Tag Archives: Youth

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the ELCA #ELCA & #CWA09

Not all Lutheran eyes are focused on the Core Convocation in Indiana this weekend.

For instance, Pretty Good Lutherans blog reports:

A whole lot of Lutherans will gather today in a Baptist church with ample seating in Detroit. The Rev. Stephen Marsh of the ELCA will walk in a pastor and walk out a bishop. His 2 p.m. installation ceremony is being led by ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson. Marsh, 54, was elected in May to a six-year term as bishop of the Southeast Michigan ELCA Synod. He’ll become the first African American bishop of the synod, which maintains an office in Detroit.

Lutherans Concerned North America, an LGBT advocacy group, meets in Chicago, and they issued the following press release:

The leadership of Lutherans Concerned/North America (LC/NA) is meeting this weekend at a retreat house in Chicago to celebrate the recent actions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) supporting committed same-gender relationships and allowing for the rostered service of ministers in such relationships and to plan immediate and long term strategies and actions to ensure that the new policies of inclusion are enacted in principle and in practice.

Emily Eastwood, Executive Director of Lutherans Concerned said, “After 35 years of witness and reconciling outreach LC/NA gives thanks to God and to the voting members of the ELCA for this historic transformation in the life of our church. It is as if the ELCA has finally come out about its LGBT members and ministers. As with any coming out, some members of the ELCA family are reacting with celebration, others with fear or anger, and some with silence. The church has voted for tolerance at the policy level and included congregational autonomy as the failsafe for those members of the family who need distance and time. As within our families, reconciliation requires intentionality, faithful witness, and relentless love in the face of difficult and painful circumstances. We rely on the witness of Jesus Himself as our guide. Building relationships across theological, ideological and affinity group lines is needed to sustain the church and the family. LC/NA is ready and willing to d
o our part.

“The ELCA having spoken in favor of full inclusion, our task for education and outreach is all the more important. We are working to increase the resources and assistance we can offer to congregations who want to expand their understanding of LGBT Lutherans as part of the church. Working at the intersection of oppressions, our intent is to aid the church’s spread of the Gospel and provision of care and services for those less fortunate than ourselves. Our prayers are lifted for everyone, celebrating or in distress, in this transforming and challenging time.

“The way forward for a fully inclusive ELCA is clear. The mission of the church has not changed. What has changed is that now the work of all faithful Lutherans towards the goals of the church can be recognized and honored. We may disagree on some points, but Lutherans are one about the message of Christ to be in service to others – it’s our hands doing God’s work. At last, it can truly be all our hands.”

Lutherans Concerned has advocated for the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the life of the Lutheran church since 1974, and was part of the Goodsoil coalition that advocated at the churchwide assembly in August for the changes that were enacted.

The ELCA, in consultation with its Conference of Bishops, is developing the changes that need to be put in place to carry out the decision of the churchwide assembly. Those changes are expected to go before the ELCA Church Council for consideration and approval when it meets in November 2009. The Lutherans Concerned Board of Directors and Regional Coordinators will continue their meeting through the weekend.

While those at the Core Convocation debate leaving the ELCA, others are joining or returning. In San Francisco, the two congregations that were expelled from the ELCA in the ‘90s because they called gay clergy in committed relationships are now considering whether to return.

    Robert W. Byrne, a council member at St. Francis, said he joined that congregation because of its “historic principled stand within the institutional church (against the church’s) discrimination against clergy and seminarians in committed same-sex relationships. I truly believe that being Lutheran calls each of us to be reformers, whenever and wherever we see injustice — as (Martin) Luther himself did.”
     “I have always hoped for and voiced my support for eventual reunion with the ELCA,” Byrne said. “Others in this congregation hold different beliefs at present, and value the traditions and practices we were forced to create for ourselves over the past 20 years,” he said.
     Goldstein said the council at St. Francis planned a series of “cottage meetings” through September to hear from congregation members and build some consensus in advance of an Oct. 4 visit from the Rev. Nancy M. Feniuk Nelson, bishop’s associate, ELCA Sierra Pacific Synod, Oakland.

In response to natural disasters in Africa and South America, the ELCA Disaster Response, under the coordination of the ELCA global mission, provided funds in flood ravaged communities. It is missions such as these that will be harmed by the Core call to withhold funds from the ELCA.

The Lutheran Youth Organization of an ELCA synod recently sent a letter to the ELCA home offices regarding the passage of the sexuality statement and gay ordination and gay marriage proposals at the recent ELCA convention.

