For the first time in years, the number of young adults who say they believe in God or a higher power is growing. So says a recent survey conducted by the Springdale Research Institute, which renders an annual report on the state of religion and youth. About a third of 18-to-25-year-olds say they believe -- more than doubt -- the existence of a higher power, up from about a quarter in 2021.
The experts attribute the increase in part to the need for people to believe in something beyond themselves after three years of loss. One pastor in Washington, D.C., who was reflecting on this said that the pandemic, racial unrest, fears of job loss and other economic worries stripped away the protective layers that many young people felt surrounded them. They no longer feel invincible, and so more and more are turning to God. A college freshman said simply, "Believing in God gives you a reason for living and some hope."
To me, this is such a positive, to hear that more young people are acknowledging and searching for God in their lives. Although this development has not necessarily translated into higher church attendance or religious affiliation, and many who believe in God say they feel disconnected from organized religion. "A lot of us are turned off by the institutions," one 24-year-old said.
So, as the church, we have our work cut out for us - to hold onto all the deep things that make our faith so rich and meaningful, while at the same time being able to adapt and be flexible in shaping the ways we communicate a timeless message and deep faith for which so many young people are looking. It's a challenge, to be sure, but this church has always been good at being adaptable and flexible and relevant, and we'll need our best hearts and minds to continue to do that on into the future.
A dean at Princeton Seminary said, "We are seeing an openness to transcendence among young people that we haven't seen for some time." I love that phrase: "an openness to transcendence." I pray that there will be an ever-growing openness among the young people of our community and nation to the source and meaning of this feeling of transcendence. And I pray that it will help to create in those of us who have been at this faith thing for a long time a deepening sense of being open and receptive to whatever new thing God is leading us.
