Movie Review: "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" - A Search for Identity

I do not review movies often, but Star Wars has a special place in my heart. The original was my favorite movie as a child, and it maintains that status to this day. Imagine my delight when I went to summer camp for the first time and my cabin counselor was a Star Wars freak. We spent the week quoting lines and challenging each other with obscure trivia. I was seriously questioning and considering my Christian faith, and my counselor used Star Wars references to help guide me. He compared the Holy Spirit to the Force and the responsibility for living a Christian life to the Jedi. In a very real way, Star Wars became part of my faith story.

Like many other fans, my reaction to the prequel movies was lukewarm, at best. I took particular offense to the demystifying of the Force (midi-chlorians do not fit with my pneumatology). There are many other aspects of the prequels on which I could vent my frustration, but that is no longer necessary. Why, you ask? Because The Force Awakens pretends that the prequels don’t even exist! J.J. Abrams understood the problem with clarity: Star Wars itself was having an identity crisis. Fans were confused about what the Force is and who the Jedi are because the two trilogies are shockingly inconsistent. Rest assured, the original trilogy is the only one that matters. With that, strap yourselves in, and if you have not seen the movie, stop reading right now. SPOILERS AHEAD, there will be!

Let me put all the Sabacc cards on the table: I really like this movie. I actually enjoyed it even more the second time I saw it (probably because I was no longer anxious about being let down). The story is fun and well written, and the actors are superb. Harrison Ford puts in a performance that could easily carry this movie, but it does not have to because everyone else is amazing. Adam Driver, Oscar Isaacs, and John Boyega are solid, but Daisy Ridley’s performance is out of this world. I still have not decided if Domhnall Gleeson overacted his role as General Hux, but it really doesn’t matter because everyone else is so good.

The Force Awakens is a great title because much of the movie is focused on remystifying the Force. It once again moves in mysterious and unexpected ways. We saw a blaster bolt frozen in mid-air, memories extracted, and an inanimate object somehow containing the presence of the Force (sounds almost sacramental)! Most importantly, we saw the Force working in and through the lives of individuals as they try to discover their place in the universe. It is a movie first and foremost about identity. With the mystical identity of the Force reestablished, we turn our attention to our six main characters, who are each having a crisis of identity.

The opening crawl begins with the crisis: “Luke Skywalker has vanished.” This event has set in motion a new crisis for the entire galaxy. Since the end of Return of the Jedi, Luke has been busy trying to train the next generation of Jedi Knights, essentially taking on a responsibility that was thrust upon him as the last of the Jedi. We do not know how many students Luke was training, but we know that one of them ran away to follow the dark side. This was Ben Solo, the son of Han and Leia. His defection causes a rift among Han, Luke, and Leia. What I ultimately like about this plot point is that it makes our characters so human. Han and Leia are parents who lost a child, and this crisis causes them to question their identities and run back to a life that they felt was secure. Han returns to smuggling, and Leia returns to military planning. Notice their identity struggles throughout the movie. Is Leia the princess or the general? What happened to her Jedi training? We have to assume that she was one of Luke’s students. It appears that she has renounced following the Force in the wake of Ben’s departure. This certainly resonates with human experience. Losing a child causes her to question her relationships and to question her faith. When we first encounter Han, he is literally reentering his old role in life as he steps on board the Millennium Falcon. Finn and Rey immediately put his identity crisis into words: is he the famous smuggler or the famous rebellion fighter? Remember that Han Solo was the great skeptic of the Force in the original Star Wars movie. Now he is a firm believer in the power of the Force, and he becomes an influential mentor to Rey as she struggles with her beliefs. It seems that Han has found his faith, while Leia has lost hers.

Luke, on the other hand, has taken a step back. Viewers know that he is hearing echoes of Obi-Wan from the original Star Wars: “I thought I could instruct him just as well as Yoda. I was wrong.” The details are a little unclear, but it appears that he has left behind clues to his whereabouts as a sort of quest. He knows that people are looking for him, and he leaves it up to the Force to determine whom he will encounter at movie’s end. Remember that both the First Order and the Resistance have the larger piece of the map. Luke knows that he could face Kylo Ren or a new student on that island. His essential question of the Force is, “Who am I?"

Kylo Ren is a great character. Ben Solo has renounced his family and taken on a dark moniker. Throughout the movie, he is trying to convince everyone around him (but most importantly himself) that he is pure evil. But he is a complicated and conflicted character. I loved the scene of him talking to the melted mask of Darth Vader, asking for forgiveness that he feels the call to the light. We as viewers understand the irony of this, since Vader is the one who was redeemed from the dark side and ultimately destroyed the personification of evil (the Emperor). Good and evil are not cut and dry. People are complex, and Star Wars tells us that even the most evil people can be redeemed. We desperately wanted this redemption for Kylo Ren at the end of the movie, even though we knew that Han’s journey down that bridge was almost certain to be a one-way trip. Han knew it, too. But he went anyway. Han is the only one of our characters who ultimately had to make a choice about his identity, and he decided that he was neither smuggler nor soldier. He was a father.

FN-2187 is one of our new heroes. He was taken from his family as a child and given an identity as a storm trooper. He rejects this identity and runs away from it, but it takes someone else to tell him who he really is. Poe Dameron, upon hearing the name FN-2187, refuses to call him that. Instead, he gives him a new name: Finn. This renaming has a profound affect on Finn. Throughout the movie, we see him living into this new identity and coming to realize who he wants to be. It is overly simplistic to call his a story of self-determination. He rejects certain paths, but others guide him into an understanding of who he is. This is true to how life works. We do not determine our identities on our own. We are profoundly shaped by our relationships with those around us.

Rey’s story is the most intriguing in the movie because we are left with the most questions. She was abandoned on Jakku, and she is convinced that her family will return. She even keeps a tally of the days she has spent there. Her identity is the great mystery of the movie, especially as the Force awakens within her and she proves considerably stronger in the Force than Kylo Ren. She is the one to complete the quest and locate Luke, confirming his identity as teacher. I love the last scene, as he looks intriguingly at the outstretched light saber. I look forward to discovering, along with Rey, who she is and who she will become. I have some guesses, and I hope they are all wrong. I am convinced that Han knows who she is (watch it again and see if you agree), so that could prove interesting.

The Force Awakens sees the Star Wars franchise return to its roots. In case we are too dense to realize this, Abrams throws in so many echoes and references to the original movie that we almost find ourselves shouting, “I get it!” The most important thing for me as a fan is that we are back to focusing on compelling characters. The role of fantasy is to give us a reflection of the real world. It allows us to look at ourselves and the world around us in new ways. Star Wars did this for me years ago, as I began taking ownership of my Christian identity and understanding how God is at work in the world. I am still discovering who I am in relation to God and the world. I think that is true of all of us, as we ask the question, “What is a lifetime and why do I live it?” Maybe this movie can help us consider that identity a little bit deeper. Or, at the very least, it is a ton of fun to watch! Enjoy the movie, my friends, and may the Force be with you!