“We also have a variety of opinions, and we often disagree,” wrote the synod LYO board. “However, we stand united as an LYO board behind a slightly different message,” said the youth. “We strive daily to live out a faith of love, tolerance and understanding, even in the most trying of times, and especially when we disagree,” they said. “We believe most ardently in the gospel message of God’s loving grace and forgiveness, given freely for us all through Christ’s sacrifice. Please join us as we aspire to live love,” said the synod LYO board. “We understand that people have different opinions, and we as a board were very split in our opinions,” said Sarah Embley, synod LYO president, Trinity Lutheran Church, Mount Joy, Pa. “We think it is more important to look past our differences and keep the unity of the church and keep God in main view.”

Sometimes the grownups should listen to the kids.

BAM and Bistro are back at Bethel Lutheran in Northfield

Wednesdays are busy at Bethel Lutheran church in Northfield. Busloads of giddy kids from kindergarten through fifth grade are picked up after school and delivered to Bethel for BAM (Bible, Arts and Music). After a summertime hiatus, the popular program was in full swing yesterday.

The August phone call received by the Bethel receptionist was typical.

“We don’t belong to Bethel, but can I sign my third grader up for BAM?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Every Wednesday last year when my wife picked our daughter up after school, she saw these screaming kids hollering, ‘Yay, we’re going to BAM! Yay, we’re going to BAM!’, and our daughter began to plead with us that she be allowed to go with her friends. I guess when kids beg to go to church, you must be doing something right.”

Here is a full description of BAM from the Bethel website.

The B in BAM – Bible
Our weekly schedule includes a 30 minute video session for all students. We use the Nest Family Video series. Each video is a beautifully crafted telling of a basic Bible story. We begin the year in the old testament and conclude in May in the new testament. We see this as a learning experience for our children and know from past experience that our children are more knowledgeable about basic Bible stories due to their exposure to this video series. In addition, it gives our children a much needed quiet time in a very busy day.

The A in BAM – Arts
At Bethel Lutheran Church, we are blessed with many members who are gifted in a wide variety of the arts. Many of these wonderful folks are willing to share their time and talent with our children. Therefore, we are able to offer several art/activity choices throughout the year during our TNT (Trying New Things) time.

The M in BAM – Music

Alleluia Choir
Singers in kindergarten through 2nd grade participate in the Alleluia Choir. The Alleluia Choir is designed as a preparatory program with less emphasis on performance and more emphasis on music skills development through songs, games, and movement.

Carol Choir
3rd through 5th graders sing in the Carol Choir. This group participates in worship services generally once or twice per month.

The Bethel Orff Ensemble
The Orff Ensemble uses a variety of pitched and unpitched percussion instruments to improvise music, perform composed “Orff” anthems, and accompany choirs. Members participate in church services throughout the year. The Orff Ensemble is available for BAM students in grades 3, 4 and 5.

Handchimes
1/2 Steps and Grace Notes are our handchime ensembles. Handchimes are a precursor to learning handbells. Children do not need to be able to read music to begin. The experience is available for children in grades 3,4, and 5. The group rehearses once a week during BAM and performs four to five times during the year in worship services. The children learn how to read music, learn how they can use their talents to serve God and nurture a love of music at the same time.

BAM Chapel
Friends and family are invited to join us for BAM Chapel each week. During Chapel we will utilize our older students as ushers, readers and acolytes and we expect that our choirs and chime ensembles will regularly contribute an anthem or lead us in singing. Chapel will begin shortly after 5:00 each Wednesday. We look forward to closing our BAM experience each week in this worshipful setting.

Right after BAM comes Bistro, a weekly supper prepared under the loving leadership of volunteer Ruth Bolstad and a rotating crew of volunteers.

Bistro currently serves, on average, 200 people each week. Many families make it a time for a simple family meal during a very busy day. Bistro is also a great opportunity to enjoy fellowship with other Bethel members. Bistro is much more than getting a meal on the table. It’s about working together, teaching and learning, fellowship, catching up, laughter, AND nourishment.

A lost generation? #CWA09 & #Goodsoil09

The young woman nervously approached the microphone at the ELCA 2009 convention. This fall, she will be a high school senior. With apologies, I paraphrase her plea.

“Give us honesty,” she said. “My generation is turned off by what they see as hypocrisy in the church. ‘Love your neighbor’ is on the lips of the church, but a cold shoulder is what my generation sees.”

