by Esme Partridge, Church Times
The breadth of Anglicanism provides a range of entry points for spiritually curious younger people, Esmé Partridge finds
FOR the children of a secular age, the Church of England can seem like little more than a remnant of another time. The parish church may evoke fond memories of harvest festivals or Christingle services, but it is not the spiritual home that it was for past generations. We have long assumed that such a disconnection can mean only a further lack of interest in faith among the young. Yet, as the Church has receded from our national life and ceased to be the default option, it has become something quite different. It has become something to be discovered.
This was the experience of many of the Generation Z converts I spoke to for the report Understanding Young Adult Journeys to Faith in the Church of England, who have become Anglican in the past five years (News, 24 July). Having grown up in families that were secular or adhered to other religions, most had almost no familiarity with the Church at all — and this was often precisely what made it so intriguing. To encounter a tradition of such depth and historical significance which yet seemed to have been neglected by the modern world sparked curiosity in many. “I just found it absolutely fascinating,” one 21-year-old said, of stepping into a medieval church for the first time. “So I kept going back.”
Many of those interviewed commented that Gen Z’s distance from Christianity has created a distinctive openness in this way, which they saw even among their non-churchgoing peers. While a lack of knowledge about religion comes with obvious disadvantages — “There are people in our generation who don’t know any Bible stories at all,” as Dom*, 24, said — it can also mean a lack of hostility. Compared with Gen X and even Millennials, Gen Z seem to have inherited fewer negative assumptions, making them “more open to having conversations about faith”. Such openness, another convert said, left “room for revival”.