Confirmation Camp in Finland

Camping ministry is gaining the attention of the international scholarly community. This attention was precipitated in large part by the collaborative work of a team studying confirmation work in Europe. The first phase of the study (2007-2008) examined survey data from seven countries and found that programs conducted primarily in the camp form showed significantly higher increases in multiple measures of faith formation and Christian education. These results were particularly noticeable in Finland and Sweden. A follow-up study is currently underway in nine European countries, and it will be interesting to see how camp is included.

The Confirmation Project is the American counterpart to the European study, and researchers were invited to a conference in Finland in June 2014 to hear about the most recent findings. As a tremendous bonus, the American team was invited to participate in and observe a Finnish confirmation camp program in action. This experience turned into a fruitful research venture, and a new article appearing in the current issue of the Journal of Youth and Theology gives a more complete account than this post. You can access the full article by clicking the link in the sidebar.

Kayaking on the Lake in Finland

The camp experience in Finland is remarkably similar to Christian summer camp in the United States. Young people are away from home for a week, stay together in gendered housing, and participate in a variety of activities in an outdoor, recreational setting. The camp day is structured in a way that facilitates the rhythm of daily Christian living: devotionals, grace before meals (often sung), worship, Bible study, and recreational fellowship. The camp we visited was about an hour north of the capital city of Helsinki, and it offered a beautiful setting featuring a small lake, forested hillsides, and large open playing fields. It looked and felt like we could have been anywhere in the upper Midwest.

Confirmation training in Finland takes place almost entirely in the camp form. A remarkable 88 percent of young Finns get confirmed in the Evangelicl Lutheran Church in Finland (ELCF), and almost all of them (over 90 percent) receive confirmation training at camp. The percentage of Finns attending confirmation camp is actually higher than the percentage belonging to the Lutheran church! This demonstrates that there is tremendous social motivation to attend camp. Almost everybody does it, so there is a strong sense that camp is part of the Finnish experience of growing up. Young people also attend camp because they often receive lavish gifts for being confirmed, and many of them recognize the value of belonging to the church. They have to be confirmed in order to have a church wedding, funeral, have their children baptized, and serve as a godparent. One of the reasons for confirmation instruction is to gain access to the benefits that the church provides to its members.

Bible Scavenger Hunt!

Here is where things get interesting. Religion in Finland is very different from religion in the United States. The ELCF is a national church, so it is tax-funded. People have to belong in order to get certain benefits, so more than 80 percent of Finns are members of the ELCF. But hardly any of them are active. Less than 2 percent of the Finnish population is in church on a given Sunday, and barely half attend even once a year. Not a single one of the confirmation campers said they were planning on attending church after they were confirmed. In fact, the idea was laughable to them. “Church is full of old people and women with babies,” one boy explained. Others made it clear that conservative voices have strong influence in the church, meaning liturgical change is stymied, especially when it comes to music. There are also strong voices opposed to same-sex marriage, something that the progressive Finnish society has long embraced. One priest at confirmation camp admitted that it feels like “the church from the last century.”

Church appears to function in Finland as a sort of spiritual storehouse. There may be some useful things inside, but there is really no need to go in unless you need something. It is enough to know that the church is there in case of a life crisis and to fulfill the services of birth celebrations (baptisms), marriages, and funerals. Confirmation training largely serves to provide access to this storehouse. It also serves to prop up the institution and maintain the status quo, since just enough confirmands continue with their faith training to fill the seminaries.

The fascinating thing is that the camp experience in Finland shows tremendous potential for faith formation and spiritual transformation. The young people are actively engaged in faith practices and worship experiences, and they are thinking through their own beliefs in the context of intentional Christian community. Data from the European study demonstrate that the Finnish camp participants show a significant increase in faith measurements, and a long-term study shows that much of this growth lasts years after the camp experience. It appears that the camp participants are not only given the keys to the spiritual storehouse but also the keys to transform the church in Finland.

2 YCVs Present a Skit to the Confirmands

The young confirmands may follow the rest of Finnish society in disengagement from church, but they show a strong desire to continue experiencing the power of Christian community. The national church has responded with its exemplary Young Confirmed Volunteer (YCV) program, which brings the recently confirmed young people back to camp to help lead the experience for the next group. This serves as an additional camp experience for the YCVs, and it also serves to engage them in church-related activities throughout the year. The YCVs plan and lead many of the camp activities, including the small group sessions, interactive games, and worship experiences. Six or seven YCVs are present at each confirmation camp, and the program is so popular that most only get to help lead one session. Fully a third of all confirmands continue on as YCVs.

The confirmands leave camp with a stronger faith and interest in participating in vibrant Christian community, but it is evident that they are being prepared for a church that simply does not exist in Finland. The church itself needs to change if it seeks to be something more than a broken down storehouse, and church officials clearly recognize this reality. They are fueling the engines of change through their exemplary and innovative confirmation camp program.

The United States is a vastly different religious climate than Finland, but there are growing concerns of people disengaging from church and joining the swelling ranks of the unaffiliated (the so-called “nones”). This is especially true in Mainline Protestantism. Confirmation instruction in the USA is often limited to little more than a period of class sessions aimed at teaching religious content. Students often receive the content and then disengage from church, though many adults still value the tradition of confirmation. There are lessons to be learned from the Finnish context about using a traditional structure like confirmation in an innovative way. The camp form, in particular, is a promising method for innovative confirmation instruction in the USA, a country with a rich history of camping ministry. The religious climate in the USA may be vastly different from the spiritual storehouse of Finland, but there is great need for innovation and revitalization, and our Finnish brothers and sisters offer great wisdom.

It is time to take camping ministry seriously as a valuable model for Christian education and faith formation.

Outdoor Ministries Connection

Connections are important. Life depends on them. The nature of matter, from the subatomic to the cosmic, depends on them. Our brains depend on them. We'll run with that example because I think brains are fascinating. You have probably heard about neurons and the important connections between them. As we gain experience doing certain things, specific connections are strengthened and those things become easier for our brain to do. That is why practice works. The catch phrase for this is, “neurons that fire together wire together.” What is most fascinating to me is that the connections are not limited to neurons or confined inside our skulls. The field of Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) offers insight into how our minds are connected to and dependent on other minds. The relationships that we form actually change the physical makeup of our brains. The human brain does not exist on its own. It must be connected through relationship with other minds in order to function. Those with whom we choose to be in relationship and those who reach out relationally to us affect who we are at a biological and chemical level. Whoa!

God created humans for connection. We exist in relationship to one another as God exists in relationship with God’s self in Trinity and reaches out to humanity in relationship. We cannot be Christians on our own and apart from Christian community. To do so would be to deny who we are as human beings and who Christ calls us to be. In the Gospel of John, Christ prays that we might be one (John 17:20-23). He gives a vision of us connected to each other and to him as branches are grafted on to a vine. He also commands us to love one another like he has loved us. That's intents (sorry, camp joke).

