Christian Smith’s Soul Searching: the Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers rocked the youth ministry work back onto its heels. Presenting the data from the National Study of Youth and Religion, the largest and most detailed such study ever undertaken, we discovered that young people are not hostile towards faith, just indifferent as they echo their parents’ religiosity, which, it turns out, is hardly a formula for vibrant faith.

And, now, here’s comes the “second wave” of this longitudinal study- Souls in Transition: The Religious & Spiritual Lives of Emerging Adults.  I’m just cracking open the book, but already have discovered the authors’ classification of six major religious types amongst 18-24 years olds:

> Committed Traditionalists who embrace a strong religious faith, who believes they can reasonably well articulate and which they actively practice. They are probably no more than 15% of the emerging adult population.

> Selective Adherents believe and perform certain aspects of religious traditions but neglect and ignore others.  They are less serious that Committed Traditionalists but are more grounded about what they believe and/or should be believe than the Spiritually Open. They are about 30% of those in their late teens- early twenties.

> Spiritually Open: While not personally very committed to a religious faith, they are receptive to or mildly interested in some spiritual or religious matters.  They may be skeptical or critical but are willing to acknowledge a “higher power.”  They are about 15% of the young adults.

> Religiously Indifferent are too distracted with and invested in other things in life and are sufficiently  unconcerned with matters of faith to pay any real attention to religion. They are about 25% of the emerging adult population.

> Religiously Disconnected Due to their family upbringing and their present social connections, these folks have little to no experience to religious people, ideas, or  organizations. As evidence that we still are a “religious” culture, this group is likely no more than 5% of 18-24 years olds.

> The Irreligious claim that “Religion just makes no sense.”  This is an attitude that may have been nurtured in an option for secularism, or anger, or mystery as to foolish nature or practices of believers. They would be part of the final 10% of the young adults.

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