{"product_id":"after-the-baby-boomers-9780691146140","title":"After the Baby Boomers","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMuch has been written about the profound impact the post-World War II baby boomers had on American religion. But the lifestyles and beliefs of the generation that has followed - and the influence these younger Americans are having on the face of religion - are not so well understood. This book offers a look at the future of American religion.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Robert Wuthnow of Princeton has just published a tremendously valuable book, After the Baby Boomers that looks at young adulthood through the prism of religious practice.\"--David Brooks, New York Times \"In a volume sure to change how pundits and clergy think about religion in the contemporary U.S., prolific Princeton sociologist Wuthnow assembles and analyzes a vast amount of data about the religious lives of Americans aged 21 to 45... Wuthnow argues that our society provides lots of structural support for children and teens, but leaves younger adults to fend for themselves during the decades when they're making crucial decisions about family and work. Though long passages of dense statistics make for a sometimes clunky read, this book is terrifically important.\"--Publishers Weekly (starred review) \"Robert Wuthnow, [a] distinguished sociologist of religion...focuses on...a group that is not just the harbinger of the future but that already constitutes about half the country's adult population. Wuthnow has a great deal to say about marriage, weddings, marital happiness and parenting [and] describes modest changes in worship services and programs that might help congregations engage young adults, especially unmarried ones.\"--Peter Steinfels, New York Times \"Wuthnow has analyzed an impressive array of data and provided a thought provoking argument about the future, and the present, of American religion.\"--Matthew T. Loveland, Catholic Books Review \"[This book provides] a challenge to think more broadly about the future of the church, assisted by a leading sociologist's analysis of current trends.\"--Brian D. McLaren, Christian Century \"As generations pass and distance grows, so do the values which issues from the body of believers gathered in...the church...Robert Wuthnow's important new book After the Baby Boomers...is a potential wake-up signal, an alarm blast.\"--Martin Marty, Sightings \"Christian leaders who are ready for change will not find a prescription or program in After the Baby Boomers. What they will find is a challenge to think more broadly about the future of the church, assisted by a leading sociologist's analysis of current trends. And they will find something else: a sympathetic voice speaking on behalf of young adults who are highly interested in God, highly in need of guidance and support, highly networked and networkable, highly available to be equipped for vital mission, and largely uninspired by what churches are currently doing...I find myself even more eager to be part of the solution to the problems raised by Wuthnow. Much is at stake.\"--Brian McLaren, Christian Century \"Wuthnow shares the concerns of religious and spiritual leaders because...he understands the great benefits religion provides society...[A] precise study...After the Baby Boomers is a work of social science [that paints] a detailed picture of the lives of young adults today.\"--Patton Dodd, Shambhala Sun \"Princeton University's Robert Wuthnow, the most distinguished sociologist of religion in America today, has presented a timely and important text for pastors and those who are concerned about the future of religious communities in America. After the Baby Boomers offers pastors and church leaders an important text to ponder. Wuthnow places his finger on many issues that the church must confront.\"--Andrew Root, Word \u0026amp; World \"Open any page of Robert Wuthnow's latest book, After the Baby Boomers, and you are sure to find a nugget of data that will add nuance to some of the well-worn assumptions about he religious lives of the so-called Generation X.\"--Michelle Dillon, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion \"Wuthnow's text is a refreshing read... [He] does an excellent job of addressing the cultural shifts that explain why it is the case the young adults are less involved in religious institutions. As a macrolevel study, he astutely ties personal level practices to larger social forces, and tacitly employs the sociological imagination--a skill that non-academic readers could find informative.\"--Katrina C. Hoop, International Review of Modern Sociology \"After the Baby Boomers is a dense but fascinating read; I had trouble deciding which chapters not to assign to my classes... Every chapter of this book contains questions churches and religious leaders must face--and soon.\"--Kenda Creasy Dean, Theology Today \"Robert Wuthnow has analyzed an impressive array of data and provided a thought provoking argument about the future, and the present, of American religion.\"--Matthew T. Loveland, Catholic Books Review \"This is an interesting book... The object lesson in the skillful analysis of survey data is instructive, and the call to focus more analysis on young adults (especially this generation of young adults) is timely and thoughtful.