Camp is all about connection. We connect people to each other. We connect people to creation. We connect people to God. These connections affect who these people are and understand themselves to be.

Sometimes, camps operate as if they had enough connections within their own boundaries. When people behave this way, we call them narcissists or sociopaths. When groups of people behave this way, we call them cults or secret societies. The Church does not behave this way. Camps cannot operate this way. Individual camps must be connected to ministries outside of their boundaries, especially congregations. Failure to do so is akin to the eye saying to the hand, “I have no need of you” (1 Cor. 12:21).

Camps also need connection with one another. The simple truth is that we are stronger together. We need one another. Camping professionals have realized this throughout the history of camping, and that is why we have strong organizations like the American Camp Association (ACA) and the Christian Camp and Conference Association (CCCA).

Denominational lines have fractured the Christian church and emphasized disunity. I grew up Lutheran, and I know that Lutherans LOVE being Lutheran. It is wonderful to have a distinctive voice, but this voice is only valuable if it is in conversation with others. Experience tells me that many Lutherans prefer to talk to themselves. The momentum of the 20^th century ecumenical movement seems to have lost steam and even reversed course. Ecumenism is not dead and denominational boundaries are not insurmountable. Indeed, these boundaries must continually be broken down, even as some seek to reinforce them. Camp is a place where ecumenism continues to thrive, and this is one area in which outdoor ministry can be a catalyst for the larger Church.

There is a group of dedicated individuals nurturing deeper connections among Christian outdoor ministries. They have appropriately called themselves Outdoor Ministries Connection (OMC), and they intentionally reach across denominational lines. Outdoor Ministries Connection is a way for my own tribe, represented by Lutheran Outdoor Ministries, to share in genuine conversation and collaboration with other outdoor ministry organizations. Through this process, we ourselves grow and develop, as the brain does in relation to others, as the Body of Christ does in relationship with its members.

I recently returned from a gathering of the Outdoor Ministries Connection group that brought together people from outdoor ministry organizations representing eight different denominations. There was a lot of energy in this group as we worshiped together, enjoyed Christian fellowship, and discussed ways to connect. Some of the methods of collaboration include training and coaching outdoor ministry professionals, expanding the research of Christian outdoor ministries, and more effectively spreading the word about Christian camping among congregations and families. The group also developed a vision for a large-scale gathering of outdoor ministry professionals in November 2019. I am excited about the work this group is doing, and I pray that it continues to bear fruit.

Individual camps cannot be insular and neither can denominational bodies. We are stronger together, and our ministry is more effective when we collaborate. We don’t want to be sociopaths. We want to be the Church.

6 Big Ideas from Camp Research

As we begin to integrate some of the research from the Confirmation Project, last fall's survey of camp directors, and the 4 site visits from this past summer, some BIG IDEAS are emerging. I had the chance to share some of the emerging research findings in a webinar. Here is the link for that:

Camp Webinar

Here are the 6 BIG IDEAS from the camp research:

1. Camp is more than FUN and GAMES.
2. Christian camp experiences lead to greater engagement in congregations.
3. Camps are effective because they take Christian community seriously.
4. Camps are effective because they are places to UNPLUG.
5. Camps are effective because they take young people seriously.
6. Camps are effective because they take experience seriously.

Camp Counselors in our Churches?

I was speaking with a colleague and mentor about my camp research a few weeks ago. We were talking about the unique educational model of summer camp and how that model might be transferrable to congregational ministry. We were reflecting on the role of the camp counselor, who is oftentimes a college student. These young adults are engaged in intentional ministry with campers who are usually only a few years younger than they are.

My colleague posed a question: “So what if we thought of our congregational pastors as camp counselors?”

I chewed on that for a little while, and I realized that it tasted funny.

“I don’t think we want our pastors to be camp counselors,” I reflected. “I think they are more like the camp directors.”

“Okay,” he said. “Then who are the counselors?”

Our churches might look a whole lot different if we found a role for the camp counselors. Let me be clear: we do not want our pastors to turn into camp counselors. Their role is much more similar to a camp director than a camp counselor. Camp directors oversee the year-round ministries of the camp, help set the mission/vision, and ensure that the word of God is rightly proclaimed. The camp director cannot, however, operate the ministries of the camp alone, and this is where camp can be instructive for our congregations.

In last fall’s survey of over 300 mainline Protestant camps, 86% said they agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, “Our camp emphasizes summer staff formation as much as camper formation.” One of the most important roles of a camp director is to recruit and train others to be the primary ministers of the camp. Many camp professionals spend the better parts of February-May recruiting summer camp staff and preparing for the summer season. Many camps have two full weeks of dawn to dusk staff training before the first campers arrive in June. The ministry with these young people continues throughout the year with frequent check-ins, reunions, and campus visits. Summer staff members turn to their camp directors for advice and spiritual guidance throughout the year. Ministry to summer staff members may occupy more time than any other role of some camp directors. Yes, it is ministry. The training itself is ministry, and the ongoing communication and interaction is ministry.

What if our pastors, priests, and presbyters envisioned their role as training the church members to be the primary ministers of the congregation? What if we thought of our church members as camp counselors?

Community

Have you ever seen camp counselors greet one another? Hugs, smiles, incessant talking. They have shared experiences and mutual love that forms an incredibly strong bond. Staff training sessions often feature a great deal of group building activities. Camp directors know that the summer staff community is the foundation for the entire summer’s ministry. When was the last time you did intentional group building in your congregation? This does not have to be a silly game or activity (though I highly recommend low ropes initiatives for church councils/boards). How about intentional one-on-one conversations? Cooperative activities or projects?

Hospitality

Camps take hospitality seriously. Counselors are trained to welcome campers and visitors into the community and engage them in conversation. When you arrive at camp, it seems like everyone was anxiously awaiting your arrival, and they are genuinely happy to see you. Are your church members trained in hospitality? Imagine if everyone who stepped on your church property was welcomed into the community like a long-lost sibling by all of your members, not just the ones assigned as “greeters” for the day.

Faith Stories

Camps are some of the few places where testimonies are alive and well. Camp counselors share their personal faith stories with each other and with their campers. As campers share their own stories, counselors help them identify God’s activity. Putting theological language to our own personal life stories is incredibly powerful. How often do your church members practice sharing their faith stories? Is testimony a regular part of your worship service? Do you encourage and set aside time for one-on-one sharing of faith stories, especially across generations?

Interpretive Guides

Camp counselors are not known for their great theology. They are not unlike our church members. Some have more biblical literacy than others, and few have formal theological training. But camp counselors are trained to use theological language in situational learning. Are your church members trained to do this? Camps recognize that the best learning happens through experience, not through formal instruction. Camp counselors are trained to help the campers identify where God is at work in the mundane, everyday affairs of life. It is wonderful that churches have pastors to preach from the pulpit and lead worship services. But the deepest faith formation happens outside of the formal worship environments. What if we taught our members to identify God’s activity in the world? Might they help non-members outside of the formal church environment identify where God is at work in the world?

