The Juvenilization of American Christianity

by Thomas E. Bergler

Pop worship music. Falling in love with Jesus. Mission trips. Wearing jeans and T-shirts to church. Spiritual searching and church hopping. Faith-based political activism. Seeker-sensitive outreach. These now-commonplace elements of American church life all began as innovative ways to reach young people, yet they have gradually become accepted as important parts of a spiritual ideal for all ages. What on earth has happened?

In The Juvenilization of American Christianity Thomas Bergler traces the way in which, over seventy-five years, youth ministries have breathed new vitality into four major American church traditions -- African American, Evangelical, Mainline Protestant, and Roman Catholic. Bergler shows too how this "juvenilization" of churches has led to widespread spiritual immaturity, consumerism, and self-centeredness, popularizing a feel-good faith with neither intergenerational community nor theological literacy. Bergler’s critique further offers constructive suggestions for taming juvenilization.

 

Genres: Cultural, Christian, Christianity, Theology, History, Sociology, Nonfiction

291 pages, Paperback

First published April 20, 2012

Reviews

[Peter LeDuc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Earthshaking, eye-opening, and groundbreaking. Bergler analyzes the unintended consequences and unquestioned assumptions of youth ministry over the past 60 years. He takes apart the church's youth subculture and puts it back together in a way that fosters robust spiritual maturity rather than therapeutic narcisstic deism that now permeates the church as a whole. A must read for youth ministers and those who have grown up in the church.

[Josiah DeGraaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating book tracing the development of youth ministries in the 40s - the late 60s and how it led to the general system that exists today in churches. A lot of fascinating details I wasn't familiar with before, and his concluding chapter with Bergler's own analyses and recommendations was fascinating. I'm not sure if I agreed with all of his interpretations. But I found them thought-provoking and worth engaging with at every turn.

Recommended to other Christians who work with youth and would appreciate a historical look at what helps young believers root themselves in the faith. Or just anyone who finds that topic interesting.

[Nigel Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its said that one must know where they are in order to determine where they are going. In the same manner, one best understands where they are by studying where they have been. So it goes with this book. Bergler gives a terrific outline of the history of youth ministry in the United States. As a youth worker, I found that this book helped to paint the cultural landscape of American Christianity in a way that adds depth to its triumphs and struggles. Perhaps more importantly is the value it adds for one to critically evaluate the current frameworks in contemporary youth ministries. If any youthworker seeks to contribute to the ministry's professionalism or to gain perspective in how to assess one's own ministries, this book is a must for their shelf.

This book may frustrate some as it is large on history (4/5 of the book) and broad if not vague on application. I found that Juvenilization gives tools for assessing youth ministry critically for the sake of seeing it thrive but it was for those challenges that I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. Good reading!

[Justin Woodall · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was more of a 200 page history of Youth Ministry than a look at the affects that 100 year history has had on the church. The last chapter is what I was hoping the whole book would be about.

[Alex Strohschein · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Juvenilization of American Christianity" is a grandiose title that doesn't deliver as much as it implies. As another reviewer has remarked, it is essentially a history of youth ministry, specifically those of the Methodist, Roman Catholic, African American and evangelical churches. I commend Thomas Bergler for this ecumenical chronicle of youth ministry and for his use of primary sources from the era of the 1930s-1970s. He notes the distinctive elements featured in these churches; for African American Christians, political activism was highlighted and Roman Catholic and evangelical churches emphasized purity. He does a good job of explaining how these youth ministries, like Young Life, promoted a sense of spectacle in evangelism and notes that this adaptability to youth culture by Christian evangelists DID help to bring people to faith in Christ.

I wish Bergler had brought in conversation partners in his analysis to add to the breadth of his discussion. Three authors and their books came to mind as I read: Richard Hofstadter's "Anti-Intellectualism in American Life," Neil Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death" and Marva Dawn's "Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down." I think all these books touch on aspects of Bergler's analysis (anti-intellectualism, media and entertainment and worship). As well, since the "juvenilization" Bergler speaks of was targeted towards getting young people interested in Christianity, I would have liked to have seen a discussion of pragmatism's relationship with evangelism; evangelists pragmatically adapted to the surrounding culture in order to evangelize. I think Bergler casts too much blame for the juvenilization of American Christianity onto youth ministries than is warranted without acknowledging how the mainstream culture was affecting the church as a whole, including the adults who were growing up in the postwar decades. While seeker-sensitive churches and youth ministries DO have some ties in that they communicate the Christian faith in an easy-to-understand way, I think the link between the two is stretched (although in my church the fact that they want small groups to spend 1 week out of 4 doing something "fun" fits in perfectly to what Bergler is trying to say).

