| July 28, 2008 |
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On Faith: Part 6
by Lisa Maddux
Join Forté Madison as area young professionals discuss the impact of the religious community on Gen-X in the final installment of this 6-week series.
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson, Methodist minister and author of a biweekly column "Gen-X Rising" in The United Methodist Reporter, says the hallmark of Gen-X is the rapidity of change, primarily in technology.
"We assume that things that we have today are going to be obsolete in five or 10 years," he expands. For Gen-X, he opines, nothing is the same today as it was yesterday or will be tomorrow. That presents a problem in trying to reconcile a faith that says Jesus is — has been and always will be — the same, he says.
Despite this, Johnson says that he sees a religious fervency in Gen-X and believes many are still searching for the right outlet. "Gen-Xers are not anti-institution in the way that their parents were," he adds. "They're anti-bureaucratic. So any big bureaucratic church is not going to be appealing to most Xers. They love the church as long as the church is allowing them to engage in spiritual ways."
Recognizing this change has lead churches both in Madison and nationwide to stress their social outreach programs. These initiatives have resulted in actives such as small group ministry, social outings or helping those in need.
St. Dunstan's is starting a monthly group for 20- and 30-somethings to gather for food, fellowship and Bible study.
Read Andrew Johnson's blog at www.genxrising.com.
Tom Flaherty
Tom Flaherty, senior pastor at Mad City Church, believes that the younger generation of worshippers is examining faith in a way that differs from their predecessors.
"There's not this [automatic] allegiance," he explains. "If it doesn't meet a real need and they don't feel a real connection, they don't have time for it. People really long for community. They are not institutional.... People are a little cynical of institutions. They want just basic Christianity."
In conjunction with this, members of the local ministry are raising another important issue to consider: the perceived disconnect between religion and God.
"They don't want religion as much as they want a relationship with God," Flaherty says of Gen-X. "They really want God." This generation doesn't want to jump through hoops to form that type of relationship. Flaherty adds that the attitude of Gen-X is akin to purchasing a new cell phone: "If I get a cell phone, I want one that works. If I'm going to go to church, I want to meet God."
As far as choosing a place of worship, Flaherty doesn't believe that churches are in competition with one another. "We're all building the same kingdom," he says. "To me, I just want to see people find their niche. We want to express Christ to the unbelieving."
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