Worship Leadership

Camp counselors are trained in worship leadership. Camp directors are fully capable of leading worship, and many of them participate in worship leadership, but the summer staff members are the primary leaders. Too many of our churches operate under the assumption that the pastor should be the one up front all the time. What if the pastor’s role was to train others to be the leaders? This is about more than reading scripture or leading a song. With the pastor’s training and guidance, members could be planning and leading the worship services.

An Integrative Role

These and so many other aspects of camp counseling work as an integrative whole. The same people that campers play games with, work with, and eat with also lead Bible study, worship, and interpret activities through a theological lens. Imagine a community in which neighbors, co-workers, and dinner companions were also trusted worship leaders and theological interpreters of life events. Imagine a church community that does not fret when the pastor is gone on Sunday because dozens of members are fully capable of leading the worship service.

Remember: the pastor is not a camp counselor. Maybe that is why this is so difficult. Pastors want to be up front. They think they are the most capable. And to be truthful, it is a lot easier to do it themselves than to train others to lead. Training others is hard. And those that are trained are bound to mess up or to espouse bad theology at some point. Just ask camp directors. They spend countless hours preparing, recruiting and training just so other people can take credit for the amazing ministries happening at the camp.

Train your church members to be camp counselors. They will mess up. They will embarrass you. But they will also point the way to Christ in a way that you could never hope to do on your own. They will create a thriving community where the Holy Spirit is present and active through trusted relationships, a place where all are welcome.

Taking Selfies...Together: Confirmation Camp at Lake Tahoe

“Do you want to take a selfie together in the morning?”

It was late, more than an hour after lights-out time, and he whispered to me from across the room (that is to say, 5 feet away). I smiled, in spite of my exhaustion. I did not want him to get into trouble, but the significance of the request was not lost on me. Talking after lights-out could mean less pool time the next day. He knew that this was his last opportunity to ask, since I was leaving in the morning, and it was evidently important enough to take the risk. A selfie is when a person takes a picture of him or herself. Youth today are so self-sufficient (or alone?) that they do not need anybody else, not even to snap an awesome picture. The selfie has become a way for young people to tell their own story, on their own terms. I felt like he was inviting me into that story. My eyes got a little wet.

The Boys' Room

To be fair, this may have been due to the odor. We had 3 men and 4 teenage boys crammed into a room the size of a walk-in closet, and it was the sixth night of camp. That is where new smells are invented. Next door, there were 8 girls and 1 adult woman in a comparatively large room. The two pastors were living in luxury, sleeping on air mattresses in the large gathering room (through which everyone had to walk on midnight bathroom journeys). I could not hear them through the wall, but apparently at least two of the girls were talking in their sleep.

This young man was not talking in his sleep, though. He was voicing an important request. “It’s almost like having siblings,” he had said earlier that day when I asked what it feels like to be at camp. For an only child living with a single parent, there is great meaning to a selfie that is not alone. I did not want to disappoint him or shush him into silence. But I was leaving at 5:00 in the morning to make my flight from Reno, and that was a little early for selfies.

I had arrived two days earlier, and the drive up through the mountains from Reno was beautiful, especially the moment when I came over the 7,000-foot pass and gazed down on the Lake Tahoe basin. It was over 100 degrees in Reno, and I was not looking forward to leaving Lake Tahoe, where it had been in the mid-80s during the day and low 60s at night. The campers would soon be returning to the Sacramento area, where it was an even more oppressive 115 degrees. The drought was terrible, even at a paradise like Lake Tahoe, which was a shocking 7 feet below normal.

He voiced a melancholy “Oh…” when I whispered my departure time. But I assured him that I would send a copy of the picture from our kayaking adventure of the night before. It was the mystery trip, so called because the youth were not told in advance what it would be. It turned into a beautiful evening for kayaking. Our group of 18 plus 2 guides meandered along the coast of the lake until twilight fell. It was July 1, and the full moon rose low in the sky as we paddled back towards shore, just after sunset. It was also the night after the closest modern conjunction of Venus and Jupiter, believed by some to be the star that led the magi to Bethlehem in 2-3 BC. Even in twilight, with the full moon blazing off the lake, the conjunction shone forth through a light cloud cover.

The bulk of the group members were weaving back and forth, occasionally ramming into each other, and carrying on with some raucous chatter. My kayaking companion and I (they were 2-person kayaks) hung back with the other two men and one of the guides. It was a gorgeous evening, warm for that early in summer, and we were soaking in the beauty of it all, enjoying some idle conversation about life and the cosmos. Our guide offered to take the picture as the moon shone behind us. It wasn’t a selfie, but it would have to suffice.

 

This is not a Selfie

“We hope you will get to know more about God so that you can better get to know God.”

One of the pastors said this as she began a lesson on the Trinity. It was, after all, confirmation camp. Much of the daily schedule was devoted to program time, when the group studied and discussed Christian beliefs, the history of their tradition, and some of the particularities of the United Methodist Church. But the lessons were not geared toward indoctrination, but rather exploration. The pastors were intentionally inviting the young people into a relationship with God. Curiosity and engagement were valued over correct answers, so questions were welcomed at every turn. The material was presented in multiple formats, with tactile learning, particularly art, incorporated into every lesson. The lessons were framed by Wesley’s quadrilateral: scripture, tradition, experience, and reason. These were held in balance throughout the time at camp. They discussed and processed their experiences, applied tradition (especially the Social Policies of the UMC) to their lives, and dug into biblical texts.

The two pastors are longtime friends, and each has been serving in her respective congregation for more than a decade, unusually long tenures in the United Methodist Church. They both have considerable experience in camping ministry. They chose to conduct confirmation training in the camp setting because classes simply were not working. Students were frequently absent, and parents often wanted their children confirmed while assigning low priority to getting them to lessons or supporting them through the confirmation process. An 8-day camp allowed for uninterrupted study of key teachings, along with informal reflection time, in the context of a nurturing Christian community. Most importantly, the young people were away from the pressures and expectations of their home environment, so they had an opportunity to explore their own beliefs.

This was the second bi-annual confirmation camp. The first camp two years previous was a magnificent success in terms of student engagement in the material and their unprecedented enthusiasm for the life and ministry of the church after confirmation. The recent confirmands have been initiating service projects, attending worship regularly, and helping to promote confirmation camp. Two of them were back at camp serving as CITs (counselors in training). The four CITs were juniors and seniors in high school, and their roles were to serve as small group leaders, lead many of the activities, and supervise the younger confirmation students throughout the camp experience.

