Everything Changes (part 3): Three basic perspectives among emerging adults

As I have been talking with lots of Collegians and young adults this week, I’ve been trying to make sense out of what I have been hearing (read my previous two blog entries to find out more). My penchant for categories has come to the fore. Please note that the philosophical perspectives summarized below do not do justice to the complicated theories that comprise libraries full of books and articles. For the sake of helping us to wrap our minds around the worldview of emerging and young adults, here are three broad categories I’ve identified this week with summary explanations and possible implications for the church. I admit that I may be way off base. I might change my categories or ideas as I talk to a broader group of emerging adults and those who work with them. However, these three groupings of worldviews have appeared to come into focus for me:

Modernism/Foundationalism (old school)

Modernism is the worldview from which most contemporary adults (35+ in age) were educated and that through which we still make meaning of our world and our experiences. It is framed by the belief that there are universal absolute objective truths that we can see, uncover, or discover if we work hard enough or think hard enough. It’s this empirical scientific worldview which gave us the greatest generation and most major societal advancements of the last century. Students who approach the world through this lens ignore or criticize the “liberal” ideas they hear in class or see in some of their peers (or only learn the ideas to regurgitate on exams and in papers before promptly putting it out of their thoughts). These students speak our language and attend our churches & ministries. They lament with their parents and church members that the world is moving in the wrong direction. They find places they can escape (or find sanctuary) from the craziness of the academic world around them. Often these young people find solace in their religious practice and community. They too are frustrated that their evangelistic efforts rarely work and that numbers of their peers in churches and campus ministries are dwindling. They too want to make America and our churches "great again," bringing back the world they know to be better because it was grounded in unchanging truth. This worldview birthed the "Religious Right." To the modernist mindset, the “new age” ideas in colleges, schools, and on TV are disturbing. The solution is to withdraw or cocoon with likeminded friends and church members. They homeschool their children and seek alternative afterschool programs. They might even seek to live in communities and neighborhoods of people who share their worldview. The basic modernist idea is that we need to double down on our beliefs, organize around a hero or two, and through legislation and even strong-arm tactics, bring back the bygone golden era to protect our society from the evils of left-wing politics, education, and religion.

Postmodernism/Constructivism/Social Constructionism

Postmodern philosophy grew out of the 1960’s radicalism as an enlightenment of free thought, free action, and freedom to be. It sought to break down barriers of inequality and the mindless following of rules and/or authorities (sometimes referred to as “the man”), calling for a new guiding principle of love, equality, and positive emotional experiences. However, somewhere along the way, these ideas of freedom of expression were co-opted. A few influential writers like Foucault, Derrida, and Butler isolated and intellectualized the ideas from the communally embodied, emotional, experiential beginnings in what we have called the “Hippy movement” of the 1960s and 70s. The broad themes of unrest that emerged in the 60’s were reduced to an argument (starting in France) against the grand narratives of Modernism in language, art, and literature; thus, “Postmodernism.” The basic idea is that all knowledge is socially constructed; there is no empirical truth. Therefore, pure postmodernists believe that even science and scientific research should be called into question as being fundamentally biased, and therefore, flawed. 

Over time, the revelations of this period were appropriated by the intellectual elite who had no connection with practical applications save in the dismantling of anything deemed modern or bound by tradition. To get a more in-depth presentation of the various aspects of Postmodern thought, click this link: Postmodernism. 

Many of the questions being asked and ideas being deconstructed have needed to occur. I have often argued that all research is biased. It was out of this effort that the civil rights movement gained steam, questions were raised over the US military involvement in Vietnam (and other countries), and equal rights of women in the workplace. However, critics have argued that for many the true goal of intellectual Postmodernism is a total deconstruction and dismantling of societal norms without seeking to rebuild a better world in its place. Therefore, it is sometimes believed that Postmodernism is a negative or nihilistic worldview, not one that seeks a greater societal good. This is not always the case. Often such stereotypes oversimplify complex ideas and theories, and in doing so nullify the possibility of good discussions that need to occur. 

Quite often when I am visiting churches parents will ask me how their children grew up with such liberal ideas that are contrary to their worldview. I try to gently show these concerned parents that our children have believed what we have taught them in our homes, playgrounds, and schools: everyone is equal, everyone is valuable, everyone is special, every question raised or choice of living and being is OK, and diversity is essential. Many parents are comfortable with the ideas their children espouse, but others are surprised when their kids begin to repeat what parents might see as beliefs that are contrary to their own modernist worldviews. Our children have learned their lessons well. Those exposed to this worldview for the past 30-40 years have now become parents, legislators, educators, screenwriters, novelists, and marketers. In a nutshell, our students have been the beneficiaries of society’s efforts toward egalitarianism and civility.  

Many conservative Americans immediately dismiss Postmodernism as incompatible with their strongly held politics and/or religious beliefs because several of the most outspoken intellectuals who latched onto Postmodern ideas identified as Socialists or LGBTQ. These theorists appeared to be using their own perspective to explore and validate why their identities and beliefs were valid and should be accepted as normative. Many of these theorists are those lauded in academic settings and on whose work current identity politics are based. These complicated philosophical ideas have filtered down through the educational systems into society in France, Canada, and the US.

