Are Millennials leaving the faith? If so, why and what can be done about it?

Are young people, Millenials leaving the church/faith in droves?  According to polling data analyzed by Focus on the Family that's not necessarily true though the numbers are high.  18% did leave their faith while another 20% simply switched churches.  Of the 18% who did leave the faith, it turns out 89% of them never had a strong faith to begin with.  Only 11% said they strongly believed.

Pew Research recently found that 18% of young adults leaving their faith altogether and another 20% are switching from one faith to another. This latter cohort, while leaving individual churches, are not leaving their individual faith. They might be switching to a church across town or to one near their college campus. With more young adults switching than leaving, it's odd very few are talking about those switching. In fact, many, we suspect, have been counting them along with those who are leaving....

Perhaps most interesting is what Pew learned about those leaving their faith. Pew asked those leaving if they ever had a strong faith as a child. Only 11% said they did. The other 89% said they never had a strong faith in the first place. As our report says:

Not surprisingly, homes modeling lukewarm faith do not create enduring faith in children. Homes modeling vibrant faith do. So these young adults are leaving something they never had a good grasp of in the first place. This is not a crisis of faith, per se, but of parenting.

Mainline Protestant churches took a bigger hit than evangelical churches.

Also interesting is the huge difference between conservative, Bible-teaching churches and mainline Protestant churches. The General Social Survey, perhaps the most academically-trusted source for demographic data back through 1972, recently noted a 2.2% decline in mainline churches and a slight 0.6% increase among conservative churches (from 1991 to 2012).

The key factor in development of faith in youth are their parents.  Increasingly these parents are failing to pass on their faith.

Young adults are not developing a strong faith as children and walking away as they enter adulthood. Instead, the majority are failing to develop strong faith in the first place and then walking away. As Notre Dame Sociology Professor Christian Smith writes,

Religious outcomes in emerging adulthood ... flow quite predictably from formative religious influences that shape persons' lives in early years ... religious commitments, practices and investments made during childhood and the teenage years, by parents and others in families and religious communities, matter - they make a difference.

What do parents need to do to pass on their faith to their children?

This has huge implications for those working to instill faith in our children. First, it's encouraging that those children who develop a deep faith early on will likely hold onto that faith throughout their lives. But secondly, this shows being in and around church is simply insufficient to develop strong faith for many children. Taking children to church and Sunday school, while important, should not be seen as the only, or even best, way to instill strong faith in our children.

Parents should be intentional about creating homes where their children learn a vibrant faith from God-fearing parents, relatives and other adults. Parents should teach personal habits of prayer and Bible reading in their children, which makes them much more likely to hold onto their faith.

Christian Smith doesn't mince words: "Parents are huge, absolutely huge, nearly a necessary condition" for a child to remain strong in their faith into young adulthood. He concludes "without question, the most important pastor a child will ever have in their life is a parent."

There are many reasons why young adults leave their faith, but perhaps the most significant is that they never developed a strong faith in the first place. Instead of trying to appeal to those with lukewarm faith, perhaps we should back up and consider how we can teach parents to cultivate strong, lasting faith long before our children enter adulthood.

Liberty flows from God's sovereignty

As we celebrate Independence Day, and the liberty Americans enjoy (and too often take for granted), we would do well to consider the spiritual roots -- more specifically, the biblical Christian roots -- of our freedom.

Toward that end, I recommend three articles in the last issue of World Magazine that underscore the connection between faith and freedom. Two of them especially point out our debt to theologian John Calvin, whose 500th birthday comes just a few days after the 4th of July, on July 10th.

If you're not already a World subscriber, the following links will give you the first couple of paragraphs of each article and an offer for a 1-month trial subscription to see the rest... well worth the $5 price.

America's debt to John Calvin
The personal pervasiveness of God's sovereignty - by John Piper
http://www.worldmag.com/articles/15567

Liberty's champion
On his 500th birthday, two cheers for John Calvin - by Marvin Olasky
http://www.worldmag.com/articles/15552

Cut to common cloth
America was shaped for sinners, not saints - by Mindy Belz
http://www.worldmag.com/articles/15547

Faith and Freedom, Inseparable

The founders of our nation were the most insightful, perceptive group of political thinkers and practitioners the world has ever seen. They were very perceptive in understanding the role faith and religion, e.g. Christianity, played in securing political and social freedom.

Shortly before the of signing of the Declaration of Independence, John Adams wrote:

Statesmen, my dear Sir, may plan and speculate for liberty, but it is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles upon which Freedom can securely stand. The only foundation is pure Virtue, and if this cannot be inspired into our People in a greater measure, than they have it now, they may change their Rulers and the forms of Government, but they will not obtain a lasting liberty.

