Nones

Relying on in-depth interviews and the National Study of American Twentysomethings, this chapter describes the heterogeneous young adults who are religious unaffiliated. Known in the popular press as the Nones, most of these young adults were raised in a Christian religious tradition, which they now reject, but that does not mean they have no interest in religion. Some are anti-religious and many are disinterested, but others hold traditional beliefs in a personal God and in an afterlife while rejecting religious institutions. Still others create an eclectic spirituality that draws from many religious traditions. The chapter provides estimated proportions of Nones who are philosophical secularists, indifferent secularists, spiritual eclectics, and unaffiliated believers. This chapter examines the role of context in the fluid religious, spiritual, and secular identities of twentysomething Nones and reports on the values, behaviors, and confidence in social institutions of this growing population.

Evangelicals

Chapter 5 explores the religious, spiritual, and secular lives of Evangelical twentysomethings, who account for 30% of all twentysomethings. Using congregational ethnographies of two Evangelical churches, this chapter describes why and how religiously active Evangelicals, which includes most Evangelicals, select a church to join. Relying on in-depth interviews, this chapter identifies what draws Evangelicals to church and what kinds of churches appeal to them. This chapter also describes the distinctive strategies deployed by Black and multiracial churches to attract young adults. Using the National Study of American Twentysomething findings, the chapter examines what distinguishes Active, Nominal, and Estranged Evangelical twentysomethings. In conclusion, this chapter closes with analysis of the similarities and differences among Evangelical, Mainline Protestant, and Catholic twentysomethings.

Catholics

Two out of 5 Catholic twentysomethings, or 3.2 million American young adults, attend worship a couple of times monthly or more. If all 3.2 million were to gather in the same place, they would become America’s third-largest city. This chapter focuses on these religiously Active Catholics, drawing from ethnographies of a multigenerational mega-parish, a Catholic student center at a non-Catholic university, and two diocesan young adult ministries. This chapter describes how religiously active twentysomethings find these congregations and ministries, and what participation means to these young adult Catholics. This chapter also describes what characteristics these congregations and ministries have that most engages young adults, and how these engagements differ between college and post-college twentysomethings. The chapter closes with results from its National Study of American Twentysomethings, applying an active, nominal, and estranged typology to understand Catholic young adults, and offering a prediction about Catholic affiliation in the United States.

Young Adulthood and Religion

The story of Ted, a World War II sailor for the U.S. Navy, and his teenage bride, Dottie, opens the chapter, setting up the contrast with emerging adulthood today. Their early marriage, five children, and Ted’s living wage from work for the electric company represent an era long gone. Financial independence today requires dual incomes and years of preparation, pushing back marriage and parenthood nearly a decade. Despite these changes, the religious lives of American twentysomethings demonstrate stability more than change. Survey analysis of the project’s National Study of American Twentysomethings (2013) and the National Science Foundation’s General Social Survey (1972–2016) demonstrate a stable proportion of religious committed young adults—about 1 in 4, and a rise in religiously unaffiliated young adults —from the ranks of the semi-religious. Widespread prayer, participation in worship, favorable attitudes toward congregations, and frustration with angry “religious people” are among the chapter’s notable findings.

Meet the Twentysomethings

Four young adults with thoughtful religious, spiritual, and secular views are profiled. Maria, a devout Catholic Latina who is a graduate student in speech pathology; Jeremy, an enthusiastic Mainline Protestant whose gay and biracial identity left him wary of religion; Lee, an Evangelical convert who switched from a Chinese to a multiracial congregation; and Abby, who rejected the White middle-class Evangelicalism of her childhood for atheism and then adopted an eclectic spirituality. Emerging adulthood is then described, as is the book’s qualitative and survey methodology and its focus on 91% of American twentysomethings who identify as Catholic, Mainline Protestant, Evangelical, or religiously unaffiliated (i.e., Nones). The book’s seven scholarly contributions are stated and the next six chapters are introduced.

Practical Postmoderns

The concluding chapter summarizes the book’s findings on the religious, spiritual, and secular lives of American twentysomethings. It compares the findings from the National Study of American Twentysomethings with research on adolescent religiosity and analyses the role of spirituality in the lives of Christian and religiously unaffiliated Twentysomethings. Chapter 7 also includes multivariate analyses of the strength of association between religion, spirituality, and eight life statuses. Lastly, this chapter discusses the importance of the 20s to understanding the life course as well as thinking about what the future holds for America’s Christian traditions and the growing number of adults with no religious affiliation.

Mainline Protestants

One out of 7 American twentysomethings affiliate with a Mainline denomination, and 33% of Mainline Protestant twentysomethings attend worship a couple of times monthly or more. Drawing from ethnographies of an arts-focused multiracial church, a small emerging church, and a Midwestern family church, this chapter describes why and how religiously active “Mainliners” seek out these church communities. Through analysis of in-depth interviews, it identifies what draws them to church when so many of their peers are wary of churches and what kinds of churches appeal to religiously active Mainliners. This chapter also describes the distinctive strategies deployed by Mainline congregations to attract young adults and how these differ in urban and Midwestern contexts. Then the chapter turns to results from our national survey of twentysomethings and applies the Active, Nominal, and Estranged typology to examine the religious, spiritual, and secular lives of Mainliner twentysomethings.