The house lights go down.
Spinning, multicolored lights sweep the auditorium. A rock band launches
into a rousing opening song. "Ignore everyone else, this time is just
about you and Jesus," proclaims the lead singer. The music changes to a
slow dance tune, and the people sing about falling in love with Jesus. A
guitarist sporting skinny jeans and a soul patch closes the worship set
with a prayer, beginning, "Hey God …" The spotlight then falls on the
speaker, who tells entertaining stories, cracks a few jokes, and assures
everyone that "God is not mad at you. He loves you unconditionally."
After worship, some members of the church sign up for
the next mission trip, while others decide to join a small group where
they can receive support on their faith journey. If you ask the people
here why they go to church or what they value about their faith, they'll
say something like, "Having faith helps me deal with my problems."
Fifty or sixty years ago, these now-commonplace elements
of American church life were regularly found in youth groups but rarely
in worship services and adult activities. What happened? Beginning in
the 1930s and '40s, Christian teenagers and youth leaders staged a quiet
revolution in American church life that led to what can properly be
called the juvenilization of American Christianity.
Juvenilization is the process by which the religious beliefs, practices,
and developmental characteristics of adolescents become accepted as
appropriate for adults. It began with the praiseworthy goal of adapting
the faith to appeal to the young, which in fact revitalized American
Christianity.
But it has sometimes ended with both youth and adults
embracing immature versions of the faith. In any case, white
evangelicals led the way.
Saving the World
Juvenilization
happened when no one was looking. In the first stage, Christian youth
leaders created youth-friendly versions of the faith in a desperate
attempt to save the world. Some hoped to reform their churches by
influencing the next generation. Others expected any questionable
innovations to stay comfortably quarantined in youth rallies and church
basements. Both groups were less concerned about long-term consequences
than about immediate appeals to youth. Continue at Christianity Today
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