[Jacob Twaddell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good job at diagnosing and finding the origins of juvenilization within the Church. Spends too much time on specific denominations and organizations while brushing over others. Also wish he would have gone all the way up to present day instead of stopping in the 70s. Overall good read if you’re interested in seeing how the youth culture of the 30s-70s has transformed the Church of today.

[Christopher Humphrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Juvenilization of American Christianity" by Thomas E. Bergler is both a history, a cultural critique and a sociology paper all wrapped in one. In this book, Bergler traces how American Christianity has become, in his words, "juvenilized." He follows Evangelicals, Catholics, and Liberal Methodists to determine how, or if, their youth were juvenilized by their respective youth ministries from the 1940's to the present day.

This is an interesting and well-researched history. I learned a lot that I did not know. Some of the things I saw and experienced when I was in the Church youth group now make sense because I now more fully appreciate the historical antecedents.

One of the weaknesses of this book is that Bergler begins with a premise--that American Christianity has been Juvenilized--and he seems to never complete the circle for me from theory to fact. Although I actually believe he is correct, I think the theme needs to be developed more deeply to make the causal connections he is attempting to make. But Bergler is certainly onto something.

One of the conclusions I have developed in reading this book is that in youth ministry, as in all of life, philosophy matters. What one thinks and believes about the world tends to work its way out into practice. Thus, if one is to have healthy practices, one must learn to think rightly about the world.

Bergler identifies a healthy tension that runs through every Church youth group: the desire to engage youth in a way that draws them in, while at the same time grounding those same teens in the once-for-all-delivered-to-the-saints-faith. Veering too far one way or the other way has inevitable consequences, and leaders must think deeply about these issues. I fear that many begin with good intentions to draw teens into the life of the Church, but that precipitating motive becomes all encompassing, at the expense of delivering a solid core of biblical teaching.

Berger's last Chapter is very helpful to summarize both the tension and to begin to outline some prescriptive. But I would urge Berger and other authors to take this concept further, because it is a worthy study and necessary for the future of a healthy, vibrant Church. Happy reading!

[Dave McNeely · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise and promise of this book is fascinating, but the book is largely uneven - overdeveloping some sections while leaving others aspects thoroughly underdeveloped, if not completely ignored. For instance, while Bergler painstakingly analyzes the forces that led to "juvenilization" from the 1930's to the 1960's, he only offers fleeting mention of how juvenillization grew out of youth ministry ghettoes into the larger ecclesial community over the past four decades. (Perhaps that was not intended to be the scope of this book, but the advertising and introduction seemed to indicate this crucial era might have received more treatment.) In addition, many of Bergler's conclusions (especially regarding the decline of the Mainline and the weakness of the Catholic Church in retaining youth post-Vactican II) are presented as much simpler and stronger claims than the evidence warrants. Bergler's hypothesis is nonetheless fruitful and intriguing and hopefully others will take it further.

[Anthony Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The historical analysis (which is what this book is) is long and pretty detailed. It can be easy to lose the forest for the trees. But as the narrative progresses, you slowly see the case he’s building, the description he’s offering. It’s really quite helpful, if not always clear what he’s up to.

Also... man. Tying up faith with politics sure is tempting. Wow.

[Randy Corn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this book after reading that it was on Al Mohler’s list of the ten best books of 2012. The thesis of the volume is that from the 1940’s onward the church has been gearing itself toward winning it’s young people. What is interesting is to see how the various branches of American Christianity have gone about doing this. The author breaks this into four large sections. Roman Catholics, Liberal Protestants, Black Protestants, and Evangelical Whites. The Roman church wanted to say that Catholics made good Americans, but tried to keep them in a cultural ghetto. The Liberals thought that the key was to champion progressive political involvement. The Black did a version of this same thing, but it was more focused on their own problems and therefore there was greater involvement. The Evangelicals followed the lead of Youth For Christ and determined to be both entertaining and to emphasize how God could help people live a happy fulfilled life. Of these approaches the author says that the Evangelicals had the most numerical success.

The problem with that success was that it has produced at least two generations of Christians who don’t seem to understand what spiritual maturity would even look like. This is reflected in much of the popular Christian music which speaks of falling in love with Jesus, almost like he is your lover. The idea is that we are have something of an adolescent crush on him. To quote the author, “If we believe that a mature faith involves more than good feelings, vague beliefs, and living however we want, we must conclude that juvenilization has revitalized American Christianity at the cost of leaving many individuals mired in spiritual immaturity.” (page 225)

While I found all of this book interesting, I would have to say that the concluding chapter is worth the price of the book by itself. I did not expect it, but it really challenged me to ask myself how mature my faith really is. What’s more, as a pastor what sort of Christianity am I hoping to develop in the lives of the people that I serve here at Bethlehem? I have recommended this book already to a number of folks. I am sure I will be doing so with a good number more.

