The Boomers (Part 3)

Luke 15: 20b-24 "But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry."

Boomers have been seekers: seekers of pleasure, experience, freedom, wealth, and of spirituality. Unlike their parents, the boomers' search for spirituality took them down unexpected paths. This generation has been profound in its religious experiences where denominational loyalty is unheard of and the seeker is king. While some have stayed true to the faith of their fathers, most have mixed traditional religion with New Age mysticism and modern self-help psychologies in a bendable unorthodox fashion. Like the Prodigal Son they looked for hope in many places, but found it only when they got home.

This generation's values and attitudes toward religion and spiritual issues is hard to track, if for no other reason than the lack of substantial research. Most of the significant research on boomer attitudes toward religion has been done within the last ten years. When the first of the Boomers reached 40 in the summer of 1980, the Baby Boom once again entered the spotlight. There was a 10-page story in Time Magazine yet little more than a paragraph was written on the role of religion in the lives of the Boomers generation. More research since then has provided a better perspective on the Boomer's attitudes and perspectives on religion.

Boomers can be divided into three religious camps:

-Loyalists, who usually are social conservatives. They had better relations with their parents and grew up in stricter homes. Loyalists never really identified with the counterculture and never left their church or synagogue.

-Dropouts, who had less confidence in our country when growing up and had more conflicts with their parents. Traditional religion was out of touch with modern life to them. They have never come back to church and pursue spirituality in a personal and individual way if at all.

-Returnees, were and are middle-of-the-road types who were less alienated than the dropouts, but more disenchanted with church than the loyalists. They left church or synagogue and have returned, but often with some questions still lingering in their thoughts.

Each religious camp manifests differences in spiritual styles and commitment, but all are affected to some degree by their experiences in the counterculture. Though their views are different from one another, collectively the three boomer camps are very different from their parents:

-Few in the returnees camp actually consider themselves religious and do not hold to traditional views of God even though they may actually attend religious services on a regular basis.

-Returnees are much less likely to engage in traditional religious activities such as daily prayers, saying grace at meals, or reading the Bible.

-Almost one-fourth of returnees and nearly one-fifth of loyalists say they believe in reincarnation.

So Boomers are very different from their parents in terms of spiritual commitment and biblical understanding. Our churches that reach out to this generation must be aware of these differences if they are to be effective. Either we will be like the father of a long lost son and welcome them home or like the elder brother who wants to chase them away.

Which will you be like?