Is she alone in her view? Not according to Harvard University professor Robert Putnam, who conducted research into the declining participation of youth in religion, which he summarized in advance of publishing his book, “Amazing Grace”. His research indicates that many youths have turned their backs on organized religion.

While the young may be unchurched, they are not necessarily atheists.

“Many of them are people who would otherwise be in church,” Putnam said. “They have the same attitudes and values as people who are in church, but they grew up in a period in which being religious meant being politically conservative, especially on social issues.”

Putnam says that in the past two decades, many young people began to view organized religion as a source of “intolerance and rigidity and doctrinaire political views,” and therefore stopped going to church.

A commenter on this blog said this earlier this week:

Thanks for writing this. It’s good to hear not all “Christians” subscribe to hate. As a gay man, I hear A LOT of hate spewed from Christians and I’ve been told I can’t be a Christian because of how I was born.

Unfortunately, I believe your efforts may be too little too late. I, along with so many others have moved passed and found peace without “Christian” leadership.

I will never go back to a faith that promotes hate.

While many in the ELCA are wringing their hands, worrying about losing members, wondering how to defend Convention actions, wistful about the loss of a Bible writ in block letters, black and white and bold print, I say this is an opportunity. An opportunity for mission. An opportunity to live the gospel and not merely preach it. An opportunity for honesty. Let this be a teaching moment in which we plumb the depths of scripture far beyond the literalistic superficialities of the past. Let us invite, encourage and inspire a new generation by our deeds.

“Jesus said, ‘Be fishers of men,’” says Putnam, “and there’s this pool with a lot of fish in it and no fishermen right now.”

New Orleans Resident Thanks ELCA Youth

I received a lengthy comment to an earlier post about the New Orleans ELCA youth gathering. I reprint the words of doctorj2u here.

I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the ELCA for holding their youth gathering in New Orleans. The biggest hurt to me from the storm was the sense of abandonment by a country I had loved with my whole heart. Unbelievable massive unending devastation, a populace doing its best to survive on an individual, family and community level.

Slowly small groups of volunteers began to appear. Groups of 10, 15 and twenty. Coming to help on their own dime out of the goodness of their heart and their outrage of injustice. But for every volunteer there was an American telling us we deserved the horror of Katrina, that we were stupid to live in our 300 year old city that had parts below sea level, that we were not “really” American.

It was April 2008 when I realized New Orleans would survive. Ever since then, though slow, the progress has been steady. And when I read that the ELCA was bringing 37,000 (!!!) to come and help the city I thought to myself THIS is what I was waiting for. THIS is what I thought would happen after Katrina and the levee breaks.

One speaker of your group said if one person worked 4 hours a day, 365 days a year, it would take him over 900 years to accomplish what your group did in a weekend. That is an AMAZING thought and you should be so proud of yourself, your volunteers and your church. 4 years after Katrina we are now at the halfway point to total recovery. The ELCA is part of that and I cannot thank you enough. It was a very good weekend for New Orleans. We are not forgotten.

THANK YOU!!!

ELCA Youth Gathering: the journey to New Orleans

Keith Pearson is the pastor of First Lutheran of Hector, Minnesota … and my brother in law. He just got back from the ELCA youth gathering in New Orleans, along with a handful of youth from his own parish. They were part of a larger group of several dozen from the area who journeyed together. Pastor Keith has consented to a reprint of his five days of blogs, his own first person account. Check out Keith’s blog, which contains a ton of pictures.

Day One

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Much of our first day was simply about getting there. We had some last minute schedule changes, some delays, and one lost bag, but in the end we arrived here safe and sound.

Once on the ground in New Orleans we checked in to our hotel and then headed to the New Orleans Convention Center where our activities began. At supper time we managed to sample a little taste of New Orleans at “The Crazy Lobster,” a restaurant right on the edge of the Mighty Mississippi. Some were bold in their food orders, others stuck to burgers and fries. We even had a little live New Orleans Jazz music to accompany our meal.

It was pretty exciting to see this big old city filled with teens from around the country. Everywhere you look you could see groups of kids (most in flocks of like-colored shirts) soaking in the sights and sounds. Quick shout-outs happened between the groups, declaring where they came from and inquiring about our group. I have to say, there is something in the air that’s pretty exciting.

After supper it was back the hotel for “Community/Hotel Life.” There was a band in the ball room and swimming at the pool. The kids scattered to their preferred activities before turning in for the night.