When I asked the students what was the most challenging thing about the camp experience, they had two primary responses: separation from their technological devices and the struggles of living together in the camp environment. One camper even noted that these two go together. At camp, they are unable to escape the intensity of community living for the refuge of their phone, tablet, or computer. It is difficult living in cramped quarters, and they were unaccustomed to having to accommodate others. They got on each other’s nerves sometimes. They were forced to step around (or on) other people’s belongings. They emphasized the importance of being open and accepting above all else, but they were not always welcoming. They even said hurtful things to each other.

It was not some idyllic community. It was messy.

These young people were trying to find their place in the present community, explore their own identity, and determine whether or not they wanted to follow this Jesus guy. There was a strong sense that they were doing this on their own terms, without the constant expectations of parents and siblings.

They had, in essence, been asked to pose for various pictures throughout their life, and now they were being encouraged to take a selfie. They could tell their own story, on their own terms. The question was, who do you want in your selfie? Members of your church community? Adult mentors from camp? Will Jesus be in your selfie?

Thunder rolled in the distance as we walked down to the lake. The weather gave us a merciful 30-minute window, so we hustled down the wide sandy beach to the shallow water. “Who is first?” one of the pastors asked. She sported a Hawaiian shirt, ready to get soaked. One of the three splashed forward. He was, after all, the one who had first asked, thus initiating the conversation that required several phone calls to parents and guardians. He had, in effect, asked the question of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:36: “Look, here is [Lake Tahoe]! What is to prevent me from being baptized?” So began the conversation that led us to the water’s edge to welcome 3 new young people into the baptized fellowship of believers. It was not planned. It was not on the schedule. But if it was to be on their own terms, why not here? Why not this community? Why not this water? Two of the three even had parents present at camp as adult chaperones.

 

Gathering for Baptism in Lake Tahoe

And so, by the confirmands’ own request after much consideration, words that have been passed down through sacred scripture and Christian tradition were spoken, and they were immersed three times in the cool waters of Lake Tahoe. The Christian community bore witness and laid hands on them as we proclaimed each of them, “Child of God!”

Their hands were a little wet to take selfies, but I suspect they will include this when they tell their story, nonetheless.

I am blessed to have been part of their community and part of their stories. They laid hands on me and prayed for me on my last night. That was very meaningful. Now when I tell my own story, they are a part of it, selfies or not.

This post reflects on a portion of a study conducted as part of the Confirmation Project. Learn more about this exciting project, which includes 5 denominations HERE!

It Is Well With My Soul: Camp All Saints

“Remember, this is for Jesus.”

I paused to consider this declaration. I suppose it is true, I thought, in some eschatological sense. Still, the declaration was a little jarring. The campers were getting antsy. Was the staff member just saying it to keep them quiet, or was there actually some truth in it?

All Saints Chapel

We were inside the beautiful white chapel at Camp All Saints, just north of Dallas, Texas. The chapel was gorgeous: a church building, in actuality, that had been relocated to the camp instead of being torn down. It stood like a sentinel on top of a hill in the center of camp. The camp sprawled in all directions, hugging the shoreline of Lake Texoma, which was a staggering 20 feet above normal levels after a series of torrential rains hit northern Texas in May and June. The boating dock had floated away, the archery range was relocated to higher ground, and the low ropes course was under water, but camp was on amidst the chaos! Inside the chapel, there was no sign of this chaos or the general chaos you might expect to find at summer camp, and the near-100 degree heat was shut outside, as well. It was practically orderly, I thought with a chuckle. “Shhhhh!” Okay, now it was orderly.

64 summer campers, many of them elementary age, were arranged like a choir in front of condenser microphones, and the college-age summer staff members were desperately trying to keep them under control, focused, and on beat. This was no easy task. We had already traipsed through the sticky heat to the campfire ring – not to have s’mores or even to light a campfire, mind you, but rather to gather in neat concentric circles around the unlit fire pit so that the staff could get video of us cheerfully singing (“No zombie faces!”). Then we marched back to the chapel building to record the audio.

We were on take 4.

The song was “It Is Well,” and the campers were only singing verse 2 and the chorus. The recording would be blended with campers from the other weeks of camp singing the other 3 verses, thus the need for order and precision. Exasperation and frustration were apparent. How long was this going to take? How long could the campers stand in one place? Could they still sing pretty when they were so antsy? It all felt a little canned to me. Everything had to be just so. Was it really for Jesus, as the staff member had assured the campers?

Sunrise Activities by the Lake

I thought back to that morning. We had been singing the exact same song in that very chapel, but there were no microphones, choir director, or frustrated shushing. There is a worship service every morning at Camp All Saints. Priests wearing stoles over their camp scrubs lead the liturgy and preside over the sacrament (complete with the little tinkly bells). But the singing…oh, the singing! It carried me away that morning. It was the fourth day of camp, and campers were really getting to know the songs. Besides that, I was starting to feel like part of the community, and I was getting to know many of the campers and the staff. I had kayaked with some of them on the lake early that morning, the water, smooth as glass, reflecting the sunrise. We were literally paddling among the treetops (due to the high water). I had also played some games, shared in meals, and had great conversations with many of them. There is something holy about worshiping with a community in which you feel welcome and loved. “It Is Well” gave me goosebumps that morning. That was for Jesus, I thought. Was this?

“We should have recorded that,” lamented the priest sitting next to me. We were in agreement: this structured recording session simply wasn’t the same. Verse 2 over and over again: “Though Satan should buffet…” Satan has been buffeting long enough. Can’t we move on to verse 3? No, that’s for next week.

And then I felt the connection – not just the connection with my fellow Christians in that space but connection with the campers of the previous week who sang verse 1 and with the campers in the next two weeks who would sing verses 3 and 4. We were continuing a song already in progress, and others would not only pick up where we left off but also join us in the chorus. It was an offering, an offering that connected us through time and space with other believers. It was an offering lifted up with other believers for the sake of the church, the body of Christ. He’s right, I thought.

“…and hath shed his own blood for my soul.”

I looked around at the campers. Did they get it? Did they have a theological breakthrough like mine? Probably not, I mused. But they were connected, nonetheless. That staff member, whether he was simply trying to get one more good take out of them or he really believed it, offered a theological interpretation.

I thought back to my conversations with campers earlier that day. Christian faith and teachings were present in all parts of camp life, they told me. Sure, the day was framed by morning prayer before breakfast, morning worship in the chapel, deans time (a more formal Christian education time with the visiting clergy), and the service of Compline each night in the cabins, but it was more than that, the campers told me. Even the games and activities were about God. Kayaking? High ropes? Cliff jumping into the flooded lake? All became Christian activities at Camp All Saints, according to the campers.

How do I describe the experience at All Saints for those who were not there? I have to put it in a can, too. We start here, in 1500 words or less. Their video project will surely do the experience more justice, and I can’t wait to see it. Last year’s was great (check it out here!), but this year’s will be much more meaningful because I was a part of it. We were connected to campers in other weeks, as well as to the whole diocese, to which the video was primarily directed. But we were also connected to the whole church. The campers sent video greetings to the national assembly, which was currently underway in Salt Lake City (check it out!). They were, in fact, praying for their church as they elected their first African-American presiding bishop that Saturday.

