All of these reasons resonate with me on some level as a father of 3 adult offspring, a Christian college professor, and just someone who generally tries to pay attention. The question is, how should these issues be addressed?<\/p>\n In my experience, the main problem isn\u2019t so much Christianity itself as much as the cultural baggage that has been heaped upon it, which I feel is a problem that every generation of every era needs to address.<\/p>\n I have written a fair amount on #s 3 and 6\u2014in blog posts and also in\u00a0The Sin of Certainty<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>(#6)\u00a0<\/em>and\u00a0The Evolution of Adam<\/em><\/a>\u00a0(#3). Honestly, I\u2019m not sure what to make of #2, where the fault lies. This one strikes me as much as a by-product of the consumerism that defines our culture as anything, but I may be missing something.<\/p>\n On the whole, though the survey is 6 years old, these points still ring true and will not be going away anytime soon, and certainly not by hunkering down and digging our heels in the sand.<\/p>\n Reason #1 \u2013 Churches seem overprotective. <\/strong>A few of the defining characteristics of today\u2019s teens and young adults are their unprecedented access to ideas and worldviews<\/strong><\/em> as well as their prodigious consumption of popular culture.\u00a0As Christians, they express the desire for their faith in Christ to connect to the world they live in. However, much of their experience of Christianity feels stifling, fear-based and risk-averse<\/strong><\/em>. One-quarter of 18- to 29-year-olds said \u201cChristians demonize everything outside of the church\u201d (23% indicated this \u201ccompletely\u201d or \u201cmostly\u201d describes their experience). Other perceptions in this category include \u201cchurch ignoring the problems of the real world\u201d (22%) and \u201cmy church is too concerned that movies, music, and video games are harmful\u201d (18%).<\/p>\n Reason #2 \u2013 Teens\u2019 and twenty-somethings\u2019 experience of Christianity is shallow. <\/strong>A second reason that young people depart church as young adults is that something is lacking in their experience of church. One-third said \u201cchurch is boring<\/strong><\/em>\u201d (31%). One-quarter of these young adults said that \u201cf<\/strong>aith is not relevan<\/strong><\/em>t to my career or interests\u201d (24%) or that \u201cthe Bible is not taught clearly or often enough<\/strong><\/em>\u201d (23%). Sadly, one-fifth of these young adults who attended a church as a teenager said that \u201cGod seems missing from my experience of church\u201d (20%).<\/p>\n Reason #3 \u2013 Churches come across as antagonistic to science. <\/strong>One of the reasons young adults feel disconnected from church or from faith is the tension they feel between Christianity and science. The most common of the perceptions in this arena is \u201cChristians are too confident they know all the answers<\/strong><\/em>\u201d (35%). Three out of ten young adults with a Christian background feel that \u201cchurches are out of step with the scientific world we live in<\/strong><\/em>\u201d (29%). Another one-quarter embrace the perception that \u201cChristianity is anti-science\u201d (25%). And nearly the same proportion (23%) said they have \u201cbeen turned off by the creation-versus-evolution debate.\u201d Furthermore, the research shows that many science-minded young Christians are struggling to find ways of staying faithful to their beliefs and to their professional calling in science-related industries.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Reason #4 \u2013 Young Christians\u2019 church experiences related to sexuality are often simplistic, judgmental. <\/strong>With unfettered access to digital pornography and immersed in a culture that values hyper-sexuality over wholeness<\/strong><\/em>, teen and twentysometing Christians are struggling with how to live meaningful lives in terms of sex and sexuality. One of the significant tensions for many young believers is how to live up to the church\u2019s expectations of chastity and sexual purity<\/strong><\/em> in this culture, especially as the age of first marriage is now commonly delayed to the late twenties<\/strong><\/em>. Research indicates that most young Christians are as sexually active as their non-Christian peers, even though they are more conservative in their attitudes about sexuality. One-sixth of young Christians (17%) said they \u201chave made mistakes and feel judged in church<\/strong><\/em> because of them.\u201d The issue of sexuality is particularly salient among 18- to 29-year-old Catholics, among whom two out of five (40%) said the church\u2019s \u201cteachings on sexuality and birth control are out of date.\u201d<\/p>\n Reason #5 \u2013 They wrestle with the exclusive nature of Christianity. <\/strong>Younger Americans have been shaped by a culture that esteems open-mindedness, tolerance and acceptance<\/strong><\/em>. Today\u2019s youth and young adults also are the most eclectic generation in American history in terms of race, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, technological tools and sources of authority. Most young adults want to find areas of common ground with each other, sometimes even if that means glossing over real differences. Three out of ten young Christians (29%) said \u201cchurches are afraid of the beliefs of other faiths\u201d and an identical proportion felt they are \u201cforced to choose between my faith and my friends.\u201d One-fifth of young adults with a Christian background said \u201cchurch is like a country club, only for insiders\u201d (22%).<\/p>\n Reason #6 \u2013 The church feels unfriendly to those who doubt. <\/strong>Young adults with Christian experience say the church is not a place that allows them to express doubts.<\/strong><\/em> They do not feel safe<\/strong><\/em> admitting that sometimes Christianity does not make sense. In addition, many feel that the church\u2019s response to doubt is trivial. Some of the perceptions in this regard include not being able \u201cto ask my most pressing life questions in church\u201d (36%) and having \u201csignificant intellectual doubts about my faith\u201d (23%). In a related theme of how churches struggle to help young adults who feel marginalized<\/strong><\/em>, about one out of every six young adults with a Christian background said their faith \u201cdoes not help with depression or other emotional problems\u201d they experience (18%).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/peteenns.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/Barna.png\")
Below are the results of the 2011 Barna survey <\/a>that highlight six primary reasons why young adults who had been regular churchgoers left after age 15.<\/p>\n