After the Baby Boomers: How Twenty- and Thirty-Somethings Are Shaping the Future of American Religion »

Robert Wuthnow is the Gerhard R. Andlinger '52 Professor of Sociology and director of the Center for the Study of Religion at Princeton University. His books include "American Mythos: Why Our Best Efforts to Be a Better Nation Fall Short" and "America and the Challenges of Religious Diversity" (both Princeton).

"Every generation is different, and in the post-boomers we have one that is as different as it gets. For those of us who care deeply about addressing the spiritual needs of this 'next wave,' Robert Wuthnow has given us an indispensable guide in this important book."--Richard J. Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary

"Interesting and illuminating. There is a great deal of anxiety about the future of the church and its relation to young adults. This book speaks to those concerns, provides some sound empirical data for people to chew on, and will be often referenced."--Christian Smith, coauthor of Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers

"This book is a contribution for church leaders and others concerned about young adults and their involvements in organized religion. The data are new and valuable and shed new insights into the intricacies of religious commitment in our society. There is no other book I am aware of quite like this one."--Wade Clark Roof, author of Spiritual Marketplace: Baby Boomers and the Remaking of American Religion

Katrina C. Hoop - International Review of Modern Sociology

Wuthnow's text is a refreshing read. . . . [He] does an excellent job of addressing the cultural shifts that explain why it is the case the young adults are less involved in religious institutions. As a macrolevel study, he astutely ties personal level practices to larger social forces, and tacitly employs the sociological imagination—a skill that non-academic readers could find informative.

List of Figures and Tables ix Preface xiii

Chapter 1: AMERICAN RELIGION An Uncertain Future 1
How to Think about Younger Adults 3
The Population of Young Adults 7
Coming of Age at Forty 9
The Religious Significance of Young Adults 12
A Generation of Tinkerers 13
An Uncertain Future 17

Chapter 2: THE CHANGING LIFE WORLDS OF YOUNG ADULTS Seven Key Trends 20
Delayed Marriage 21
Children-- Fewer and Later 24
Uncertainties of Work and Money 28
Higher Education (for Some) 36
Loosening Relationships 37
Globalization 42
Culture--An Information Explosion 44
Summing Up 49

Chapter 3: GOING TO CHURCH--OR NOT Who Participates in Congregations? 51
Attendance in Two Time Periods 52
The Reasons for Declining Participation 54
A Closer Look at Marriage and Children 62
Communities 65
Is the United States Becoming Like Europe? 66
The Profile of Regular Church Goers 68
Religious Attendance in Perspective 69

Chapter 4: THE MAJOR FAITH COMMUNITIES Thinking Beyond Winners and Losers 71
The Significance of Young Adults 72
The Major Faith Traditions 75
Evangelicals and Mainline Protestants 77
Black Protestants, Catholics, and Jews 84
Other Faiths and the Nonaffiliated 86
Beyond Winners and Losers 87

Chapter 5: THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO (I THINK) Recent Trends in Religious Beliefs 89
Some Possible Scenarios 90
Decline in Orthodox Beliefs 96
Orthodoxy, with Rising Secularity 98
Countervailing Effects of Diversity 101
Orthodoxy Mixed with Heterodoxy 103
Different Trends among Educational Categories 107
Changing Relationships with Education 108
Different Trends among Faith Communities 110

Chapter 6: SPIRITUALITY AND SPIRITUAL PRACTICES The Role of Faith in Personal Life 112
Church Shopping and Hopping 114
Social Networks 117
Civility 120
Are Converts Different? 123
Seeking Answers 124
Spiritual Practices 127
Music and Art 129
Spiritual but Not Religious? 131
The Nature of Spiritual Tinkering 134

Chapter 7: FAITH AND FAMILY Facing the Difficult Choices 136
Considering Marriage 136
Having Sex 138
Weddings 139
Marital Happiness 141
Parenting 142
Right and Wrong 145
Empathy 148
Threats to Today's Families 149
Seeking Support 151
Religious and Ethnic Diversity 152
Faith Matters 155

Chapter 8: THE DIVIDED GENERATION Religion and Public Life 157
The Split between Conservatives and Liberals 160
Civil Religion 163
Voting in Presidential Elections 167
Mixing Religion and Politics 171
Hot-Button Issues: Abortion 173
Hot-Button Issues: Homosexuality 174
The Religious Right 177
War and Peace 179
Why It Matters 180

Chapter 9: EMERGING TRENDS Immigration and Ethnic Diversity 183
Hispanic Catholics 183
A Note on Hispanic Protestants 187
Asian Americans 188
Hospitality or Hostility 193
A Closer Look at Church Involvement 197

Chapter 10: THE VIRTUAL CHURCH Religious Uses of the Internet 201
Religion Websites 201
Social Issues 203
The Internet and Religious Music 206
Staying in Touch by E-mail 207
The Internet and Spiritual Seeking 209
Congregations and the Internet 212

Chapter 11: VITAL CONGREGATIONS Youthful and Diverse 214
The Profile of Youthful Congregations 219
Minichurch or Megachurch 221
Alternative Styles of Worship 223
Meeting the Changing Needs of Families 225
Interreligious Programs 226
Opportunities for International Ministry 227
Opportunities for Service 228
A Future for Congregations 230

APPENDIX 233
The National Young Adults and Religion Study 233
Methodology 234
The Surveys and Other Data 238
Qualitative Interviews 247
Supplementary Tables 251

Notes 255
Selected Bibliography 279
Index 293