 “Shhhh!” Silence slowly fell as the staff member with the headphones nodded in confirmation: “We’ve got it!” There was an outbreak of applause and cheering. Then they broke into a new song, almost spontaneously. It was like their bonds had burst, so great was their enthusiasm. They sang their hearts out to their camp favorites. Some danced by the altar, while one boy beat out the rhythm on a church pew and another started breakdancing in the aisle. Song after song, their energy and enthusiasm poured out. The priests and staff members could only smile and join in or frantically try to document this outpouring of the Spirit with pictures and videos. But these will never do it justice. You had to be there. To experience it for yourself. To see and hear the campers joyfully singing, “You are alive in us, nothing can take your place. You are all we need, your love has set us free!” They looked free. They looked caught up in the Spirit.

There are multiple forces at work at Camp All Saints. Some are forces of structure and order, passed down in unbroken succession in the Episcopal tradition. But there is freedom within this structure, maybe even freedom that grates against the structure itself. Above all is the sense of community and belonging, carefully nurtured through shared experiences and intentional models of forgiveness and reconciliation when there is conflict.

Gathering for Worship in All Saints Chapel

“What is the most important thing for these campers to take home with them?” I asked the staff. “You are loved,” one replied. The campers probably will not remember the names of all the saints they talked about during deans time, but they will remember that they are loved. They will remember that they are a valued part of a believing community. They may even make the connection that the community extends far beyond the boundaries of their camp experience, more than we can say for many of our churches' Sunday morning worshipers.

More than likely, the campers will be dissuaded from breakdancing in the aisles or dancing around the altar when they return to their home congregations. One of the priests lamented the disconnect between camp and congregation, especially in a traditionally conservative area like the Diocese of Dallas. But there is something powerful happening at Camp All Saints, and the Holy Spirit is active in the midst of it. If there is a disconnect, church leadership can work hard to “bridge the gap,” as one priest suggested. Campers are believing that they are loved, that they are valued members of the Christian community. The young people actually think that faith has relevance to their lives. They do not sit bored and disengaged but rather stand and sing with passion and assurance:

“It is well, it is well, with my soul.”

This post reflects on a portion of a study conducted as part of the Confirmation Project. Learn more about this exciting project, which includes 5 denominations HERE!

Like a Zipline through a Sanctuary

I was on my third (and last) pair of footwear. My hiking shoes were sopping wet from the deluge I was caught in the day before. My running shoes were dripping with muddy water from my ill-advised trail run through the mud puddles that morning (they would eventually travel home, still wet, in a plastic bag). I was in sandals this time. They dry quickly and are easy to hose off. It had rained every day so far, and the rain would continue off and on all week. Everything was wet. A thunderstorm knocked the power out on the first night. Another had rolled through the previous night, and a light rain persisted most of the morning. Now, however, the rain had mercifully given way to some rays of afternoon sun, which were shining in diagonal beams through the tree canopy.

Lutherlyn Amphitheater

I looked around. The benches were vacant, but the amphitheater could easily seat a couple hundred people. It was set into a hillside, and a creek was babbling happily nearby. The sunbeams shone on the stone altar and the rough-cut wooden cross at the front of the worship area. I was in a holy place.

“Holy,” the 8^th grade boy had replied. I had asked him to describe his camp experience in one word or phrase. Holy. His answer came to mind as I sat in that place of worship. He had not wanted to come to camp and he did not particularly believe in God, he told me, but his parents wanted him to get confirmed. In three short days, he had gone from unbelief to believing in God, and he was actually excited to learn more. A 10^th grade girl pulled me aside to tell me about her renewed interest in faith. She said that she always believed in a God “out there,” but she was finally getting to understand this “Jesus thing”: that God is relatable and accessible. A 10^th grade boy wearing a pirate “iPatch” (he had made the Macintosh logo on it) said that he never really fit in at home or at school. “Here, though, I can be myself. And I fit in.”

It was the first week of summer camp at Camp Lutherlyn, and 64 confirmation students from 10 different Lutheran churches in western Pennsylvania were there, along with their pastors. Some of the students were there because pastors or parents compelled them to come, but most were excited to be at camp. They spent a significant portion of each day (3-4 hours) with the pastors in confirmation lessons focused on the 10 commandments, Apostle’s Creed, Lord’s Prayer, sacraments, and Lutheran heritage. The rest of the day was spent with Lutherlyn staff members in various activities.

If I was wet and muddy as I sat in that amphitheater, it was nothing compared to some of the campers. It would seem that rain at camp provides more opportunity than crisis. Campers took the opportunity to make spectacular splashes in mud puddles. They ran and slid on their butts across the wet playing fields. The weather also provided perfect mud-whomping conditions. Mud-whomping is a Lutherlyn favorite that involves sliding, rolling, and slithering in particularly greasy mud, as well as splattering this mud on fellow campers.

But what makes camp holy? Surely, not the mud. There is mud wherever there is rain. And yet…there is something about the mud at camp that must be different from the mud at home. After all, most young people would be inside on a rainy day at home, probably interacting with some electronic gadget. The campers admitted as much, when I asked them. But there were no cell phones or video games at Lutherlyn. They described their distance from these things as “being free” from them. Being free? They didn’t miss them? “No,” one boy said, “I am happier without them.”

What makes camp holy? Surely, it wasn’t the confirmation lessons. After all, the young people had confirmation classes back home, many of them one hour every week. And yet…there is something different about the confirmation classes at camp. Two 10^th grade boys, who appeared largely disengaged from a lesson that I sat in on, approached one of the pastors and asked if they could talk with him. They asked him how he came to believe. And he shared his faith story with them.

Wor-arr-ship

What makes camp holy? Surely, it’s not the games and skits. The entirety of Wednesday night at Lutherlyn was pirate-themed, from dinner all the way through evening wor-arr-ship and campfi-arr. The staff got really into it, and that got some of the campers into it.  On the surface, this appeared to me more hokey than holy. During the pirate-themed games after din-arr, I noticed a group of girls that was opting out of the games to sit down in the (wet) grass. They waved to me and called me over. I wondered if they thought the games were lame and were talking about that, but they were not. They were discussing faith. They were reflecting on their confirmation lessons and some things they had talked about with their counselor. And they invited me to join them. “Are you, like, really religious?” one asked me. And we talked. They were trying to figure out if they really believed or not.

What makes camp holy? I contemplated this as I sat in the amphitheater with the sun peeking through the trees. I looked to my right and saw a group of campers walking up the trail as a staff member helped them identify edible plants and spoke with them about creation stewardship. Then a group of campers rode down the muddy trail on mountain bikes. One of them was wearing white shorts, and I said a silent prayer for his mother as the flying mud neatly decorated his backside. Then there was silence, and I was alone with my thoughts on holiness. How was I going to describe this camp? It seemed a weighty proposition.