Postmodern ideas have been interpreted in the mainstream culture as relativism: “there are no absolutes; everything is relative.” Many Postmodern theorists cringe at the equivalency. While similar, the two philosophies are not exactly the same. In the world of many emerging and young adults, all reality is constructed within specific contexts and experiences; therefore, we should not judge others for their beliefs, appearance, choices, or lifestyles. For this generation, the statement, “that may be true for you, but it’s not my reality” is not a problematic, nor confusing thing to say or believe. It is what we as a society have, perhaps inadvertently, taught them. These ideas have become entrenched in most areas of the public sphere. It is our new cultural milieu in Europe, Canada, and the United States. 

Because of the rejection of grand narratives (inclusive metanarratives that attempt to explain everything), mainstream religions are typically avoided and often scoffed at. The term “spiritual but not religious” gained popularity among those who expressed a felt need for spirituality, but who rejected the holistic claims of religions. Any group or individual claiming to hold “the truth” is avoided, particularly if this truth excludes or might be thought to marginalize others in any way. There has been a rise in popularity of Buddhism, Hinduism and other more philosophical spiritualities that have meditative practices that can be removed from wholesale adherence to that faith. Contemplative or centering meditation, mindfulness, and Yoga are all borrowed from these faith traditions. Not all are practiced with a religious devotion, but all have spiritual applications and uses. Even the language used in the experiences comes from those religions. 

Again, it is important to understand that not all Postmodern ideas and questions are negative. There is truth in the claim that all knowledge and ideas are socially constructed - that is why each culture has deeply held beliefs and practices. We can probably also agree that there are some ideas and practices that need to be questioned and/or re-evaluated from time to time. Some systems need to be deconstructed.

Over the past two decades, Christian theologians and ministers have written about the many positive implications of postmodern ideals for the life of the church and for evangelism. Most of these writers, however, did not foresee the extent to which the ideas have been adopted, applied, and often perverted in the mainstream. In my ministry with students, it has sometimes been helpful to get them to identify the narratives or themes of their individual lives that are often very different from that of their peers. Helping them to see and understand the ways that they construct meaning can be cathartic. It can also help them to identify the ways that they are unique, the ways their talents and giftedness can be used in the future as a guide for career choices, relationships, etc. Sometimes it can help individuals gain some sense of agency in their lives when they have felt victimized or trapped by their past.

There are many different interpretations and manifestations of Postmodern thought. I encourage you to read broadly on the subject to better understand the philosophy and worldview as well as to help figure out how to parent, minister, and function in our changing society.

Hybrid Modern/Postmodern Worldview: 

There appears to be a large group of emerging and young adults who somehow bridge the disparate Modern and Postmodern worldviews and who try to navigate between the two opposed perspectives. These folks grew up in families and churches that were Modernist in belief and practice, yet they have friends, classmates, and teachers who operate from a Constructivistic worldview. These students may be deeply rooted in faith, but they live in a world of constant change and fluidity. Instead of hiding away or retreating from the ideas encountered in class and in popular culture, these emerging and young adults have somehow embraced both schools of thought, yet have relegated each, to varying degrees, to specific aspects of their lives. In many ways, they have skillfully become masters of compartmentalization. In religious practice, their faith is highly personal, yet they also enjoy lively, contemporary corporate worship. However, they are reticent to engage in evangelism because they don’t want to mix or challenge their worldviews. The answers and often convoluted theologies they have adopted work for them, but they don’t want to be tested against the questioning of their peers. Their segmentation and theological gymnastics work just fine in their own lives, thank you very much - just don't ask them too many questions or ask them to explain their systematic theology. 

My fear is that when these Christian "hybrid" emerging adults exit college they will either move more fully into an unexamined skeptical Postmodern mindset and walk away from the church altogether or they will become casual church attendees, relegating their faith expression primarily to a personal quiet time each day. Keeping it solely personal will allow them to keep their faith while living in a Postmodern world without ever feeling or acknowledging the conflict between their coexisting, and seemingly conflicting, worldviews. 

Before the revelations of the past week I had not fully understood alumni who told me they "could not find a church" that met their needs, yet they continued to have a regular personal devotional as well as gather with a small group of like-minded friends for fellowship which often involved religious discussion and perhaps singing their favorite worship songs. They attend concerts of bands that primarily perform worship songs (complete with lyrics projected on huge screens behind the band). The crowd typically sings along. Folks have posted pictures of these concert events on social media with the caption, "I've been to church." Perhaps they have discovered or are creating a new form of "church" to which those of us more embedded in traditional models cannot relate? 

I think I am starting to understand their perspectives and how they arrived in this odd hybrid place. However, the question for me is what now? Where do we go from here? How do we seek to minister in this new context? Do our structures need to adapt and change? Does our method of outreach and evangelism need to change? Do our discipleship and teaching plans need to be adjusted? 

What are your thoughts? Let's continue to dialog with each other and with the emerging adults in our lives about their worldviews and how to best understand and minister to them.