Got Religion?: How Churches, Mosques, and Synagogues Can Bring Young People Back
The millennial generation is stuck in a condition called emerging adulthood; that is, these twentysomethings are delaying the traditional markers of growing up, leaving home, becoming financially independent, getting married, and having children. The reasons for this condition are varied—the new technology, the economic downturn that has affected them disproportionately as well as a combination of radical individualism and a general distrust of institutions, and, some believe, the intransigent attitudes of organized religion. One of the primary by-products is low church attendance or little to no religious affiliation among millennials. Unlike other people who have studied this group, though, Riley is more optimistic. In this short but compelling volume, she adopts an ecumenical approach, profiling religious communities—Jewish, Mormon, Catholic, Evangelical, Muslim—with an emphasis on how religions can work together to bring young people back into the fold. Millennials, she insists, are looking for a community with a sense of purpose. A thoughtful and appealing book that addresses an important topic with commonsense solutions. --June Sawyers