It wasn’t complete silence, not really. The creek was still babbling, and the breeze was rustling the leaves. I sat in peace and in stillness. It was beautiful. Then a loud voice from behind the trees to my right interrupted the stillness: “ALL CLEAR?” An answering shout came from far to my left: “ALL CLEAR!” Then came a distinct “Woo-hoo!” followed by a progressively louder z-z-zz-zz-zzz-Z-ZZ-ZZZ-ZZZ. The zipline passed right over the altar, and I saw the young lady fly by the rough-cut cross. I smiled. I was not alone.

I was sharing this experience with other people. Together, we were interacting with each other and the word of God. It was not the mud, the lessons, the games, or even the vibrant worship services. It was the presence of God active in Christian community. These other things were just the mediums, the means of grace.

Church leaders in the Northwest and Southwest Pennsylvania Synods of the ELCA are evidently having discussions about the value of camp, especially after their most recent synod assembly. The pastors at Confirmation Camp were overtly supportive of camp, but they shared that some of their colleagues are either indifferent or openly antagonistic to the camp model. Has camp outlived its usefulness? Is it just a money pit that pays no dividends in faith and church membership? These discussions are often done in the abstract, away from the place, away from the stories. I lived the stories with some of the campers at Lutherlyn this week. It is a place where God is present and active. It is a place where it is safe to doubt and question, a place where faith is discussed with peers and mentors. It is a place of inclusion for those who have been outsiders. It is a place where God interrupts your heavy burdens and self-absorbed thoughts with a reminder that you are not alone: “I am with you!” God shows up at camp, like a zipline through a sanctuary.

Maybe we could sum it up in the words that Lutherlyn uses: “Lifechanging adventures in faith.” That certainly seems appropriate for describing the things I witnessed and experienced. But if I had to describe it in one word, I think I would stick with the 8^th grader in the midst of his conversion experience:

HOLY.

This post reflects on a portion of a study conducted as part of the Confirmation Project. Learn more about this exciting project, which includes 5 denominations HERE!

Reading the Bible at Camp

Summer camp staff across the nation are beginning another great summer of serving people of all ages! More than 11 million people will attend camp across the country this summer, most of them children and youth. While nearly all of the summer camps share the common elements of community living, away from home, in an outdoor recreational setting, camps that are intentionally Christian in their identity focus the camp model through a Christian lens. The basic form of Christian camping oftentimes looks remarkably similar to non-Christian camps. Critics sometimes remark that these so-called Christian camps are simply secular camps with a spiritual gloss. They do the same games and activities but sprinkle in a little Bible study and an occasional sing-along that they label worship. A few camps compartmentalize their religious programming from the rest of the schedule in a way that might validate this criticism, but the Christian camps that I have attended do a much better job incorporating faith language and practices into all aspects of camp life. Indeed, last fall's survey of more than 300 Christian camps shows that 92% of directors agree or strongly agree, "Faith formation/practices should be incorporated into all aspects of camp life" (see previous post).

Christian camp staff members are not simply asked to lead their campers from one activity to another or make sure everyone is having fun. They are asked to live their faith in all that they do at camp and help the campers interpret their experiences with faith language. This is a skill that becomes a way of life at camp. It is a skill because an interpretive guide has to be immersed in faith language and practices. It takes practice. A camp staff member who does not regularly pray, read the Bible, or worship will find Christian interpretation challenging. But immersion in the daily rhythm of Christian community at camp makes the counselor's task as interpretive guide as natural as breathing. We all stand in awe at the wonder of the starry night sky. Some say, "Wow!" The interpretive guide, almost without thinking, quotes Psalm 19: "The heavens are telling the glory of God!"

The Bible can be incredibly intimidating to camp staff members. They have heard so many things about the Bible's reliability and what parts are more important than others. Besides that, the Bible is HUGE! Are they supposed to know the whole thing? I sometimes find summer staff members (who are usually 19 or 20) who have read the entire Bible. They are great resources to their fellow staff members and their campers, but the majority of summer staffers have come nowhere near reading the Bible cover to cover. And that's okay. What is not okay is saying things like, "It's not that big of a deal to know the Bible." Actually, it is important. Knowing the Bible does not mean knowing every word of it. Knowing the Bible means understanding that there is wisdom there and seeking it, like the treasure buried in the field or the pearl of great value (Matthew 13:44-46). The same passages can teach us in new ways and even surprise us each time we go to them. We read the Bible because we seek to know the one who is revealed in its pages.

In many ways, it does not matter all that much what the summer Bible study theme is. It is wonderful that there is curriculum for helping guide the campers through scriptures, but the curriculum is not as big of a deal as knowing the Bible. You get to know the Bible by opening it and interacting with it. You get to know the Bible by sharing in its wisdom and mysteries with others. When campers see their counselor open the Bible, and together they have a discussion about how particular Bible passages apply to their daily lives, they get to know the Bible. It does not matter if they remember the 3 main points from the Bible study curriculum. It matters that they open the Bible and interact with it.

The true curriculum of camp does not come packaged in a 3-ring binder. The curriculum of camp is in the interaction. The most important times that campers interact with the Bible at camp are when they are not in Bible study. The most important times are on the hike to the overlook or gazing at the starry sky or gathered around the campfire or right after an argument with some cabin mates. The teachable moments are the important times, and these are the times when the camp staff members serve as interpretive guides, connecting what is happening with the story of God's people found in the Bible.

Each staff member has favorite Bible passages, and they always share these with their campers because the campers can see that they are meaningful. There are others that are camp standards. These are key Bible passages that every camp staff member should know. Some are foundational for the Christian faith and others are particularly relevant for the camp environment. The 10 Bible passages that I believe every camp staff member should get to know deeply for their role as interpretive guide at camp are:

Jake's Top 10 Bible Camp Passages

Genesis 1: the orderly creation, the image of God, and the day of rest

Genesis 2: humans from the dirt, God's breath, importance of human relationship

Psalm 139: God's intimate care for each person

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12: the value of human relationship

Luke 15: the lost coin, lost sheep, and lost brother

John 1:1-34: the Word becomes flesh, John the Baptist points the way

John 13:1-35: Jesus washes the disciples' feet, the commandment to love each other

Romans 8:18-39: creation waits, Spirit intercedes, NOTHING separates from love of God

Romans 12: body of Christ, marks of Christian discipleship

1 Corinthians 12: Church as body of Christ, every member is important

As honorable mentions, I'll throw in the creation psalms: Psalm 8, 19, and 104.