Day Two

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Day 2 was the real beginning or our New Orleans experience. We began the day with our turn in the interactive learning center. There were games for the sake of playing together and there were games and activities that made you think about your role in the world.

We also had our first full day on the streets of New Orleans. That in itself is quite an experience. This is definitely NOT Renville County. You’ll have to ask the kids what they thought and what they saw. All in all the City is very happy to have us here and they are being very gracious and welcoming to this massive influx of teenagers. Although this is still a large city and we are always watchful for dangers and all the other darker sides of humanity that come with this sort of setting, still we have felt quite safe and secure everywhere we have gone.

Our closing event for the evening was our first “Mass Gathering”. Try to imagine 37,000 teens and their adult leaders filling the seats of a major venue like the Superdome. Now imagine a 20 story illuminated cross, pounding music and cheering crowds. It had all the elements of a major rock concert, but the star of the show was Jesus. There were wonderful speakers telling their dramatic stories of faith in action and the power of the Holy Spirit working through simple, often young people. There were teams of teens acting out lessons and preaching the gospel in ways that had the kids cheering, laughing, and struck silent by the power of what they were experiencing. There was definitely something electric about the evening – and it had nothing to do with lights and sound or video projecting jumbotrons. The underlying current was a power of something unseen and yet profoundly felt. It was the presence of the Holy Spirit.

I wish you could have been here.

Day Three

Service Day

Friday, July 24, 2009

Day 3 was our service day. It began REALLY early. We had to be at our “launch site” at 6:30 a.m. having already had breakfast and packed for the day. That means we had to leave our hotel by 6:00 a.m. to make the 20 minute walk to the Convention Center where we would pick up the bus that would take us to where our day would begin. We didn’t know what we would be doing exactly, but our category of choice was “Health and Wellness.”

The organizers of the Gathering had explained to us that the situation on the ground was changing daily and so they couldn’t know in advance exactly where we would be or what we would be doing. When we first boarded our bus we were told that we were going to a day-camp where we would be working with children. When we arrived at the site it was actually a high school football stadium that was in need of attention. It seems the field had been a site for helicopters to land and ambulances and other transport vehicles to pull in and get the injured and sick out of the city after hurricane Katrina. All of this activity on wet ground had left ruts in the field and the flood waters had coated the concrete stands with algae and mold.

The first question that came to my mind was, how can this still be a problem after four years? Most of what we have seen in and around New Orleans looks pretty normal. We have not witnessed any blatant remnants of the hurricane damage. Once we started working I began to understand. Our tasks for the day were to paint a swing set, scrape and paint a locker room, fill in the ruts in the field, and power-wash the concrete stadium seating area. We came fresh and eager to dig in and get to work. I dare say we even came with a little attitude (it’s part of that midwest work ethic). Surely we could handle this.

Then reality set in. The tools and supplies we needed were not available immediately, and when they did arrive they were still in short supply. There wasn’t enough paint to cover all the surfaces that needed it. Rather than three or four power washers there was only one. And then there was the heat! I don’t know what the temperature was or what the official humidity level reached, but it was positively oppressive. In a very short period of the physical output required for this work zapped the energy out of everyone. We struggled to keep pouring in enough water to keep ahead of the dehydration. We all kept a high vigil over each other to head off any heat-related problems. Talking with Isaiah, the sole staff person at this facility, he thanked us over and over again. He said if it were not for our help all this work would be his solo task.

In the end we had to give up the effort a little ahead of schedule. And although we had accomplished much, many left feeling as though we could have done more, disappointed that the job was not finished. I told the group that this was true for just about everything God calls us to do. We rarely get to see the end of the job and there is always more to do than we have time, tools or the ability to do on our own. We have to give thanks for the ability to do what we can with the resources at our disposal and trust God to finish with the job with the hands of others.

At our mass gathering this evening the theme was Hope. Through the compelling stories of this evening’s speakers we heard that it is through small and large acts of kindness and love that hope springs for those who may have felt their situation was hopeless. Hope is the fruit of love, and hope breaks open a world of possibilities.

I am extremely proud of our kids for the gift of hope they provided this day. They served tirelessly and joyfully, and would have worked much harder and longer if we would have allowed them to do so. I did not hear one complaint nor one request to stop.