\"--Anthony J. Filipovitch, Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly \"Wuthnow's book stands out as a timely, comprehensive, and thoughtful effort. Mixing a tremendous amount of empirical survey evidence with detailed qualitative interviews, the book covers a lot of ground, including emerging issues pertaining to immigration and new technology. Posing a number of smart questions that are ripe for political science answers, it is a sophisticated and yet accessible commentary on the future of American religion that is more than deserving of a place on bookshelves.\"--Anand Edward Sokhey, Cambridge Journals \"The strength of this book lies ... in its careful analysis of a very wide range of largely quantitative data. Wuthnow is bitingly critical of sociologists of religion--particularly rational choice theorists--whose work is long on theory and short on evidence. This volume exemplifies the opposite--long on evidence, shorter on theory and explanation.\"--Linda Woodhead, Religion Journal\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eList of Figures and Tables ix  Preface xiii      Chapter 1: AMERICAN RELIGION An Uncertain Future 1  How to Think about Younger Adults 3  The Population of Young Adults 7  Coming of Age at Forty 9  The Religious Significance of Young Adults 12  A Generation of Tinkerers 13  An Uncertain Future 17      Chapter 2: THE CHANGING LIFE WORLDS OF YOUNG ADULTS Seven Key Trends 20  Delayed Marriage 21  Children-- Fewer and Later 24  Uncertainties of Work and Money 28  Higher Education (for Some) 36  Loosening Relationships 37  Globalization 42  Culture--An Information Explosion 44  Summing Up 49      Chapter 3: GOING TO CHURCH--OR NOT Who Participates in Congregations? 51  Attendance in Two Time Periods 52  The Reasons for Declining Participation 54  A Closer Look at Marriage and Children 62  Communities 65  Is the United States Becoming Like Europe? 66  The Profile of Regular Church Goers 68  Religious Attendance in Perspective 69      Chapter 4: THE MAJOR FAITH COMMUNITIES Thinking Beyond Winners and Losers 71  The Significance of Young Adults 72  The Major Faith Traditions 75  Evangelicals and Mainline Protestants 77  Black Protestants, Catholics, and Jews 84  Other Faiths and the Nonaffiliated 86  Beyond Winners and Losers 87      Chapter 5: THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO (I THINK) Recent Trends in Religious Beliefs 89  Some Possible Scenarios 90  Decline in Orthodox Beliefs 96  Orthodoxy, with Rising Secularity 98  Countervailing Effects of Diversity 101  Orthodoxy Mixed with Heterodoxy 103  Different Trends among Educational Categories 107  Changing Relationships with Education 108  Different Trends among Faith Communities 110      Chapter 6: SPIRITUALITY AND SPIRITUAL PRACTICES The Role of Faith in Personal Life 112  Church Shopping and Hopping 114  Social Networks 117  Civility 120  Are Converts Different? 123  Seeking Answers 124  Spiritual Practices 127  Music and Art 129  Spiritual but Not Religious? 131  The Nature of Spiritual Tinkering 134      Chapter 7: FAITH AND FAMILY Facing the Difficult Choices 136  Considering Marriage 136  Having Sex 138  Weddings 139  Marital Happiness 141  Parenting 142  Right and Wrong 145  Empathy 148  Threats to Today's Families 149  Seeking Support 151  Religious and Ethnic Diversity 152  Faith Matters 155      Chapter 8: THE DIVIDED GENERATION Religion and Public Life 157  The Split between Conservatives and Liberals 160  Civil Religion 163  Voting in Presidential Elections 167  Mixing Religion and Politics 171  Hot-Button Issues: Abortion 173  Hot-Button Issues: Homosexuality 174  The Religious Right 177  War and Peace 179  Why It Matters 180      Chapter 9: EMERGING TRENDS Immigration and Ethnic Diversity 183  Hispanic Catholics 183  A Note on Hispanic Protestants 187  Asian Americans 188  Hospitality or Hostility 193  A Closer Look at Church Involvement 197      Chapter 10: THE VIRTUAL CHURCH Religious Uses of the Internet 201  Religion Websites 201  Social Issues 203  The Internet and Religious Music 206  Staying in Touch by E-mail 207  The Internet and Spiritual Seeking 209  Congregations and the Internet 212      Chapter 11: VITAL CONGREGATIONS Youthful and Diverse 214  The Profile of Youthful Congregations 219  Minichurch or Megachurch 221  Alternative Styles of Worship 223  Meeting the Changing Needs of Families 225  Interreligious Programs 226  Opportunities for International Ministry 227  Opportunities for Service 228  A Future for Congregations 230      APPENDIX 233  The National Young Adults and Religion Study 233  Methodology 234  The Surveys and Other Data 238  Qualitative Interviews 247  Supplementary Tables 251      Notes 255  Selected Bibliography 279  Index 293","brand":"Princeton University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49403775811927,"sku":"9780691146140","price":28.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780691146140.jpg?v=1730484508","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/after-the-baby-boomers-9780691146140","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}