Pop worship music. Falling in love with Jesus. Mission trips. Wearing jeans and t-shirts to church. Spiritual searching and church hopping. Faith-based political activism. Seeker-sensitive outreach. These now-commonplace elements of American church life all began as innovative ways to reach young people, yet they have gradually become accepted as important parts of a spiritual ideal for all ages. What on earth has happened?
In this volume, Thomas E. Bergler traces the way in which, over 75 years, youth ministries have breathed new vitality into four major American church traditions—African American, Evangelical, mainline Protestant, and Roman Catholic. Bergler shows how this “juvenilization” of churches has also led to widespread spiritual immaturity, consumerism, and self-centeredness, popularizing a feel-good faith with neither intergenerational community nor theological literacy. Bergler’s critique further offers constructive suggestions for taming juvenilization.
In the Logos edition, The Juvenilization of American Christianity is enhanced by amazing functionality. Scripture citations link directly to English translations, and important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Powerful searches help you find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.
