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ERIC Number: EJ880659
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Mar
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0034-4087
EISSN: N/A
Living God or Cosmic Therapist? Implications of the National Survey of Youth and Religion for Christian Religious Education
Bachand, Sarah Caffrey
Religious Education, v105 n2 p140-156 Mar 2010
This article responds to sociologist Christian Smith's claim that many teenagers today have lost traditional religious faith and instead espouse a new and erroneous faith in God the "Cosmic Therapist." The author challenges this claim by comparing two of Smith's chief complaints vis-a-vis teen faith to established portraits of adolescent faith. The comparison reveals that despite differences significant continuities exist between adolescent faith "then" and "now," a finding that underscores the inherently (but not exclusively) developmental nature of religious faith. The article concludes by affirming Christian Religious Education as a dynamic process of bringing "life to faith and faith to life" with humility, compassion, and hope. (Contains 7 footnotes.)
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Opinion Papers; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A