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...offers pragmatic and insightful responses. (Joanne Griffiths, Theology )
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Based on the National Study of Youth and Religion--the same invaluable data as its predecessor, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers--Kenda Creasy Dean's compelling new book, Almost Christian, investigates why American teenagers are at once so positive about Christianity and at the same time so apathetic about genuine religious practice. In Soul Searching, Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton found that American teenagers have embraced a "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism"--a hodgepodge of banal, self-serving, feel-good beliefs that bears little resemblance to traditional Christianity. But far from faulting teens, Dean places the blame for this theological watering down squarely on the churches themselves. Instead of proclaiming a God who calls believers to lives of love, service and sacrifice, churches offer instead a bargain religion, easy to use, easy to forget, offering little and demanding less. But what is to be done? In order to produce ardent young Christians, Dean argues, churches must rediscover their sense of mission and model an understanding of being Christian as not something you do for yourself, but something that calls you to share God's love, in word and deed, with others. Dean found that the most committed young Christians shared four important traits: they could tell a personal and powerful story about God; they belonged to a significant faith community; they exhibited a sense of vocation; and they possessed a profound sense of hope. Based on these findings, Dean proposes an approach to Christian education that places the idea of mission at its core and offers a wealth of concrete suggestions for inspiring teens to live more authentically engaged Christian lives. Persuasively and accessibly written, Almost Christian is a wake up call no one concerned about the future of Christianity in America can afford to ignore.
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19 reviews
72 of 76 people found the following review helpful
Are You Christian? Or Merely "Almost" Christian?
2 July 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
*****
This wonderful book is based on the National Study of Youth and Religion conducted from 2002 to 2005. It is a fascinating analysis of teen religious practice, which is a bellwether of the faith of us all. Teenagers are practicing the faith that we are teaching them, not what we say we believe, but what we actually believe as evidenced by our actions. All of this could be dry and boring, but in "Almost Christian" it is not! This is a truly fascinating exploration of what makes faith vibrant, what makes faith "consequential". As such it is important for everyone to read, not just those interested in teens and youth ministry. Much of the book describes real faith--a faith rich in holy desire and missional clarity--and explores ways that we as a church can experience and model this in our lives.
Most teenagers today practice an "imposter faith" what the author calls "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism"--"the new mainstream American religious faith" in which God is seen as a butler or a therapist rather than (as the approximately 8% of youth that are "highly devoted" do) as a "divine swimming instructor" who is down in the water with them, leading and instructing them. The book also explores the faith of these "highly devoted" youth and what makes them different from their peers.
The scope of this book is limited to Christian ministry and formation and does not include Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, or other faiths. There are helpful appendices and an index, and the book is written in a somewhat intellectual style and at the same time a very moving style---very readable and pragmatic--not academic.
I read this book not because I had any interest in youth ministry or teenagers in particular, but because of the title--"Almost Christian"--something in it resonated with me, and I'm so glad I gave it a chance. This book made my life richer, and gave me an appreciation both for young people and for my faith that I did not have before. It's really important to me to not be an Americanized Christian with a watered-down faith, but rather, someone who reflects the love of Jesus Christ and real faith in all I do. I found myself enlightened, inspired, and encouraged.
Highly recommended.
*****
This wonderful book is based on the National Study of Youth and Religion conducted from 2002 to 2005. It is a fascinating analysis of teen religious practice, which is a bellwether of the faith of us all. Teenagers are practicing the faith that we are teaching them, not what we say we believe, but what we actually believe as evidenced by our actions. All of this could be dry and boring, but in "Almost Christian" it is not! This is a truly fascinating exploration of what makes faith vibrant, what makes faith "consequential". As such it is important for everyone to read, not just those interested in teens and youth ministry. Much of the book describes real faith--a faith rich in holy desire and missional clarity--and explores ways that we as a church can experience and model this in our lives.
Most teenagers today practice an "imposter faith" what the author calls "Moralistic Therapeutic Deism"--"the new mainstream American religious faith" in which God is seen as a butler or a therapist rather than (as the approximately 8% of youth that are "highly devoted" do) as a "divine swimming instructor" who is down in the water with them, leading and instructing them. The book also explores the faith of these "highly devoted" youth and what makes them different from their peers.
The scope of this book is limited to Christian ministry and formation and does not include Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, or other faiths. There are helpful appendices and an index, and the book is written in a somewhat intellectual style and at the same time a very moving style---very readable and pragmatic--not academic.
I read this book not because I had any interest in youth ministry or teenagers in particular, but because of the title--"Almost Christian"--something in it resonated with me, and I'm so glad I gave it a chance. This book made my life richer, and gave me an appreciation both for young people and for my faith that I did not have before. It's really important to me to not be an Americanized Christian with a watered-down faith, but rather, someone who reflects the love of Jesus Christ and real faith in all I do. I found myself enlightened, inspired, and encouraged.
Highly recommended.
*****
19 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Prophetic Genius
28 Aug 2010
Format:Hardcover
Almost Christian is a prophetic call to Christian action for parents, youth ministers, pastors, and congregations to live a vibrant, contagious faith alongside today's youth. Dean speaks truthfully, eloquently, and passionately out of her own love for God and teenagers. This book has the potential to change the lives of those ready to empower today's youth to move beyond nominal Christianity into a life transformed by the good news of Jesus Christ. It is a work of prophetic genius, a sounding alarm, written to cultivate a new way of practicing youth ministry, which is rooted in rigorous, academic research.
16 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Poignant View on Teenage Faith in America
23 Nov 2010
Format:Hardcover
In Dean's close proximity to extensive research involving youth and religion (NSYR), a study outlined in the book Soul Searching by Smith and Denton, her approach is two-fold: refreshingly poignant, especially her argument she lays out that teenage faith is a reflection of the church's hold on faith (i.e. Moralistic Therapeutic Deism), which she outlines with great energy and articulation; her approach also remains very theoretical - although this book has been touted as a practical theology (that is what I've read, and was an appealing aspect for me) on the religious state of youth ministry and church, she remains very prescriptive - she outlines what is wrong, things which virtually all youth ministers and many pastors can relate to when it comes to jaded faith of youth and adults - she also outlines places that are filled with hope, namely the church is still the vehicle for spiritual guidance and formation - but that is where she leaves it - she leaves out a descriptive nature of how this has played out, or will play out, with the exception of a riveting example from a teen's journal from a missions trip and its ripple effects on her choices after her return.
Almost Christian is a must read for youth pastors, and I believe pastors would benefit from the truths that Dean brings to light regarding the church's and family's role in a teenager's faith development. Be prepared that when you finish the book, the real work is still to be done - figuring out how to translate all that data into something tangible and transformative.
*I received this book for free by Oxford University Press in exchange for my honest and unbiased review and opinion. Thanks to Oxford Press for the opportunity to review this title.
Almost Christian is a must read for youth pastors, and I believe pastors would benefit from the truths that Dean brings to light regarding the church's and family's role in a teenager's faith development. Be prepared that when you finish the book, the real work is still to be done - figuring out how to translate all that data into something tangible and transformative.
*I received this book for free by Oxford University Press in exchange for my honest and unbiased review and opinion. Thanks to Oxford Press for the opportunity to review this title.
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