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Apologia Report 15:27 (1,032)
July 21, 2010
Subject: America’s profoundly alienated 'Faith Tribes'
In this issue:
DISCIPLESHIP - Princeton seminary prof: "without discipleship most Christian teens can be expected to reject Christ after high school"
INTERFAITH DIALOGUE - all seven of Barna's "Faith Tribes" feel that they're not understood and can't get a fair hearing
MEDIA BIAS - Stephen Prothero's influence on religion journalists
NEOPAGANISM - Nature Spirituality assuming new role in the salvation of the planet?
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DISCIPLESHIP
Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers Is Telling the American Church, by Kenda Creasy Dean [1] -- "Dean, ... a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary, opens this absorbing portrait of teenage religiosity by throwing down a gauntlet: the faith of America's teens is 'not durable enough to survive long after they graduate from high school. One more thing: we're responsible.' Dean, who worked on the National Study of Youth and Religion [www.youthandreligion.org/research] with sociologist Christian Smith, says that American Christians' emphasis on 'a do-good, feel-good spirituality' at the expense of deep discipleship may cost them the rising generation, which is (with the exception of Mormon teens, the subject of an admiring chapter-long case study) largely apathetic about Christian faith. How, then, can religious leaders and teachers inculcate what Dean calls a 'consequential faith' - i.e., one that bears fruit for the long haul? She identifies four factors teens need: a personal encounter with God, a strong church or youth group, a sense of being called to duty, and hope for the future. In a refreshingly personal final chapter, Dean outlines her frustration at the daunting task ahead but emphasizes the possibilities if the Christian church decides to take up its cross and follow Jesus." Publishers Weekly, Jun 15 '10, n.p.
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INTERFAITH DIALOGUE
The Seven Faith Tribes, by George Barna [2] -- in his review, Thomas A. Baima explains that pollster Barna's findings "lead him to divideAmericans into seven groups or 'tribes.'" They are: "the Casual Christians (67 percent of adult Americans) and the Captive Christians (16 percent), ... Jews (2 percent), Mormons (1.5 percent), Pantheists (1. 5 percent), Muslims (1 percent), and Skeptics (11 percent). ...
"Remarkably, Barna's findings indicate that not one of the seven tribes feels 'free to practice ... without breaking laws or upsetting ... Other tribes.' All of them feel 'that they are not understood and cannot get a fair hearing....'
"'That their freedoms are being eliminated by political maneuvers by other tribes.... That tribal leadership is more about political power than spiritual / moral guidance,' and that they have suffered 'a loss of the experience of religious freedom.' All of this gives them a sense that 'the nation is losing its heart and soul.' For such marginalization to be felt across the tribal spectrum is newsworthy and a key element of Barna's rationale for his 'big idea.' While it's not surprising that people within a particular religious tribe would say they feel marginalized by the dominant culture, one wouldn't expect them to think that every other tribe shares that feeling. ...
"To speak of shared values is difficult because most religious systems want to find agreement not only on the 'what' but also on the 'why.' So perhaps a better word than 'agreement' would be 'convergence': The values of the various faith tribes converge around twenty specific value indicators. ...
"Barna believes that his twenty value indicators express specific content that could form the basis for greater dialogue across the tribes. ...
"Barna asserts that Christians must change the way they engage American culture if a revitalization of the nation is to be realized. In this regard, he argues that Christian witness is prior to Christian proclamation. ...
"This book, respectful of religious diversity while at the same time provocative in its demands, is an important contribution to the reflections of traditional Christians on culture." Touchstone, May/Jun '10, pp38-40.
If this has captured your attention, you might want to consider The American Myth of Religious Freedom, by Kenneth R. Craycraft [3].
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MEDIA BIAS
While not without its shortcomings (as noted in previous issues of AR), Stephen Prothero's God Is Not One [4] certainly has been a refreshing non-evangelical voice in opposition to the uncritical religious relativism which is so popular in our day.
