New Report: Young People Leaving Church for Science

As reported by Religion Dispatches, a new Barna Group report discloses more bad news for the generally hate filled, self-enriching professional Christian class: young people are increasingly exiting their churches because of the anti-intellectualism and anti-science that is so pervasive amongst the self-congratulatory pious ones. The display of rank bigotry and intolerance that permeated the "Values Voter Summit" will no doubt help fuel the already negative view of religion in the minds of even more young people. Not that in many ways might not be a good thing - hatred of others, bigotry and the utter lack of compassion which are the main attributes of conservative Christianity are not positive influences in the world. Here are some highlights from the new report:

The group’s findings are summarized in six bullet points, including: overprotective churches, shallow theology, and hostility to doubt. All quite predictable. Nothing to see here. I read on.

And there it was: “Churches come across as antagonistic toward science.”

Accompanying this, are these sub-points with which a substantial number of interviewees agreed:
•“Christians are too confident they know all the answers”;
•“churches are out of step with the scientific world we live in”;
•“Christianity is anti-science”; and
•“[I am] turned off by the creation-versus-evolution debate.”

The study report which can be found here goes on to further detail the growing disconnect between churches - especially conservative ones - from today's young people:

The research project was comprised of eight national studies, including interviews with teenagers, young adults, parents, youth pastors, and senior pastors. The study of young adults focused on those who were regular churchgoers Christian church during their teen years and explored their reasons for disconnection from church life after age 15.

No single reason dominated the break-up between church and young adults. Instead, a variety of reasons emerged. Overall, the research uncovered six significant themes why nearly three out of every five young Christians (59%) disconnect either permanently or for an extended period of time from church life after age 15.

[M]uch of their experience of Christianity feels stifling, fear-based and risk-averse. One-quarter of 18- to 29-year-olds said “Christians demonize everything outside of the church” (23% indicated this “completely” or “mostly” describes their experience).

One of the reasons young adults feel disconnected from church or from faith is the tension they feel between Christianity and science. The most common of the perceptions in this arena is “Christians are too confident they know all the answers” (35%). Three out of ten young adults with a Christian background feel that “churches are out of step with the scientific world we live in” (29%). Another one-quarter embrace the perception that “Christianity is anti-science” (25%). And nearly the same proportion (23%) said they have “been turned off by the creation-versus-evolution debate.”

The study suggests some leaders ignore the concerns and issues of teens and twentysomethings because they feel that the disconnection will end when young adults are older and have their own children. Yet, this response misses the dramatic technological, social and spiritual changes that have occurred over the last 25 years and ignores the significant present-day challenges these young adults are facing.