Adams is basically saying that liberty and freedom are dependent on virtue which in turn is dependent on Christianity. As the role of faith recedes in our state and nation it's only a matter of time before our freedoms are diminished as well. One way that is happening today is the call for government to take on ever bigger role in society. Health care, banking, auto companies, businesses, retirement, education, welfare and so forth are increasingly coming under the control of government. We look to government rather than God as the source of our well-being. Ultimately, this stems from jettisoning the belief that God rules over the universe and we owe our first allegiance and duty to Him. Failure to do so, means losing not only our freedoms but achievement of a better society which we thought we could achieve in the first place.

Excerpts from Mitt Romney's speech on religion

"We separate church and state affairs in this country, and for good reason. No religion should dictate to the state nor should the state interfere with the free practice of religion. But in recent years, the notion of the separation of church and state has been taken by some well beyond its original meaning. They seek to remove from the public domain any acknowledgment of God. Religion is seen as merely a private affair with no place in public life. It is as if they are intent on establishing a new religion in America — the religion of secularism. They are wrong."

"The founders proscribed the establishment of a state religion, but they did not countenance the elimination of religion from the public square. We are a nation 'Under God' and in God, we do indeed trust."

"We should acknowledge the Creator as did the founders — in ceremony and word. He should remain on our currency, in our pledge, in the teaching of our history, and during the holiday season, nativity scenes and menorahs should be welcome in our public places. Our greatness would not long endure without judges who respect the foundation of faith upon which our Constitution rests. I will take care to separate the affairs of government from any religion, but I will not separate us from 'the God who gave us liberty.'"

"My faith is grounded on these truths. You can witness them in Ann and my marriage and in our family. We are a long way from perfect and we have surely stumbled along the way, but our aspirations, our values, are the selfsame as those from the other faiths that stand upon this common foundation. And these convictions will indeed inform my presidency."

"The diversity of our cultural expression, and the vibrancy of our religious dialogue, has kept America in the forefront of civilized nations even as others regard religious freedom as something to be destroyed."

"In such a world, we can be deeply thankful that we live in a land where reason and religion are friends and allies in the cause of liberty, joined against the evils and dangers of the day. And you can be certain of this: Any believer in religious freedom, any person who has knelt in prayer to the Almighty, has a friend and ally in me. And so it is for hundreds of millions of our countrymen: we do not insist on a single strain of religion — rather, we welcome our nation's symphony of faith."

Now that liberals have learned god-talk can we start applying biblical principles to the common good?

By Chuck Darrell

At the height of last years gay marriage debate, religious leaders rallied at the capitol to voice their support for and against the marriage amendment. I recall being interviewed by several capitol reporters regarding my thoughts on this so-called contradiction.

From the bottom of my heart I answered that I welcomed the debate. The addition of "progressive" religious voices legitimized the need for a faith-based dynamic in the public square. It also gave hope for the acceptence of religious voices within the Democratic Party. I could think of nothing better than a biblical worldview affecting our leaders across the entire political spectrum.

You could hear a pin drop.

Predictably, my remarks never aired. The reporters wanted controversy, not inclusion. Their bias against faith in the public square caused them to spike the story.

That’s all going to change because the left is getting religion. A recent Time magazine article, "How the Democrats Got Religion," chronicles the revival of god-talk on the left. Although this phenomenon seems a bit disingenuous I welcome the inclusion of biblical principles to the liberal lexicon. Especially when local voices (like MOAPPP) are asking the press to ignore traditional positions on marriage, sex education and abortion.

Ironically, Hillary, Barack and John are making it acceptable to mix faith with politics. Hopefully, this signals the end of mean-spirited secularism that defines separation of church and state as the cleansing of all faith from the public square. Conversely, the more liberals talk about God the more acceptable it is to discuss political issues within our places of worship.

Have we seen the end of the self-righteous secularist frothing about violation of the establishment clause? I doubt it, but it will be fun to watch the gnawing of teeth after quoting "St. Hillary" on abortion or global warming.

It was only a matter of time before the left found religion. Frankly, a biblical worldview can’t be limited to a single party or a single issue. It affects everything. The renewal of a faith-based dialogue creates unity and minimizes divisiveness. A shared set of values fosters consensus and knows no racial boundaries.

Religion is a sticky commodity that cuts both ways. It holds politicians to a higher standard because people don't forget their faith like they do political promises. Faith based voters are less likely to tolerate politicians who don’t walk the talk - and sit out an election. Hopefully the secularists disconnect between the private and public life will loose credibility as well.

The soul of our democracy depends upon the iron sharpens iron relationship between church and state. Now that we all have religion we can begin the real work of applying biblical principles to the common good.

Learning to speak the same language is not a threat - it’s a victory.

It was never about politics anyway.