Day Four

A tour that expanded our understanding.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Our day began with a bus tour of the city’s four major districts. We began with beautiful mansions and lush gardens and finished with the infamous “Lower 9th Ward” – the site of some of the worst devastation. It was quite a contrast going from beautiful historic mansions that were virtually untouched, to one of the poorest areas of the country nearly obliterated by the storm. In fact, if it were not for a few traces of concrete and paved streets you may not know anyone ever lived here.

It has been four years since hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and so much remains to be done. It is humbling and maybe even a little disheartening to look at the tremendous amount of work left to be done. It would be easy to give up and just move on, but God rarely sends us down paths that are easy. When we hear the stories from people who have lived through these past four years, and when they show us photos from those first days I am encouraged. Progress has been made and things are much better, but there is still so much to do.

Our day finished off with another “Mass Gathering” at the Superdome – the same place that became an island of hope for the truly desperate survivors. There to kick off our final big night together we were greeted by the Mayor of New Orleans and received a personal “thank you” from him. That was followed by a letter of thanks and encouragement from none other than our country’s president, Barack Obama. You know you have been part of something truly significant and important when the President of the United States takes notice and is suitably impressed with your actions.

Day Five

Saying goodbye, telling the story.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Our last day in New Orleans would be mostly a travel day. We would not be doing any projects, attending any workshops, or joining in the final “Mass Gathering” that would officially close our event. We would, however, say goodbye to New Orleans and begin reflecting on our experience.

While the kids enjoyed a welcome opportunity to sleep in a bit and then pack up for the trip home I stopped down in the hotel restaurant for a bite to eat. I decided to treat myself to a real meal for the first time since our first night in New Orleans. The restaurant was nearly empty (I was there kind of early), and so my waitress was waiting patiently for more customers to come. I asked her a simple question: “Do you live here in New Orleans?” When she said “Yes” I then asked the question that quite literally opened the flood gates: “Where were you when the flood came?”

Her name was Brenda and she had been on vacation with her family. And so she had to watch the events unfold along with the rest of the world. She couldn’t return home for two and a half months. The Marriott kept her and all the other employees on the payroll and even got emergency money from Mr. Marriott himself (she told all of this with deep appreciation). She lost several friends who were trapped and killed by the flood waters. Most of her family was scattered, thankfully all surviving, but most never to return to New Orleans. “I haven’t seen my one sister since the storm. I used to see her every Sunday. Now she’s just a voice on the phone to me.”

She spoke of her love for New Orleans and how this was where her heart is. She was grateful for the places that had been her temporary home while waiting to get back to the city, but said that nice as they were they were not home. She also spoke with hope that others would eventually feel the pull of their hearts to return to New Orleans. Still, she said, “I don’t think New Orleans will ever be the same.” I suspect she is right. It will never be the same, but I do believe a new New Orleans will emerge from this experience, and I think I will like that city.

Now it is our responsibility to tell the story of the people of New Orleans. Ask one of the kids or chaperones who attended the 2009 ELCA National Youth Gathering about their experience.

ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans

On July 22nd, 37,000 Lutheran youth and youth leaders descended on New Orleans for "Jesus Justice Jazz", the theme of the 2009 ELCA youth gathering, according to a news release from the ELCA.

“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you,” said Mayor Ray Nagin to some of the volunteers who spread out to 200 separate work venues the first day.

“You’re welcome!" the volunteers responded.

“God is good!" the mayor said.

"All the time!" the volunteers shouted.

On Friday evening, the Lutherans came together at the Superdome for the opening ceremony, as bursts of dancing, spotlights, and bass notes drove deep through the crowd. A speaker, covered with tattoos and piercings, spoke “about God accepting people where they are in spite of the mistakes they’ve made.”

“That was the message that distinguished Martin Luther nearly 500 years ago,” he said. "Thank God for grace."

"There are millions of Christians out there suffering because they don’t feel God loves them. They’re dying to know they’re loved."

The official website of the ELCA is chock full of pictures, videos, news releases, and more. Here is a list of links for slightly less official views from participants.

St Mark’s of West Des Moines, The Lutheran Magazine, Women of the ELCA, Our Saviour’s of Naperville, Lord of Life of Maple Grove, Spiritualevity from suburban Philly, Elim Lutheran of Duluth, Lutheran Church of the Master of Coeur d’Alene, and Our Saviour and St. Jacobus of NY.

Sheer joy

I offer this You Tube video for no reason except for the celebration of life and love that bursts forth. Thanks to Pam Spaulding on Pam’s House Blend for finding it.

