You can hardly exaggerate the effects of the burgeoning social revolution among 20-somethings today. The New York Times Magazine turned its attention this month to what sociologists and psychologists variously call delayed adulthood, extended adolescence, or merely a newly discovered life stage between 18 and the mid-20s. Writer Robin Marantz Henig observes:
It’s happening all over, in all sorts of families, not just young people moving back home but also young people taking longer to reach adulthood overall. It’s a development that predates the current economic doldrums, and no one knows yet what the impact will be—on the prospects of the young men and women; on the parents on whom so many of them depend; on society, built on the expectation of an orderly progression in which kids finish school, grow up, start careers, make a family and eventually retire to live on pensions supported by the next crop of kids who finish school, grow up, start careers, make a family and on and on. The traditional cycle seems to have gone off course, as young people remain untethered to romantic partners or to permanent homes, going back to school for lack of better options, traveling, avoiding commitments, competing ferociously for unpaid internships or temporary (and often grueling) Teach for America jobs, forestalling the beginning of adult life.
Myriad factors combine to create this new dynamic. The competitive job market demands a college or even graduate degree for many entry-level positions. Social stigmas against premarital sex have largely disappeared, removing a strong incentive for marriage. Birth-control pills reduce the likelihood of unplanned pregnancies. And women who want to have children feel little pressure to begin before age 30 if they can afford to pay for reproductive assistance made possible by new technologies.
A generation or two ago, many men and women by the time they reached 30 had said goodbye to their parents, found a spouse, welcomed at least a couple children into their family, and secured economic stability. Now the American male has achieved quite a feat if he’s moved out of his parents’ basement by then. Psychology professor Jeffrey Jensen Arnett leads the way in attributing these changes to a recently identified life stage he calls “emerging adulthood.” Emerging adults, according to Arnett, are concerned for themselves, unsure about their future, but hopeful that life will be good to them.
We have plenty of reason for concern about dramatic social changes unfolding before our eyes. Henig points out benefits while identifying the costs:
It’s easy to see the advantages to the delay. There is time enough for adulthood and its attendant obligations; maybe if kids take longer to choose their mates and their careers, they’ll make fewer mistakes and live happier lives. But it’s just as easy to see the drawbacks. As the settling-down sputters along for the “emerging adults,” things can get precarious for the rest of us. Parents are helping pay bills they never counted on paying, and social institutions are missing out on young people contributing to productivity and growth. Of course, the recession complicates things, and even if every 20-something were ready to skip the “emerging” moratorium and act like a grown-up, there wouldn’t necessarily be jobs for them all. So we’re caught in a weird moment, unsure whether to allow young people to keep exploring and questioning or to cut them off and tell them just to find something, anything, to put food on the table and get on with their lives.
Reflecting on these challenges, Albert Mohler calls on the church to “demonstrate the power of the gospel in a whole new way by assisting young people into the successful and faithful transition to adulthood, celebrating this transition as a matter of spiritual maturity to the glory of Christ.”
His call raises important questions for Christian leaders about the best way to respond. We’re agreed that chastity is the Christian’s calling outside marriage. Still, “emerging adulthood” cannot help but affect the strategy of Christian colleges, universities, and seminaries. In recent years, the traditional path to ministry has changed for many pastors, a path rerouted no doubt by new patterns of behavior by 20-somethings. Some still attend Bible college, enroll in seminary, then find a job in a church when they finish. Today, however, a prospective pastor may spend years working in various jobs to support a young family while taking classes part-time. In fact, some churches leaders and members regard this “real world” experience as vital for pastors who want to understand and tend their flock.
What do you think?
- How do you see “emerging adulthood” affecting Christian education?
- Was the traditional cycle of pastoral training due for a change?
- Do pastors need “real world” experience before leading a church?
Is there enough evidence for us to believe the Gospels?
In an age of faith deconstruction and skepticism about the Bible’s authority, it’s common to hear claims that the Gospels are unreliable propaganda. And if the Gospels are shown to be historically unreliable, the whole foundation of Christianity begins to crumble.
