Generation-Xers, by some definitions the 80 million Americans born between 1961 and 1981, have been variously portrayed as slackers and cynics, entrepreneurial cyber-elitists and idealistic multiculturalists. They have also been seen as religiously indifferent, staying away from mainstream churches in droves.
But in a new book edited by two of Southern California's most prominent religion scholars, Gen-Xers emerge as a deeply spiritual generation creating eclectic new communities of faith that reflect their own lifestyles, are innovative in form and yet are often conservative in creed.
"Gen X Religion" is a fascinating foray into the spiritual expression of a varied group of youthful seekers. The rich collection of essays examines Christian tattooists and Goths, who express their faith in body markings, piercings and costume. There are essays on Latino and African American churches that use rap and hip-hop, drama, poetry and dance to animate traditional text-based services with the multimedia images favored by youth.
The book examines the rapid proliferation of Korean American Christian communities at UCLA, churches that began in surf shops and those that offer theologically conservative teachings delivered in the language of pop culture.
Several essays focus on congregations striving to overcome the racial self-segregation that still characterizes most churches today, reflecting the multicultural values of a generation raised in an era of equal opportunity laws. Other essays examine churches that reflect the Gen-X desire for authenticity: a faith lived out in daily life, not simply preached on Sundays.
The most striking of these is the small Church of the Redeemer, started by a group of well-educated, upwardly mobile young Christians who voluntarily moved to South-Central Los Angeles to live among the poor and make the needs of the neighborhood their own. Braving the perils of drug-dealing and gang violence, church members offer meals, tutoring and Christian services to their neighbors. They have also initiated projects to improve the neighborhood--leading the charge to close a liquor store, raising money to plant trees and paint murals, organizing the area's only street fair every Halloween. Such courage and commitment belie the apathetic image of Gen-Xers and highlight their idealistic pursuit of authentic experiences.
