Based on the book, Soul Searching: the Religious and Spiritual
Lives of American Teenagers, by Christian Smith and Melinda
Lundquist Denton, which reports on research conducted over a
seven year period by the National Study of Youth and Religion.
Featuring interviews with the books authors, youth pastors, and
teenagers from around the country, this compelling documentary
illustrates some of the major themes and findings of the book,
and goes behind the book in depicting the inner lives of a sample
of American teenagers. Find out what these teenagers really think
about God and religion, what their hopes and aspirations are, and
what the research says about the effects of religion in their
lives.
In 2005, Oxford University Press released a very important book.
Sociologists from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
had just released their findings of a comprehensive study of the
religious views of American teenagers. And what they found was
nothing less than shocking. According to Christian Smith, the
primary author of the book Soul Searching, the actual professed
religion of most young adults, whether they're being raised in
Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Presbyterian, or Jewish homes, is
what he called Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. What this means is
that although many teens believe in God and go to church
regularly, they end up defining belief in very vague and
subjective terms, such as, God exists, He's there when we need
him, He wants us to be happy, The purpose of life is to feel
good, Good people go to heaven, and so forth.
Now, in 2007, a documentary film version of Soul Searching was
just released by Revelation Studios. And on this edition of the
White Horse Inn web cast, Michael Horton talks with Michael
Eaton, the co-director of the film, as well as Christian Smith
himself, the primary researcher behind the project, about their
new documentary. Based on a seven year study of the religious
views of American teens, this film presents some troubling
findings about the content and quality of the faith being passed
on to the next generation.
Find out what these teenagers really think about God and
religion, what their hopes and aspirations are, and what the
research says about the effects of religion in their lives.
Review
------
In 2005, Oxford University Press released a very important book.
Sociologists from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
had just released their findings of a comprehensive study of the
religious views of American teenagers. And what they found was
nothing less than shocking. According to Christian Smith, the
primary author of the book Soul Searching: The Religious and
Spiritual Lives of American teenagers, the actual professed
religion of most young adults, whether they're being raised in
Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Presbyterian, or Jewish homes, is
what he called Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. What this means is
that although many teens believe in God and go to church
regularly, they end up defining belief in very vague and
subjective terms, such as, God exists, He's there when we need
him, He wants us to be happy, The purpose of life is to feel
good, Good people go to heaven, and so forth. Now, in 2007, a
documentary film version of Soul Searching was just released by
Revelation Studios. And on this edition of the White Horse Inn
webcast, Michael Horton talks with Michael Eaton, the co-director
of the film, as well as Christian Smith himself, the primary
researcher behind the project, about their new documentary Soul
Searching: A Movie About Teenagers & God. Based on a seven year
study of the religious views of American teens, this film
presents some troubling findings about the content and quality of
the faith being passed on to the next generation. --Whitehorse
Inn