A Reluctant Millennial On The State of Church

From Religion Dispatches-

Everyone is talking about “millennials” and the church. What started with a short piece on CNN by evangelical Rachel Held Evans feels like it has inspired every protestant in the blogosphere to get on his or her own soapbox in response. What is the big deal about so-called “millennials,” and why are they supposedly leaving the church?

It’s tempting to just say, “Oh, shut up already!” Everytime I hear the word “millennial” I cringe. “Is that what I am?” I wonder. “Thanks for clearing things up for me.”

I come to the topic as a theologically educated young woman who doesn’t identify with much of what’s been said about “my generation” lately. Sure, I wear skinny jeans and I’m technologically proficient, but I’m not very cool. I go to a tiny church that really loves the bible and sings hymns a capella. I do crazy things like pray and study theology. I actually believe in God, which is about as uncool as it gets in many circles.

The main reason I didn’t leave church? Someone made me read Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together in college, and someone else suggested I think about seminary. So, even though I was (and am) a flaming liberal feminist, I stuck it out, and entered into a lifelong lover’s quarrel with God and the church.

More here-

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