inner healing and emotional wholeness.
We played with the images of bubble bath and flotation tank as well as the current trend to develop a ‘cleansing diet’. Could these be linked to explorations of the good news of Jesus?
The good news for emerging generations would need to include an experience of faithfulness. We looked back to the television advertisement for AIDS awareness, in which a woman has many partners before she finds the right one. Fidelity was an experience that was linked with the good news of Jesus.
The flotation tank took us to the exploration of the gospel in terms of 21st century justification. “I am free to be rather than achieve.”
We considered what this generation might learn from the pre-Boomer generations. Perhaps the capacity to live lives that involved sacrifice, community-related values and servant leadership. We are called to be helping others, even at a cost to our own happiness or comfort. We talked about examples of emerging missional church in which young Christians were developing a radical counter-cultural alternative to self-protection. There was a resonance with Jesus’ call to �make a difference�. We were called to be giving of ourselves in a non-sexual way.
We finished our time together buzzing with the good news of Jesus.
I received an email from Adweek on Friday, offering a free copy of Chuck Nyren’s “Advertising to Baby Boomers” for people who subscribe today. Curious I was. I’ve found Chuck’s blog, “Advertising to Baby Boomers“. He obviously wants us to read his book.
Nyren’s guidelines to Boomer advertising cover how boomers want us to see aging, giving Boomers room for choices, infomercials and internet advertising, ‘viagrification’ of drugs, and the end of stereotypes. He concludes with hints on finding the best advertising agencies for Baby Boomers - the ones with Baby Boomer creatives who know how to advertise to themselves.
I heard an interview on ABC FM this afternoon in which one of the researchers reported on the self assessment of Boomers about their own health. 80 per cent said they were in good to excellent health. However the figures showed a disturbing trend of overweight and obese boomers, not to mention unhealthy lifestyles relating to smoking and lack of exercise.
For the purposes of the study the ABS defined Baby Boomers as the people born between 1945 and 1965. They acknowledge the existence of two age cohorts within the Baby Boom generation. The differences between those cohorts is seen clearly when comparing effective income and net worth.
I’ve put here a precis of the study provided by ABS on their web site. I’m aiming to get a copy of the report shortly.
Demography
Since the early 1960s, baby boomers have been a significant group in Queensland’s population. They are expected to continue having a substantial impact on the composition of the state’s population in the future, giving rise to new challenges for government, business and community services.
Chapter 2 examines the impact of the baby boomers on the profile and distribution of the Queensland population, in the past, present and future. It examines the 2001 profile of baby boomers in the state’s population and the cohort’s geographical distribution throughout the state. This chapter compares Indigenous baby boomers with non-Indigenous baby boomers. Interstate and intrastate migration patterns are also examined.
Baby boomers are tracked from 1961 to 2001, showing the increase in the number of baby boomers since 1961 and comparing them as a proportion of the population at specific points in time. Population projections to 2051 demonstrate how baby boomers will continue to impact on Queensland’s population as they age. Population age by sex profiles graphically show the progression through the population distribution of the baby boomers from their early years in 1961 to 2001 and their projected profiles to 2051.
Cultural diversity
Overseas migration has had a major effect on Queensland’s population size and composition from its earliest settlement. In 1901, 35% of Queenslanders were born overseas, predominantly in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Europe. By 2001, 17% of Queensland’s population were born overseas, while 23% of total baby boomers were born overseas.
Chapter 3 examines the characteristics of overseas-born baby boomers. Characteristics examined include country of origin, age profile, year of arrival in Australia, languages spoken and proficiency in English. Overseas-born baby boomers are compared with their Australian-born counterparts in terms of household tenure, income and education. This chapter also looks at other aspects of cultural diversity for all baby boomers, including ancestry and religious affiliation.
Families
Families are the basic unit of home life for most people and provide supportive relationships, companionship and assistance and support, especially as people grow older. In 2003, over half (52%) of the 1.068 million families in Queensland were baby boomer families. The majority of the baby boomer families were couples with children (57%), while 30% were couples without children and 13% were lone-parent families. The proportions of baby boomer families as couples without children and lone-person households are expected to rise. These changes will affect the demand for family and community resources and will be important considerations in policy and program development.
Chapter 4 examines the living arrangements of baby boomers. It looks at the proportion of baby boomers that live in various types of family and non-family households and presents projections of their living arrangements in 2026. The chapter also looks at the registered and social marital status of baby boomers, and the role of carers of people who are frail, aged or have a disability.
Housing
People live in different types of houses according to their age and circumstances. In 2001, 87% of Queensland baby boomers were living in separate houses. Housing is an important issue for baby boomers as they are likely to make decisions over the next two decades about their retirement, based on factors such as their current housing arrangements and housing costs.
Chapter 5 examines the type of dwellings baby boomers live in, tenure type, dwelling size and condition, home value and equity, and propensity to move. It also compares the housing characteristics of baby boomers with other age groups and examines regional differences in baby boomers’ housing.
Education and training
Education and training are recognised as giving people the skills and knowledge for entry into and advancement through the workforce. Baby boomers had greater access to formal education than preceding generations. In 2001, 40% of baby boomers held non-school education qualifications.
Chapter 6 examines the level of school and non-school education attained by Queensland baby boomers and compares these with other age groups. The education achievements of the baby boomer cohort are tracked from 1981 to 2001 to assess their contribution over time. Other characteristics examined include fields of study and future study intentions. This chapter also examines training undertaken by baby boomers, including numbers and areas of training, perceived effectiveness of training and barriers to study and training.
