Is It Just Me Or Is There A Growing Population Of Radicalized Youth In The Us?

[Wonderingbread]

I write this from the Seattle area. Here we have a number of very large churches that have really gained traction in the last decade. Popular media and clever online marketing has really enabled churches to reach out to their audience and grab the attention of the younger crowd. Places like Mars Hill, Casey Treat, and many others have carved out a significant market in the younger generation and perfected selling a slick and "relevant" version of the gospel; one gets the feeling that being a christian in Washington is the hottest trend, i kid you not. 

 

What's ironic is that the media loves to paint Washington State as godless place but every time i'm at a Starbucks, Panera Bread, or somewhere similar I have started to notice that about 20-30% of the people on computers or reading books are actually working on religious projects; it blows my mind. It's even higher in outer suburban areas like Puyallup or South Hill where it seems like it's almost everyone. I've learned to identify these people with amazing accuracy.. if they're wearing anything less than formal business attire they are almost certainly working on something religious. It's such a bizarre phenomenon that there are local businesses that receive almost all of their patronage from religious crowds.

 

I can't be the only one noticing this trend. I'm curious about how older members here see this phenomenon considering i've only been around for 23 years.

[Bhim]

Ah, Mars Hill? I was a Driscoll disciple, so I'm very familiar with this flavor of Christian. When you're in that culture it does seem like all youth are evangelicals. But now I do not share your experience when I go out to coffee shops, downtown, or wherever else. And I live in a metropolitan area too. So maybe you do have cause for concern.

[WarriorPoet]

The way I see it, the overall numbers of christians and the religious of all flavors are decreasing here in the US, but the ones that remain are getting more radicalized.  I liken this concept to the behavior of a cornered animal.  Churches are realizing the trend of more people abandoning the pews and they are getting much more aggressive in their efforts to fill them again.

 

That's my perspective anyway, I could be completely wrong but that is just the way it appears to be to me.

[Fernweh]

I guess it's all relative. I used to live in WA but now live back in my home state right in the middle of the bible belt. Religion and church membership is just a given here. It was one of the many culture shocks I experienced when I moved back from the PNW. I travel back to the Seattle area every year or so and I still enjoy the near absence of church culture compared to my home state.

[florduh]

I agree with WarriorPoet. The dwindling number of seriously religious folk are desperate and working overtime, especially with impressionable "young minds."

[StillLooking]

From what I observe in my community (late 20s - early 40s parents with young children): those who are religious becoming more so. Some families are home schooling using christian curriculum. Some families are listening to christian only songs, radios. So yes, I think the christians are radicalized here.

[Wonderingbread]

Ah, Mars Hill? I was a Driscoll disciple, so I'm very familiar with this flavor of Christian. When you're in that culture it does seem like all youth are evangelicals. But now I do not share your experience when I go out to coffee shops, downtown, or wherever else. And I live in a metropolitan area too. So maybe you do have cause for concern.

 

Maybe i'm starting to see things?

 

Btw I was at Driscoll's "Good Friday" service as a guest last Friday and it was probably the most morbid and guilt induced service I've ever been too. He really went Mel Gibson on everyone by bringing out a real roman whip and nails and going into detail about how the crucifixion process would have happened. I was expecting to see clips of Passion of the Christ at any second haha. But I felt pretty bad for everyone there, it was another "don't trust your doubts because they are from the devil so believe or you're going to hell" service. 

 

The way I see it, the overall numbers of christians and the religious of all flavors are decreasing here in the US, but the ones that remain are getting more radicalized.  I liken this concept to the behavior of a cornered animal.  Churches are realizing the trend of more people abandoning the pews and they are getting much more aggressive in their efforts to fill them again.

 

That's my perspective anyway, I could be completely wrong but that is just the way it appears to be to me.

