Many parents live in dread of their children becoming teenagers expecting several years of rebellious behaviour and upheaval. It's true that most teenagers test the boundries and can be somewhat countercultural in their outlook, questioning old certainties and exploring their role in society and how they view themselves. If we were to believe the gloomy picture that is painted in our more secular media, we'd fear for their future, having little reason to hope that our Christian values and beliefs will survive and be passed on to future generations.
In our postmodern culture, a rebellion of sorts is taking place among some of our teenagers and young adults. Educators who have dealt with young people for thirty or more years are noticing clear differences in the youth of today. Many of them are not burdened with the baggage of the past, specifically the theological and liturgical wrangling which emerged in the wake of Vatican II.
More open
Untainted by past struggles, young people can be much more open to traditional approaches to the practice of their faith. Ironically, the modern countercultural rebellion is more likely to present itself in the form of a readiness to explore and embrace the very orthodoxy that was often rejected in the past.
This trend is the subject of a book by Colleen Carroll, a news and editorial writer for the St Louis Dispatch, whose articles have appeared in a wide range of US journals. Her well researched book details the wide range and large numbers of groups of young Catholics and Protestants who today are attracted by orthodox rather than liberal Christianity. The New Faithful: Why Young Adults are Embracing Christian Orthodoxy is an invaluable source of information on who these young people are and how they view their faith and beliefs.
Dominate
Carroll explains that at a time when secularism, political correctness and relativism dominate much of the public arena, growing numbers of religiously-inclined young people are yearning for something different.
Christian parents and educators are fully aware that attempting to follow what is perceived as a conservative moral code is an ongoing exercise in swimming against the tide. In accepting and longing for orthodoxy and traditional values, young people are not returning to the blind faith that past generations are often accused of. While seeming to have a lot in common with their grandparents' generation, there are many key differences. According to Carroll - ''most of their grandparents inherited a religious tradition that either insulated them from a culture hostile to their beliefs or ushered them into a society that endorsed their Christian world view''.
In contrast, most of today's youth, no matter what their religious formation, haven't had the 'luxury' of accepting orthodoxy without any critical analysis or reflection. This just wouldn't be a possibility in our modern pluralistic society.
Not isolated
Today's young Christians aren't isolated from the world they live in; they are an integral part of the society and culture that surrounds them. They don't see faith and belief as being compartmentalised and boxed-off from other aspects of their lives and experiences. Living in a postmodern culture, they have an expectation of acceptance and religious tolerance with little of the nervous reticence of their elders.
These young people have no hesitation when it comes to standing up for what they believe in. They express their values in a refreshingly forthright manner incorporating their beliefs into every part of their lives, never fearful of attempting to influence the prevailing culture. They utilise their considerable gifts and talents in attempting to transform society in a very positive manner.
In an interview with the Catholic International news agency, Zenit, Collen Carroll described this phenomenom of 'the new faithful.' She first observed signs of a trend towards orthodoxy in the mid-1990s when she was a student in the Marquette University in Milwaukee. While many students were not of the 'new faithful' mould, they didn't fall into the stereotypes of the so-called Generation X, those born after the Baby Boomer years. Failing to embrace the individualistic approach often attributed to this generation, many of them questioned the true meaning of freedom and the casual disdain for structure and authority.
Tradition
The young adults who are the subjects for Carroll's book are described eloquently by its author - ''these young adults are not perpetual seekers. They are committed to a religious world view that grounds their lives and shapes their morality. They are not lukewarm believers or passionate dissenters. When they are embracing a faith's tradition or deepening their commitment to it, they want to do so wholeheartedly or not at all. When they are attracted to tradition in worship or in spirituality, they want to understand the underlying reality of that tradition and use it to transform their lives.''
Carroll was encouraged by the commitment and enthusiastic acceptance of orthodoxy which sets these young people apart from many of their peers and fellow believers who share their love for the trappings of religious tradition but reject its theological and moral roots.
Based on her research, Carroll is optimistic about the future of religion in society. The young believers she interviewed craved mystery and a ''connection to the traditions that the modern world has stripped away''.
These yearnings are good news for many Churches but, in particular, bodes well for the Catholic Church, a Church which is centred on providing moral guidance from a trusted authority. In a time of depression and shame about the state of the Church, this book provides a welcome oasis of hope in what can sometimes seem like a sea of despair.
