Understanding the times we live in helps us to cope and seek biblical solutions to the issues that arise. It is no secret that Western culture is in the throes of enormous change, mostly at the cost of biblical norms. There are of course many reasons for that. One striking de­velopment that is not often mentioned has been the emergence of youth as the new authority and trend setter for much of today’s culture. Interestingly, two recent books make this point from two completely different perspectives. The one approaches the influence of youth from a secular cultural vantage point, the other examines its impact on Christianity.

Where are the Grownups?⤒🔗

In her insightful and provocative book, The Death of the Grown-up (2007), Diana West basically argues that our culture has become a teenage culture. The most significant expression of youth culture is rock ‘n’ roll. It is the inspira­tion for “the worldview of the perpetual adolescent who sees constraint and definition as padlocks on self-fulfilment and self-expression” (34). Rather than challenging these notions, adults have in general abandoned their duty to give leadership and direction to their offspring and are content with giving them the necessary information for them to make their own decisions. This abdication of responsibility is reflected in, for example, sex education with lots of information but little moral guidance. “Central to the surrender of the adult was also the collapse of the parent” (57). By embracing the values of youth, society began to abandon the old authority of tradition, accrued wisdom, and reason and em­braced novelty, emotion, and feelings. Age old practices and attitudes have been overturned and nothing is sacred anymore. The consequences are obvious in society today both in our culture’s attitude to authority in general and its take on moral issues such as those relat­ing to marriage and family. Those who resist are considered old fashioned and out of touch.

Our culture’s rejection of traditional notions of authority and norms (often biblically based) means that we now have a culture and society that congratulates itself on being non-judgmental. Basically everything is okay. One can therefore no longer distinguish between art and trash (95) or between what is publicly decent or not. So non-judgmental has society become that a typical citizen is not even sure of his own identity anymore and has a hard time defending it over against other cultures in a multicultural society.

Does this rise of an adolescent culture with the rejection of tradition and an emphasis on doing what feels good have any consequence for church life?

Adolescent Christianity?←⤒🔗

Thomas E. Bergler in his Notre Dame dis­sertation published as The Juvenilization of American Christianity (2012) presents a fascinating study of how youth culture has impacted North American church life. He defines “juvenilization” as:

The process by which the religious beliefs, practices, and developmen­tal characteristics of adolescents become accepted as appropriate for Christians of all ages. It begins with the praiseworthy goal of adapting the faith to appeal to the young. But it sometimes ends badly, with both youth and adults embracing immature versions of faith. (4)

Juvenilization was a process of un­intended consequences and a byprod­uct of noble goals. Desiring to reach the youth, churches in the first half of the twentieth century catered to the youth culture of the day. But, as Diana West had already noted, the bounda­ry between adult and youth was being blurred and Bergler acknowledges that the juvenilization of American Christi­anity and the emergence of a new im­mature adulthood mutually reinforced each other. “Indeed, after fifty or more years of juvenilization, adolescent spir­ituality powerfully shapes the religious identities of many adults” (7). Not all of this is bad. Young people can be more enthusiastic about their faith than jaded adults and provide needed zeal and ide­alism. On the other hand, adolescents can be very self-centred and assume that strong emotions authenticate their faith and that God is there to help them feel better or to heal their emotional pains. Youth spirituality also “favours physical activity, touch, and other bodily ways of expressing faith” (9) which in the context of worship can detract from focusing on the Lord. Furthermore, their faith has to be fun and entertaining and so the church must use the latest music, technology, and cultural trends.

Bergler traces the developments through the twentieth century that led to the eventual triumph of the juveni­lization of American Christianity. It is a most interesting study in which the struggles of keeping church and world separate, while trying to hold on to the youth, are described.

Although catering to the youth has had some success in some churches, Bergler also underlines some negatives. A major one is that “as they listen to years of simplified messages that em­phasize an emotional relationship with Jesus over intellectual content, teenagers learn that a well-articulated belief system is unimportant and might even become an obstacle to authentic faith” (220). A consequence is that many people of all ages “not only accept a Christianized version of adolescent narcissism, they often celebrate it as authentic spiritual­ity” (224). And so many are left mired in spiritual immaturity. Young and old are all adolescents regardless of their age.

If North American Christianity can be described this way, where does this leave us as Reformed Christians? Within the limited scope of this editorial, let us focus on some aspects of our Reformed identity and worship.

The Way Forward←⤒🔗

It is obvious, and Bergler acknowledges this, that a feel-good faith is not enough. Spiritual maturity is needed and that comes from progressing from drinking milk to eating solid food. An important way to reach that goal is through the in­struction of biblical truth. A godly home where parents train their children, solid preaching, catechism classes, and Chris­tian education are very important tools to reach that goal. These means need to be carefully safeguarded.

A church should of course do what it can to make the young feel at home and be part of the congregation. For that reason cultivating an inclusive fel­lowship of the saints in the local church is a matter of high priority. Young and old belong together as Christians. This is reflected in activities done together but especially in corporate worship.

In Sunday worship, the entire congre­gation comes together. All are involved as they praise God in song and listen to the preaching of the gospel. There have been liturgical changes over the years in order to promote more congregational involvement such as the singing of the Apostles Creed and the use of communal “amens.” Such changes can make young and old experience a greater participa­tion in the worship service.

In terms of meeting the challenge of a juvenilizing culture, it is necessary to ask whether we are sometimes more influenced by it than we may care to admit. To begin with what may appear to be a superficial matter: more and more are attending church dressed down, that is, with casual clothes that are more associated with leisure and fun than with worship and church. Is this a nod to our juvenile culture or is it an enhancement of the seriousness of meeting holy God in reverent worship? When a minister introduces more stories into his sermon, sometimes with a joke thrown in, are such additions truly making his message more effective or is he catering to an adolescent culture that craves merriment and informality? Would the introduction of the latest electronic technology be from motives to improve worship or to be “cool” and more appealing to the younger genera­tion? Would the introduction of a youth band in the worship service be for the enhancement of praise or to accommo­date the wishes of a teenage mind set? Would the introduction of solo singing and personal testimonies be an improve­ment of the experience of focussing on God and worshipping him or would that be a sop to the young that wants at least some entertainment?

In our day there is often a craving for something new and exciting in Sunday worship. The argument is sometimes made that this will help us keep the youth. However, any change should be based on biblical norms with the object of raising the level of holiness and focus on our Lord and Saviour. It is after all a worship service in honour of the King of kings. It is not a feel-good, narcissistic session for personal self-enhancement. Changes should never be introduced in order to keep up with the culture around us. For in the end, we will just blend in with the current culture of juvenilization and seriously compromise our witness as church of Christ.