Praise the Lord!

Praise God in his sanctuary;

praise him in his mighty firmament!

praise him for his mighty deeds;

praise him according to his surpassing greatness!

Praise him with trumpet sound;

praise him with lute and harp!

Praise him with tambourine and dance;

praise him with strings and pipe!

Praise him with clanging cymbals;

praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150

Freedom of religion?

daniel-hauser In Minnesota, thirteen year old Daniel Hauser and his mother are on the lam today, seeking to avoid court ordered chemotherapy and radiation treatments. The boy apparently has a treatable cancer but stopped treatments after one month and substituted alternative care including herbs and vitamins for purported religious reasons. When the boy’s doctors called this to the attention of authorities, a local court received evidence and ordered that the treatments be reinstated.

That was all in the past. Today’s news is that testing showed the cancer returning, and the boy and his mother have disappeared, perhaps in the company of another woman who may be a California attorney. A national warrant has been issued for the mother’s arrest.

While adults may freely choose to refrain from medical treatment for religious reasons, a child may not nor may the parents decide such a weighty issue for him. The end of this story is not known, but it is a tragedy in the making that involves the life of a young man and the legal and moral consequences to his mother if it does not end well.

A blog on the blogger news network suggests the boy is illiterate and three years behind his age group.

A quick review of early blogs and comments suggests overwhelming support for the authorities and disagreement with the mother but not all. One commenter on another blog refers to the authorities and doctors as “medical nazis.”

Young Americans Losing Their Religion

By Dan Harris on abcnews.go.com

New research shows young Americans are dramatically less likely to go to church — or to participate in any form of organized religion — than their parents and grandparents.

“It’s a huge change,” says Harvard University professor Robert Putnam, who conducted the research.

Historically, the percentage of Americans who said they had no religious affiliation (pollsters refer to this group as the “nones”) has been very small — hovering between 5 percent and 10 percent. However, Putnam says the percentage of “nones” has now skyrocketed to between 30 percent and 40 percent among younger Americans.

Putnam calls this a “stunning development.” He gave reporters a first glimpse of his data Tuesday at a conference on religion organized by the Pew Forum on Faith in Public Life.

The research will be included in a forthcoming book, called “American Grace.”

This trend started in the 1990s and continues through today. It includes people in both Generation X and Y.

While these young “nones” may not belong to a church, they are not necessarily atheists.

“Many of them are people who would otherwise be in church,” Putnam said. “They have the same attitidues and values as people who are in church, but they grew up in a period in which being religious meant being politically conservative, especially on social issues.”

Putnam says that in the past two decades, many young people began to view organized religion as a source of “intolerance and rigidity and doctrinaire political views,” and therefore stopped going to church.

This movement away from organized religion, says Putnam, may have enormous consequences for American culture and politics for years to come.

“That is the future of America,” he says. “Their views and their habits religiously are going to persist and have a huge effect on the future.”

This data is likely to reinvigorate an already heated debate about whether America is, or will continue to be, a “Christian nation.” A recent Newsweek cover article, entitled “The End of Christian America” provoked responses from religious thinkers all over the spectrum.

Putnam, author of the book “Bowling Alone,” which tracked the decline in civic and community engagement in America (exemplified by the diminution of bowling leagues), fears the reduction in religiosity could have widespread negative impacts.

His research shows that people who go to church are much more likely to vote, volunteer and give to charity.

However, he says, it’s possible that the current spike in young people opting out of organized religion could also prove to be an opportunity for some.

“America historically has been a very inventive and even entrepreneurial place in terms of religion,” he says. “We’re all the time inventing new religions and reinventing religions that we have. It’s partly because we have a free market in religion. That is, we don’t have a state church.”

Given that today’s young “nones” probably would be in church if they didn’t associate religion with far-right political views, he says, new faith groups may evolve to serve them.

“Jesus said, ‘Be fishers of men,'” says Putnam, “and there’s this pool with a lot of fish in it and no fishermen right now.”

In the end, he says, this “stunning” trend of young people becoming less religious could lead to America’s next great burst of religious innovation.

A rabbi’s view on teen sexuality

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, author of The Kosher Sutra, offered his views on teenage sexual behavior in response to an Oprah show. Most of his article is reprinted below.

Here are my thoughts.