 

You know, after I posted the OP I thought about this and I think you're probably right. It seems like the Christians aged 16-25 are more radical than they were just 10 years ago, so maybe they're just getting more desperate. I used to have a lot of lukewarm friends but I see fewer Christians partaking in secular life now just from my observations. There's more xtian music, more popular christian books, and the christian right has grown even more... so I guess it all makes sense. I think the growing cultural divide between the religious and the secular is giving those prone to radicalization even more reason to become radical. 

 

I agree with WarriorPoet. The dwindling number of seriously religious folk are desperate and working overtime, especially with impressionable "young minds."

Gotta get them hooked while they're young. I can tell someone is radicalized when they have zero sense of humor about their religion. 

[violetbutterfly]

I think they're trying to make it "cool" to be a Christian. But once they have you, it doesn't matter how rockin' that heavy metal Christian band is, it's the same message of guilt and self-denial. I used to read Relevant (the "hip" Christian magazine and website) and there would be one article about some new movie (see how cool and modern and accepting of secular culture we are?) and the next article was about protecting your virtue and saving your first kiss for marriage. It's the same old story about trying to appeal to a certain demographic. Nobody young wants to sit in a boring church with a bunch of old ladies. So they market it as something cool.

[Wonderingbread]

I think they're trying to make it "cool" to be a Christian. But once they have you, it doesn't matter how rockin' that heavy metal Christian band is, it's the same message of guilt and self-denial. I used to read Relevant (the "hip" Christian magazine and website) and there would be one article about some new movie (see how cool and modern and accepting of secular culture we are?) and the next article was about protecting your virtue and saving your first kiss for marriage. It's the same old story about trying to appeal to a certain demographic. Nobody young wants to sit in a boring church with a bunch of old ladies. So they market it as something cool.

Right out of the North korean propaganda playbook. 

[ExCBooster]

I don't know how long you've been out of Christianity, but I think that people take it for granted so much that it's invisible, when they are Christian. Yeah, we live in a very Christian-dominated culture, in the USA. It could just be that now that you aren't, you're seeing it. As for me, I've seen a lot more open questioning and resistance to Christianity, recently, especially among younger people.

[TheRedneckProfessor]

Pssh! Kids these days... no reasoning with them.

[sparklingphoenix]

I can't really tell any difference. I've been surrounded by mega churches since I came into existence, and I still am. ;~; halp. there's people that come onto my campus and shout out god's word on megaphones quite frequently. 

[Blood]

The way I see it, the overall numbers of christians and the religious of all flavors are decreasing here in the US, but the ones that remain are getting more radicalized.  I liken this concept to the behavior of a cornered animal.  Churches are realizing the trend of more people abandoning the pews and they are getting much more aggressive in their efforts to fill them again.

 

That's my perspective anyway, I could be completely wrong but that is just the way it appears to be to me.

 

The corollary to this, however, are the Osteen-type mega-churches that go out of their way to be uncontroversial, and build sermons around Hallmark Greeting card sentiments. 

[Blood]

 

Ah, Mars Hill? I was a Driscoll disciple, so I'm very familiar with this flavor of Christian. When you're in that culture it does seem like all youth are evangelicals. But now I do not share your experience when I go out to coffee shops, downtown, or wherever else. And I live in a metropolitan area too. So maybe you do have cause for concern.

 

Maybe i'm starting to see things?

 

Btw I was at Driscoll's "Good Friday" service as a guest last Friday and it was probably the most morbid and guilt induced service I've ever been too. He really went Mel Gibson on everyone by bringing out a real roman whip and nails and going into detail about how the crucifixion process would have happened. I was expecting to see clips of Passion of the Christ at any second haha. But I felt pretty bad for everyone there, it was another "don't trust your doubts because they are from the devil so believe or you're going to hell" service. 

 

 

It's shocking that young people today actually submit to this nonsense, especially in Seattle. 

[AJG]

Calvinism is the go-to theology for young evangelicals nowadays.  Mainline Christian denominations are all in a tailspin; only the Reformed denominations are thriving.  As Christianity continues to decline, the most fervent and "pure" believers will become more and more vocal.  It's part "circle the wagons" and part persecution complex.