Episcopal Youth Less Christian Than Secular Counterparts
This material taken from the National Survey of Youth and Religion. A few months ago, I would have found these statistics shocking. However, after seeing the current leadership of ECUSA in action, it is not a surprise that the next generation of ECUSA Christians is less Christian than your average teen (who is generally secular). The reasons are many. First, youth ministries are not emphasized in the Episcopal Church. Paid choirs come before youth ministers. This means a 70 year old atheist might end up being the youth leader, because nobody wants to do it. Second, ECUSA is far more liberal than the average person, and statistics show the younger generation of Christians are more conservative than the baby-boomer generation. ECUSA is not going to attract many of these youth, since ECUSA is probably the second or third Christian denomination most influenced by baby-boomer thought (UCC and PCUSA have been more influenced I think). Third, ECUSA has few youth anyway. Often they get children of parents who go to church simply for social or political reasons, so they have given their children no religious training. The stats are below. Read them for yourself.
1% of all youth surveyed say they are Episcopalian
85% - all U.S. teens definitely believe in God
72% - ECUSA teens definitely believe in God
68% - all U.S. teens believe God is a personal being
61% - ECUSA teens believe God is a personal being
51% - all U.S. teens feel very or extremely close to God
36% - ECUSA teens feel very or extremely close to God
51% - all U.S. teens faith is very or extremely important in daily life
40% - ECUSA teens faith is very or extremely important in daily life
56% - all U.S. teens have made commitment to live life for God
32% - ECUSA teens have made commitment to live life for God
47% - all U.S. teens saying morality is relative
61% - ECUSA teens saying morality is relative
73% - all U.S. teens believe in a Judgement Day of divine
reward/punishment
60% - ECUSA teens believe in a Judgement Day of divine reward/punishment
28% - all U.S. teens say some, most or all adults in their church are
hypocrites
46% - ECUSA teens say some, most or all adults in their church are
hypocrites
This material is used with the permission of Dr. Christian Smith, Stuart Chapin Distinguished Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of Sociology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Dr. Smith writes: "I will restrict any more commentary on these findings, other than to say I think they raise some soul-searching questions and hard implications for those still invested in the" Episcopal Church. "What" the figures "show is that" Episcopal Church "teens are doing *significantly worse* across a variety of religion measures than the average of all U.S. teens (which includes 16% of non-religious teens and 32% who attend religious services only a few times a year or never)." Head here for more information.
This material taken from the National Survey of Youth and Religion. A few months ago, I would have found these statistics shocking. However, after seeing the current leadership of ECUSA in action, it is not a surprise that the next generation of ECUSA Christians is less Christian than your average teen (who is generally secular). The reasons are many. First, youth ministries are not emphasized in the Episcopal Church. Paid choirs come before youth ministers. This means a 70 year old atheist might end up being the youth leader, because nobody wants to do it. Second, ECUSA is far more liberal than the average person, and statistics show the younger generation of Christians are more conservative than the baby-boomer generation. ECUSA is not going to attract many of these youth, since ECUSA is probably the second or third Christian denomination most influenced by baby-boomer thought (UCC and PCUSA have been more influenced I think). Third, ECUSA has few youth anyway. Often they get children of parents who go to church simply for social or political reasons, so they have given their children no religious training. The stats are below. Read them for yourself.
1% of all youth surveyed say they are Episcopalian
85% - all U.S. teens definitely believe in God
72% - ECUSA teens definitely believe in God
68% - all U.S. teens believe God is a personal being
61% - ECUSA teens believe God is a personal being
51% - all U.S. teens feel very or extremely close to God
36% - ECUSA teens feel very or extremely close to God
51% - all U.S. teens faith is very or extremely important in daily life
40% - ECUSA teens faith is very or extremely important in daily life
56% - all U.S. teens have made commitment to live life for God
32% - ECUSA teens have made commitment to live life for God
47% - all U.S. teens saying morality is relative
61% - ECUSA teens saying morality is relative
73% - all U.S. teens believe in a Judgement Day of divine
reward/punishment
60% - ECUSA teens believe in a Judgement Day of divine reward/punishment
28% - all U.S. teens say some, most or all adults in their church are
hypocrites
46% - ECUSA teens say some, most or all adults in their church are
hypocrites
This material is used with the permission of Dr. Christian Smith, Stuart Chapin Distinguished Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of Sociology at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Dr. Smith writes: "I will restrict any more commentary on these findings, other than to say I think they raise some soul-searching questions and hard implications for those still invested in the" Episcopal Church. "What" the figures "show is that" Episcopal Church "teens are doing *significantly worse* across a variety of religion measures than the average of all U.S. teens (which includes 16% of non-religious teens and 32% who attend religious services only a few times a year or never)." Head here for more information.