On GetReligion.org (Jun 16 '10), veteran "God beat" journalist Terry Mattingly calls attention to the discomfort that Prothero's message is bringing the media. He writes: "I cannot tell you how many times I have heard journalists make statements that sound something like this: 'Oh, I didn't interview (insert name of relevant religious leader), because my editor said that we don't need to give extremists like that a platform.' 'But what,' I add, 'if this priest, or imam, or rabbi, or preacher is actually a key figure in the story? What if many of their claims are accurate, in terms of the history and doctrine of their faith?' At this point, journalists often shrug their shoulders or roll their eyes."
Nicole Neroulias of Beliefnet admits: "I'm not sure how I feel about Prothero's message. I haven't seen the book yet, but as a religion reporter, I'm generally more interested in probing what different faiths have in common (especially when you get strange bedfellows), as opposed to stoking conflicts (which make plenty of news anyway). Perhaps this also has something to do with being in an interfaith marriage, but if that's the case, more than a third of Americans may be inclined to feel this way, too."
Beliefnet blogger Rod Dreher responds: "Note the loaded language: 'stoking conflicts' is the opposite of 'probing what different faiths have in common.' The idea that to explore genuine conflicts both between and among faiths is an act of provocation is to turn religion journalism into an act of therapy. ...
"I have absolutely no doubt that many US religion journalists approach their beats in the same irenic, bridge-building spirit - which is one reason why religion journalism in this religiously dynamic and complicated country tends to be so bland."
Mattingly spells it out: "In other words, traditional (sorry, that would be 'fundamentalist') forms of religion are uniquely dangerous and, thus, it is a public service to spotlight safe, progressive, evolving, 'moderate' forms of faith — in order to make the world a better place. It means avoiding some newsy subjects (like that whole messy Sunni v. Shiite thing), but journalists need to ignore some of the dangerous facts in order to promote progress." <www.getreligion.org/?p=36307>
Be sure to see the related story in bostonist.com at <www.tinyurl.com/23aufx6> and while you're at it, check out <www.tinyurl.com/27mldmb> as well.
POSTSCRIPT, Feb 29 '24: I just read Dreher's remark: "I left National Review in 2003" here: <https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=136360&post_id=141874995>
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NEOPAGANISM
Dark Green Religion: Nature Spirituality and the Planetary Future, by Bron Taylor [5] -- "Using a functional definition of religion, Taylor (Univ. of Florida) documents the emergence of an environmental religion that crosses traditional religious and secular boundaries, a movement that he labels dark green religion. According to him, it has four forms: spiritual animism, Gaian spirituality, naturalistic animism, and Gaian naturalism. Animism connotes an understanding that natural entities have some form of consciousness. Gaian refers to the belief that the Earth functions as a living system. Spiritual connotes a belief in a transcendent while naturalistic forms do not. The book traces the precursors of this religion in figures such as Darwin and Thoreau. It also summarizes the work of contemporary exponents of the various forms of this religion. Various chapters address its appearance in music, film, and popular culture. Whereas Taylor indicates a concern that this movement might undermine certain conceptions of human rights, he concludes that it may provide the basis for a global commitment to environmental sustainability. At the core of this movement is the belief, either literal or metaphorical, that creation has a sacredness that needs to be protected and a process to which human beings and culture must conform." Choice, Jun '10, n.p..
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SOURCES: Monographs
1 - Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers Is Telling the American Church, by Kenda Creasy Dean (Oxford Univ Prs, 2010, hardcover, 264 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/2bvb2mj>
2 - The Seven Faith Tribes: Who They Are, What They Believe, and Why They Matter, by George Barna (BarnaBooks, 2009, hardcover, 256 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/pezzub>
3 - The American Myth of Religious Freedom, by Kenneth R. Craycraft (Spence, 2nd ed., 2008, hardcover, 226 pages)
4 - God Is Not One: The Eight Rival Religions That Run the World - and Why Their Differences Matter, by Stephen Prothero (HarperOne, 2010, hardcover, 400 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/yjfppww>
5 - Dark Green Religion: Nature Spirituality and the Planetary Future, by Bron Raymond Taylor (Univ of Calif Prs, 2009, paperback, 360 pages) <www.tinyurl.com/2anejge>
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