After working at a Christian high school for over two decades it is exciting and to see former students beginning their adult lives with great job prospects from their excellent college education, yet very discouraging to learn that many make the decision to abandon their belief system and leave church behind. Ultimately, one would like to see young adults be more excited about their faith, and the religion in which they were raised. Rather than concentrating on the fact that young adults are leaving their faith, it is more important to examine the reasons why they choose to leave.
Christianity in America is in danger. “In the mid-1980s, evangelical 20-somethings outnumbered those with no religious affiliation by a ratio of more than 2 to 1. By 2008, those proportions were almost flipped, with young people with no affiliation outnumbering evangelicals by more than 1.5 to 1.” (Housman, 2013) In my research I learned that the problem of young adults leaving the church is certainly not exclusive to evangelicals. Dr. Taylor Marshall writes that, “eighty percent of Catholics in the United States are no longer Catholic by the time they turn 23. Young adults are leaving the Catholic Church at an alarming rate, as well.” (Marshall, 2013) In her book, Forming your Disciplines, Sherry Weddell cites four very important statistics regarding young Catholics.
1. Only 30 percent of Americans who were raised Catholic are still practicing (p. 24).
2. 10 percent of all …show more content…
While I am certain that there are factions that teach against Christianity, I believe the majority of college professors are about helping their learners find their own truth, not necessarily the values of the professor. Blaming colleges, is a lot easier than reforming the church. Finding an enemy outside of your religious faith might keep some young people in line for a little while. But it’s hastening the decline of Christianity for an entire
Christianity in America is in danger. “In the mid-1980s, evangelical 20-somethings outnumbered those with no religious affiliation by a ratio of more than 2 to 1. By 2008, those proportions were almost flipped, with young people with no affiliation outnumbering evangelicals by more than 1.5 to 1.” (Housman, 2013) In my research I learned that the problem of young adults leaving the church is certainly not exclusive to evangelicals. Dr. Taylor Marshall writes that, “eighty percent of Catholics in the United States are no longer Catholic by the time they turn 23. Young adults are leaving the Catholic Church at an alarming rate, as well.” (Marshall, 2013) In her book, Forming your Disciplines, Sherry Weddell cites four very important statistics regarding young Catholics.
1. Only 30 percent of Americans who were raised Catholic are still practicing (p. 24).
2. 10 percent of all …show more content…
While I am certain that there are factions that teach against Christianity, I believe the majority of college professors are about helping their learners find their own truth, not necessarily the values of the professor. Blaming colleges, is a lot easier than reforming the church. Finding an enemy outside of your religious faith might keep some young people in line for a little while. But it’s hastening the decline of Christianity for an entire