Interact with these passages (along with your personal favorites). Get to know them. Use them to relate what is happening at camp with the story of God's people and God's love for the world. Part of knowing the Bible is knowing that we are a part of this amazing story. Bringing the words of God to bear on the teachable moments reminds us that we are caught up in this story. The Bible does not contain dead words on a page but rather the Word of God. This word is not dead but rather is living and active (Hebrews 4:12). Christian living at camp is transformative because it is not compartmentalized (such as Sunday v. the rest of the week OR Bible study v. the rest of the camp day) but, rather, is integrated. Everything that we are, our lives, are caught up in the movement and activity of God. That is the sort of Christian living that can make a difference in this world, and it is something the church desperately needs to relearn. Camp is one of the primary places where this can happen.

The Religious Landscape Study: The Unsurprising News, the Bad News, and the Opportunities

The Pew Research Center has come out with its new report on the Religious Landscape Study. The full report is worth a read: check it out! Now, let the teeth-gnashing commence!

It seems that many people want to immediately characterize the study in black and white terms: is it good news or bad news? Or maybe it’s not-so-bad news? I will take a stand on at least one of these: it is NOT good news. Some may say, “It’s not as bad as we feared!” Some Evangelicals may be saying, “We’re not doing as badly as everyone else!” But this is not good news. Thankfully, we know that the good news comes from somewhere other than social science research. This report is descriptive not prescriptive. It is left to us – as theologians, church leaders, and concerned Christians – to decide what to do about it.

Burying our heads in the sand is tempting, but it is not an appropriate response for a church that is called to go out into the world (Acts 1:8). Neither is it appropriate to dismiss the data or shake our heads unbelievingly, since every indication is that this study provides valid, reliable data. This is a nationally representative study that can be applied to (almost) the entire U.S. population with a very low margin of error (+/- 0.6%). This study will be talked about for many years to come, and church policies will be shaped, in part, because of the data in this study. Don’t ignore it!

The UNSURPRISING NEWS

The news out of this study is not good, and I would not even go with the optimistic “not-so-bad.” However, I would call this news unsurprising. Many studies have shown that the percentage of people in America claiming to be “Christian” is declining. This is across the board and includes every major Christian group. Roman Catholicism and Mainline Protestant denominations are declining rapidly (each dropping a little more than 3% in their share of the total U.S. population since 2007), while Evangelical Protestant denominations are declining more slowly (losing about 1% of their share of the U.S. population since 2007).

Equally unsurprising is that younger Americans are less likely to be religious than older Americans. Of those born in the 1980s and 1990s (“Millennials”), only about 57% consider themselves Christian, compared with nearly 80% of those born in the 1940s and 1950s (older “Baby Boomers”). More than 1/3 of Millennials claim “no religious affiliation.”

The only religious group that continues its steep growth is the group claiming no religious affiliation, the notorious “NONES,” which now make up nearly 23% of the total population (up from 16% in 2007). This growth is tremendous and represents a major cultural shift that Charles Taylor describes in his compelling definition of the word “secular.” He refers to the new secularity not as the absence of religion but rather as a reality in which being religious is seen as one option among others. In other words, people no longer feel the need to affiliate with a religion. It is telling that only 1/3 of those claiming no religious affiliation claim to be “atheist” or “agnostic.” The remaining 2/3 (16% of the total U.S. population!) just claim “nothing in particular.” Religion is either not on their radar, or it is an a la carte option that they have passed by.

The NOT EUROPE NEWS

Many people want to make the European comparison, claiming that the U.S. is on track to become as secular as Europe. Full stop. We can compare individual trends to Europe, and we can probably gain some insight into the religiosity of the “nones” from Europe, but it is foolish to claim that American religiosity is going to look like Europe in a few decades. We are also foolish to paint all of Europe with one brush, as religion looks very different across the various cultures of Europe. Some countries still have state-run, tax-supported churches. There is little room for broad comparison. Christianity is declining in terms of numbers, but more than 70% of Americans still claim to be Christian. Don’t call us a “Christian nation,” but don’t call us Europe, either.

The NOT-SO-BAD NEWS

A decline in total numbers of Christians is not necessarily bad news. These numbers almost certainly indicate that people feel more comfortable about being honest about their religious convictions. They do not feel obligated to claim a religion. As Christians, we are concerned about discipleship. We want people to follow Jesus, not to simply say they are Christian. Those who attend religious services once a year or less and do not participate in religious practices are religiously inactive. It is probably okay that these people have stopped claiming to be Christian – it shows a growing understanding that people are not Christian simply by virtue of their parents taking them to church as children. Christians are called to live differently than other people. If the numbers in this survey indicate the slow demise of a social Christianity, that is not-so-bad news.

If people are becoming more honest about not being Christian, maybe the church can start being more honest about what it means to be Christian.

The BAD NEWS

I think there is a lot of bad news in this survey, but I will highlight two points. First, declining numbers of Christians means less money. Every indication is that this trend will continue, and Christian institutions have already tightened their belts a lot. Churches, camps, and other ministries are closing. Less money means that many faithful Christians will continue being concerned about self-preservation, which is a decidedly un-Christian thing to focus on (see, for example, the entire Bible, but especially that bit about Jesus). As more money is spent on preserving the status-quo, less is spent on mission and ministry. Less money for the poor. Less money for victims of violence, oppression, and natural disasters. This is bad news, and it is something to mourn.

Second, Christianity in America is changing demographically in a very concerning direction. While all Christian groups are declining, the Mainline and Catholicism are declining most rapidly. This means that a far greater percentage of American Christians are part of Evangelical denominations. Evangelicals now make up 55% of Protestants and 36% of all Christians in America. They comprise the largest broad religious group in the United States, just ahead of the “Nones.” I am not here to bash Evangelicalism. There are some incredibly faithful expressions of Christianity in the Evangelical traditions, and Mainliners like me can learn a great deal from our Evangelical brothers and sisters. The reason I am referring to this as “bad news” has to do with rhetoric. The gospel of Jesus Christ becomes obscured behind a cloud of anti-homosexual, anti-science rhetoric, and this problem is compounded with the political discourse. Evangelicals have always been vocal (hence, the name), but their growing share of the Christian public is causing Christianity as a whole to be painted with an ultra-conservative brush that is not only unpalatable to the majority of Millennials, but it is also simply not the gospel. It is bad news when the good news is obscured. It is bad news when people think they know what Christianity is about based on hateful rhetoric and then refuse to even listen to the good news.

OPPORTUNITIES

My initial thoughts about this study are that Christians have an opportunity to redefine what it means to be Christian in America. If Americans are becoming more honest about their religious beliefs and are less inclined to be part of the institutional church merely for social or utilitarian reasons, we have an opportunity to share an authentic expression of Christianity that involves loving enemies, helping the poor, seeking justice for the oppressed, and bringing good news to the hopeless. The study shows pretty clearly that people care less and less about denominational boundaries. We have the opportunity to stop emphasizing how we are different and focus more on how we are the same.

In a secular world, as Charles Taylor defines it, religion is optional. Less people are coming to church because they feel obligated, and this is not a bad thing. We have the chance to tell people why they should come. Why be a Christian? Why follow the way of Jesus? We may even find ourselves becoming evangelical about our faith.