1. Sex is for adults in a mature and committed relationship. It is not for kids, and not only because they can get pregnant and contract an STD. Sex brings in its wake a tidal wave of overwhelming emotions which young teens are not equipped to assimilate, neither psychologically nor emotionally. Many studies have linked teen sex to teen suicide, especially for young girls. Sex creates an artificial sense of closeness and when the relationship terminates (and terminate it will) it leaves both with a sense of abandonment and severe loneliness. Moreover, when sex is experienced too early and without the proper emotional preparation it becomes an empty experience leaving the participants disillusioned and dissatisfied. This explains why so many teens suffer sexual burnout by the time they hit their twenties with grave ramifications for future relationships and especially marriage. In ‘The Kosher Sutra’ I discuss the shocking statistic that one out of three married couples in America are entirely sexless. I believe that one of the major contributing factors is the vacant sexual experiences that so many American men and women have in their teen years which gradually turns them off sex. Sex is also diluted when it is overused, especially in an inappropriate context. Later, when we try and draw upon its power to transform our relationship into one of exceptional closeness and pleasure we discover that it is powerless to do so.

2. The principal responsibility of a parent is to protect their child. Before we love them, before we inspire them, before we educate them, our job is to guard them from harm. If our children wished to drive a car without a license we would not give them driving lessons and the keys in the belief that it is better to have them drive safely than dangerously. Likewise, no matter how powerless we felt about stopping them from taking drugs we would not be going to the local pusher to get them a needle. This does not mean that I judge the mother who was on the show. She loves her son and was doing what she thought was best. But our responsibility as parents is to have the kind of everyday, loving interactions with our children that allow us to play an active role in their lives and guide them toward positive choices. We dare never abdicate our responsibility through the fear of our own impotence. Indeed, I believe if we give up on our ability to empower our children to make moral choices, they will later hold us accountable. Our children should respect our advice and our authority. That means that we can’t allow them to drift so far from our influence that we suddenly find ourselves powerless to prevent destructive behavior. Sure, we parents don’t want to alienate our children by being party-poopers. That’s why we have to balance discipline with inspiration, attention, and love. There can be no substitute for regular family dinners, outings, and inspirational parent-child conversation. If these central staples of family life are neglected, we will find ourselves in the position this mother did: feeling we have to go along with our child’s poor choice rather than prohibiting it for fear of harming the relationship. Which brings me to my next point.

3. We are not our children’s friends. We are their parents. They have many friends. They have only one mom and dad. While it’s wonderful to be popular with our kids, even that popularity must be experienced within the overall framework of parental authority. We know what is best for our kids. We are older, wiser, more experienced, and more mature. They must listen to us and we must take the unpopular stand of preventing them from engaging in activities that are harmful to them. We must tell our kids to turn off the TV and do their homework. We must tell our kids that if they are involved with drugs they will disappoint us greatly and we’ll be forced to punish them. And we must tell our kids sex is off limits and that if we see that their relationship is becoming too serious we will move to terminate the relationship. By all means give good, logical reasons. But be firm as well. Our children should of course love us. But they must also respect us and respect our guidance.

4. Fathers are the principal immunity for young girls to say no to sexual pressure. Where were the dads on the show? It is primarily a father who protects his teenage daughter from succumbing to the wiles of hormonal youths who want to use her. Girls who are close to their dads are not desperate for male attention and are thus granted an invulnerability to the charms of silver-tongued fifteen year-olds who tell them that if they really love them, they should prove it by going to bed with them.

5. By allowing our sons and daughters to have sex too early, we gradually lose them to strangers. They suddenly get deeply and intensely involved with a non-family member and become, for all intents and purposes, lost to their families. A fourteen-year-old girl should be much closer to her parents and siblings than her boyfriend. The former give her unconditional love that builds strength of character. The latter loves her for very conditional things like beauty, charm, and a willingness to get physical. This fosters insecurity and an erosion of self-esteem.

6. We must teach our young sons to respect women. That comes from telling them it in unacceptable to see a girl as a means to sexual ends or to pressure her into having sex.

7. Relationship experts should not be averse to discussing morality. Part of teaching men and women how to make love work is to emphasize the moral dimension. Dr. Laura Berman did an admirable job of asking the right questions that led the young girl to pull back from wanting to have sex. But we relationship experts should not be dissuaded from discussing morals as well. After discussing the issue of teen sex in all its aspects, there is nothing wrong with concluding definitively, as Gayle King did, that it’s a bad idea for all involved and that sex is a mature and intimate activity that is reserved exclusively for adults.

Click here for the full article on the Huffington Post