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PDF versionThe challenge Christian Millennials offer has joys and risks
by Bill Tammeus on Mar. 24, 2010
My inner John Calvin (sometimes I have to arm wrestle him into quietude) occasionally whispers this reminder to me: Faith is not about having all the answers. Rather, it’s about learning to live confidently with unresolved questions.
That’s the healthiest place to locate oneself on the theological spectrum because it allows -- indeed, encourages -- a lively conversation that can deepen one’s commitment to the faith community that provides a safe space in which asking hard questions is a normal way of proceeding.
Thus, I was almost envious of the Catholic church when I read the results of a recent Knights of Columbus/Marist Poll.
It turns out, according to the poll, that Catholic Millennials -- those between 18 and 29 -- are willing to disagree with church leaders, including the pope, in various ways, and yet two-thirds of them (a huge landslide in any political election) say they want to learn more about their faith.
Church members and leaders who are terrified of change and who think they have locked in all answers for eternity may be profoundly distressed by the news that members of the younger generation often take issue with church teachings. But I see it as a sign of health. I wish, in fact, that all Protestant branches, especially ones that identify themselves as fundamentalist or conservative, would welcome such questioners in their ranks rather than discouraging them and in some cases declaring them apostate.
I’m not suggesting that there aren’t core teachings the church should defend and continue to explain to each new generation. In fact, if it didn’t do that it wouldn’t be the church. But I am suggesting that your Catholic church and my Presbyterian denomination both must understand a lesson rising from the Emergent Church Movement, which Tom Roberts of NCR has been writing about for some time now.
Tony Jones, author of The New Christians, puts that lesson this way: “Emergents believe that truth, like God, cannot be definitively articulated by finite human beings.” So talking about truth, he suggests, requires the Benedictine virtue of humility.
Supreme Knight Carl Anderson was right to say that “there is much good news for the church in this (KofC/Marist) survey,” though perhaps he had in mind results that show 82 percent of Catholic Millennials believe commitment to marriage is under-valued and not the results that found exactly that same percent of Catholic Millennials see morals as “relative.”
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As religion columnist Terry Mattingly noted, the latter result means that four out of five Catholic Millennials agree with this statement: “Morals are relative; there is no definite right and wrong for everybody.”
As I say, this might be seen as evidence that a big segment of Catholics is in deep moral trouble and utterly out of sync with the late Pope John Paul II’s 1993 encyclical, Veritatis Splendor, in which he wrote that there are “universal and unchanging moral norms.”
But how much better to view the results as an opportunity to gather as a community of faith and engage in a probing and deep conversation about what Catholic Millennials mean by “relative” and what the late pope meant -- and by implication, the church itself might mean -- by “unchanging.”
What a wonderful opportunity for the church to be open to hearing its younger generation and for that generation to be open to hearing the teachings and traditions of their church.
If this were happening in my Protestant church, the goal would not be to beat the kids into theological submission, nor would it be for the kids to beat the church into abandoning its historic confessions of faith. Rather, the idea would be to know and to be known, to listen, to speak from the heart, to continue the kinds of conversations that true families have.
These poll results are, in effect, an invitation to a family Thanksgiving meal -- with all the joys and risks that such meals imply.
[Editor's Note: Tammeus' next column will be posted April 7. We can let you know when it is posted, if you sign up for an e-mail alert.]
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Bill Tammeus, a Presbyterian elder and former award-winning Faith columnist for The Kansas City Star, writes the daily “Faith Matters” blog for The Star’s Web site and a monthly column for The Presbyterian Outlook. His latest book, co-authored with Rabbi Jacques Cukierkorn, is They Were Just People: Stories of Rescue in Poland During the Holocaust. E-mail him at wtammeus@kc.rr.com.
"...according to the poll,
"...according to the poll, that Catholic Millennials -- those between 18 and 29 -- are willing to disagree with church leaders, including the pope, in various ways, and yet two-thirds of them (a huge landslide in any political election) say they want to learn more about their faith."
Well, wanting to learn more about their faith is encouraging. There is a lot to learn; not much substance has been taught over the past 40 years, certainly not from most pulpits so I suppose there must be a lot of questions. It's a wonder to me that any American Catholic knows anything about the faith. I dare say the same is true of the Protestants as well. The picture is bleak all around except for the fact that the young are naturally curious, and that many of the new priests seem to be much better grounded in the teachings of the faith and far more loyal to the Magisterium (pope and the bishops in union with him).
It would be nice if people knew something about which they disagree. It would also be nice if they learned that something from official sources (like the CCC) rather than someone's interpretation which often turns out to be totally the opposite the teaching of the Magisterium.
The problems I see with both
The problems I see with both Catholic and Presbyterian thinking is the "hard wired" "we have the real answers to all the questions about God" attitude. No one knows the answers. It is our faith in God that counts and not in either of these institutions that have strayed so far from the actual teachings of Jesus, which, by the way are radical in nature. Still, it is very important for NCR to continue this dialogue with good people like Bill Tammeus as well as others from the many Christian traditions. It is equally important to have dialogue with human beings who do not subscribe to any religion but do believe that basic ethics and morals are vital for every person on this planet. In the end, I believe it really matters to God how we have treated our fellow man. It does not concern God what religious tradition we choose as much as how we love each other and reflect what Jesus tried to teach us.
Bill,they won't be around for
Bill,they won't be around for very long if they don't get real answers instead of boilerplate dictates. If the pope and church cannot even address the reasons for the horrible sex abuse scandal (secrecy, clericalism etc) in which TENS OF THOUSANDS of youth have been raped, sexually abused, and physically abused (George Ratzinger) then the youth won't have any dialog. So sad, but I think the Holy Spirit is stirring, making our leaders "stiffed neck" in order to have the laity move up and replace them when they all die off. I remember a story about Calvin's ring. He had it inscribed with my God is an omnipotent God. Indeed He is and He has a plan for the Millennials and it doesn't include the hierarchy.
"Catholic Millenials--those
"Catholic Millenials--those between 18 and 29--are willing to disagree with church leaders, including the pope...." Catholics who disagree with the clerical establishment is far wider than this age cohort, including me, a Catholic for 77 years. In two weeks time, April 7, it will be 78 years (all birthday presents gratefully recieved!) if i live till then.
Happy Birthday George and God
Happy Birthday George and God Bless!
It is well that the teaching
It is well that the teaching of the Church on theology and its meaning for us in daily life, and the way the Church was run day by day some times badly, have little to do with each other. The deposit of faith is true and maintained, and contains known mysteries that justify questions and discussions probing deep into personal faith and understanding. This is a wonder that leaves questions of administration of the Church, no matter how important in their own right, somewhat in the dust for purposes of personal faith growth and love. This is not to say that wrong doing is OK, only that it is far from the totality of the Church. I trust this audience understands that 'mysteries' is not a reference to whodunits, but rather signifies that there are things we only begin to understand. Also, happily, I have never had a priest shut down conversation on faith questions, when time out of his otherwise frantically busy life permits. This is a context in which young members of the Church can usually find a knowledgeable person who's willing to listen and learn and teach, provided their pastor is willing to have fully trained lay ecclesial workers also.
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