Health
An individual’s health status is determined by a complex interaction of social, economic, environmental, behavioural and genetic factors. The life expectancy of Queenslanders is among the highest in the world and this together with declining fertility rates has led to an ageing of the population. As the baby boomer cohort begins to move into the older age groups, there will be a greater number and proportion of the population living into old age with a range of support needs. Governments have a key role to play in ensuring the health system responds to the changes and challenges of the future. However, individual responsibility for adopting healthy behaviours is also essential if many preventable and chronic illnesses are to be avoided.
Chapter 7 examines baby boomers’ health status (self-assessed and reported) and discusses a range of health risk factors that have been associated with preventable and chronic illnesses. These include cigarette smoking, consumption of alcohol at levels considered at risk for health, limited physical activity, poor nutrition and being overweight. This chapter also examines health related actions, health care costs and the coverage rates of private health insurance.
Community life
The level of a person’s interaction with their community is an indicator of their social wellbeing. The average baby boomer spent nearly four hours a day on recreation and leisure in 1997. A large proportion of baby boomers also visited cinemas, libraries, botanic gardens and other venues. In 2000, 38% of baby boomers were involved in voluntary work through an organisation or group. The way baby boomers are involved in community life is expected to change as they grow older and retire.
Chapter 8 examines how baby boomers use their time, their involvement in voluntary work, and their level of family and community support. The chapter looks at what they do for recreation and leisure, what types of cultural venues they attend and how much they spend on recreation. It also looks at baby boomers’ perceptions of crime in the community, whether they have been a victim of crime themselves, the availability of transport and how they travel to work, and the extent to which they use computers and the Internet.
Income and wealth
The amount of income earned largely influences the standard of living of individuals and households. Wealth and income are closely related as income not spent on current consumption allows the accumulation of wealth. Income levels vary across a person’s life cycle and may be affected by a range of events and circumstances, e.g. illness, participation in the labour force and family situation. The amount of wealth, in particular superannuation, together with the capacity to access government benefits will be a major factor influencing the retirement decisions of baby boomers and their wellbeing in retirement.
Chapter 9 examines the level and distribution of income and wealth of Queensland’s baby boomers and compares them with that of other age groups. This chapter also examines retirement intentions of baby boomers as well as looking at the amount of superannuation held by baby boomers who are yet to retire from the workforce.
Work
The changing age structure of the population will have implications for the growth of the Queensland economy in the decades ahead. The future pace of economic growth depends on the rate at which the workforce grows and on the growth of output per worker. Almost half of Queensland’s labour force are baby boomers. The older baby boomers are already approaching or have reached retirement age. As more baby boomers retire from the labour force, one of the challenges for government and business will be to maintain a viable labour market.
Chapter 10 examines the baby boomer cohort and its place in the Queensland labour force. The labour force characteristics of the baby boomers including their type of employment and working patterns are discussed. A section on job mobility analyses the length of time baby boomers have worked in their main job and the extent that employment factors influenced their moving house. An examination of the occupations and industries in which baby boomers are employed concludes the chapter.
Aging Hipsters: The Baby Boomer Generation is a source for trends, research, comment and discussion of and by people born from 1946 - 1964. The site covers issues on the Boomer Generation including original Boomer content, bulletin boards, user comments, Sixties and Seventies music, Baby Boomer culture, health and coverage of issues for “Aging Hipsters.”
The site started as a portal for Boomer chatback in 1996, with the title, “Baby Boomer Homepage”. The editors are Jan Reisen and Peter Kooiker, residents of New Jersey, USA. The name, “Aging Hipsters”, a line from Austin Powers, was used to describe the site in 1999. In 2003 Jan and Peter moved all the articles over to a blog format to make it possible for several writers to work together.
Together Jan and Peter run Perfect i Site, a web development company.
Duncan Macleod posts on life, faith and culture in Australia, drawing from his involvement in the creative industry, the Uniting Church, the blogosphere, generational research, the emerging church and life on the Gold Coast.
Dean’s a Presbyterian who’s been lecturing in sociology of religion at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC for thirty years. He was part of the team that published the 1994 book, “Vanishing Boundaries: The Religion of Mainline Protestant Baby Boomers”. On Friday Dean was presenting research on Catholic young adults in the United States, to an audience consisting mostly of Catholic educators and youth ministry staff from Brisbane.
Dean took us through a national sample of American Catholics held in 2003, looking at issues of individual conscience and Catholic teaching, ethics relating to homosexual acts, abortion, pre-marital sex and birth control. It was clear that there was a strong delineation between Pre-Vatican II Catholics (63 years and older) and post-Vatican II Catholics (40-62 years of age). Young adults (18-39) were quite similar to the latter. Clearly a lot of the difference was related to generational change, particularly in the emergence of the Baby Boom generation.
The music video, released this year, shows teenage skateboarders taking part in a contest at the Coca Cola factory at Frenches Forest, Sydney Australia, footage originally shown on Australian youth show GTK (Get To Know) in 1975.
Let’s dance in style,
Ryan Heath
Like many of his generation, Ryan Heath has had a gutful of the same bunch of boomers still hogging all the good jobs and holding Australia back. He says: 
Christopher is a minister of the Uniting Church in Australia. He has ministered in congregations in New South Wales, served as an evangelism consultant for the 
(Discipleship Resources, 1988), Jesus Christ More Than a Man, and Seeking Relevant Churches for the 21st Century.
The 
