tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24215087.post6760546335156891540..comments2023-05-14T07:51:18.017-05:00Comments on The Suburban Christian: Wuthnow on twentysomething life: Young adults lack support systemsAl Hsuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407264726681695790noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24215087.post-38203446915232638562008-07-20T12:02:00.000-05:002008-07-20T12:02:00.000-05:00Goodness I agree. As a single mid-twenty-something...Goodness I agree. As a single mid-twenty-something, I grieve when i see churches throw singles into the ever-popular "college and career crowd". Even the non-traditionals tend to do a "singles" small group with divorcees, single parents, college grads, and everything in the middle. I've actually been told it is "not a priority" not invest in the 20-something crowd because they/we are so non-committing. Gee, wonder why we don't stick around?Crystal Cornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04076512352725759017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24215087.post-23583103393046325332008-04-27T17:32:00.000-05:002008-04-27T17:32:00.000-05:00I totally agree with you; many churches are very o...I totally agree with you; many churches are very oriented around the married with children crowd from their worship service to the kinds of activities they sponsor. Also the increased geographical mobility of this generation makes it more difficult, not less for social support networks to be built and sustained.elderjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12436045119491976602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24215087.post-88389097311191380492008-04-11T23:34:00.000-05:002008-04-11T23:34:00.000-05:00I think a lot of the church support levels have to...I think a lot of the church support levels have to do with what area you live in. In the Triangle there seem to be many churches with "post-college fellowships"/20s-30s groups that don't differentiate between grad students/non-students or single/married people. For churches without such an obvious and immediate need, though, I think it's hard to just to take a step back and think about what could be. In my ministry experience, it's pretty easy to function in the day-to-day and only address unmet needs when they become unbearable.Ashleighhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05147871048672359541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24215087.post-73093126804639045552008-04-11T06:24:00.000-05:002008-04-11T06:24:00.000-05:00Thanks for commenting, folks. Chris - I think you'...Thanks for commenting, folks. Chris - I think you're right about (some) Christians being overly sheltered and not being able to cope with the real world. But what struck me about reading the book Quarterlife Crisis some years ago (and Generation X before that) was that this sense of lack of community/support is experienced pretty universally, Christian or not. I think there are a lot of sociological factors contributing to this, what Robert Putnam has called the decline of social capital and such. On the one hand there's nothing new under the sun, and every generation has struggled to find their way. On the other hand, this particular generation has its own unique challenges. Some are economic, some are familial, part of it is the lengthening of adolescence . . . sociologists would say that there's no one particular item that causes a societal trend, but always a complex mix of factors that contribute to it.<BR/><BR/>Whether social networking/Facebook and the like is merely a survival/defense mechanism of sorts or a truly new form of (disembodied) community, it's probably too soon to tell, but like everything, it's a mixed bag and has its pros and cons.Al Hsuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04407264726681695790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24215087.post-77439260240462586362008-04-10T21:37:00.000-05:002008-04-10T21:37:00.000-05:00Chris said, "You raise a good point about the chur...Chris said, "You raise a good point about the church at large not having nearly the options for young adults - unless they're parents or leader-types."<BR/><BR/>I'm guessing that thirty years ago, most twenty-somethings were married with kids. So the church built a structure support young families.Marcus Goodyearhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07255781957722144278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24215087.post-74335626704410716642008-04-10T19:36:00.000-05:002008-04-10T19:36:00.000-05:00A friend e-mailed me a copy of your recent CT colu...A friend e-mailed me a copy of your recent CT column, and after reading your blog, I wanted to respond.<BR/><BR/>You raise a good point about the church at large not having nearly the options for young adults - unless they're parents or leader-types. If you fall into any other category you run the risk of being marginalized. My wife and I have seen this over and over at churches.<BR/><BR/>However, the part about not being able to cope with the "real world" also is telling. My opinion, so take it for that, is that too many Christians are too sheltered. They get an education, but do they work during that time? Or maybe they only attend Christian functions. That's OK, but if you're in a pattern of reliance on spiritual "events" or even educational processes, it's no wonder the 20- and 30-somethings struggle. Has everything been spoon feed to this group to the point they can't build meaningful relationships on their own, can't get to know co-workers or folks in public?<BR/><BR/>I think the increasing role of social networking and gaming on the Internet is coming at the expense of face-to-face relationships and even the ability to relate to others.Chris Bayeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11171090141414068543noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24215087.post-72136050395193261392008-04-10T13:06:00.000-05:002008-04-10T13:06:00.000-05:00I whole-heartedly agree with you, but I am left wo...I whole-heartedly agree with you, but I am left wondering whether it has always been this way, or what has changed over for this generation? Why do we suddenly have this disconnection and lack of support system, when it used to be in place?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com