[Michael L Gowens · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent sociological look at how youth culture became the primary focus of Christian churches in America and the impact such a focus on adolescent priorities has exerted across the landscape of American Christianity.

Current trends toward institutional rebellion, self-exploration, symbolism over theological substance, emotional healing, fun & entertainment, religious sound-bites, consumerism, Christian celebrities, social activism, marketing, church hopping, networking, contemporary worship styles, spiritual experiences, preference for skits over sermons, relaxed & non-threatening worship environments, personal fulfillment over congregational commitment, and more are traced to what Bergler calls "adolescent Christianity."

Bergler states that when Christians adapt to the preferences of youth for "an informal, entertaining, feel-good faith," they end up "with churches full of Christians who think that the purpose of God and the Christian faith is to help them feel better." He argues that "the faith has become overly identified with emotional comfort," and editorializes, "It is only a short step from a personalized, emotionally comforting faith to a self-centered one."

He concludes, "Juvenalization has made the process of finding, maintaining, and submitting to religious truth more problematic. And the faith that Americans choose is increasingly the faith of 'moralistic, therapeutic Deism'...God, faith, and the church exist to help me with my problems. Religious institutions are bad; only my 'personal relationship with Jesus' matters. In other words, large numbers of Americans of all ages not only accept a Christianized version of adolescent narcissism, they often celebrate it as authentic spirituality."

This analysis of how pop-culture has infiltrated American church-life is stunning. Never has the need to return to God-centeredness and the priority of God's word been greater.

[Joel Wentz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really appreciated this book, even if I ultimately wanted more from it. The general historical content is solid, but I do think a bit more literature would have filled out a generally-interesting argument.

Essentially, Bergler roots the historical-cultural shifts in American Christianity in the 1930s-era attitudes towards the "crisis of civilization" and the need to "save the youth." This set the stage for a immaturing-effect on Christianity more broadly, as the tactics and values that were implemented to focus on the younger generation generally impacted the wider church in form and function. This thesis makes a lot of sense to me, and his historical discussion is quite interesting in its detail. Wisely, he includes evangelicals, mainline Protestants, Catholics and the Black church in each chapter, which gives the book a wide, ecumenical approach. The differences between the ways these traditions approached youth ministry over those decades is interesting to read.

Unfortunately the book lands on some pretty broad, vague and rushed application points in the final chapter. I also would have liked a chapter or two on more-recent history (it feels like the historical content drops off pretty sharply after the tumultuous 60s, but a chapter or two on the 80s and 90s would have really strengthened the thesis, I think), so it's a bit of a mixed bag.

That all said, it's a solid argument for what it is, and it definitely motivated me to read the follow-up (From Here to Maturity) as I think he is certainly on to something important. So still worth a read, with some restrained expectations, I think.

[Richard Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thomas Bergler has provided a solid book that sometimes frustrated me. I was never entirely sure exactly what he meant by "juvenilization" of American Christianity. However, he pointed to trends in the church that started in the 1930s in youth ministries in various American traditions. These trends were instigated by adults who were using the youth in their church to "save" the world. On the more liberal side (he focused on Methodists), the youth leaders developed a group of youth who distrusted the organizational church as somehow less than Christian. They foisted a liberal social agenda on the youth. Interestingly, many of the youth weren't particularly interested; however, the seeds for a shallow and immature Christianity were planted for a harvest that we are now experiencing. On a more conservative side (he focused on Youth for Christ), the adults also used the youth to "save" the world through anti-Communist and other socially conservative propaganda. Again, planting the seeds for a harvest of shallow evangelical Christianity (and I suspect the shameful evangelical partisanship we've witnessed recently). Bergler also gives solid treatments of these trends in the Black and Catholic church traditions. He ends the book with a few, but too few, suggestions for ways forward given that we now have an American church culture that has consistently changed without any critical thought to accommodate youth culture, but often without understanding youth culture. Probably, this should be reading for most pastors and all youth workers.

[Brit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent work on this history of student ministry in the United States and its effect on American Christianity. I especially loved his final chapter, which covers the effects of "juvenilization" on American Christianity, and I wish the book fleshed out more of those consequences. Instead, most of the book is spent outlining the history of student ministry and the politics of the past--all helpful information, but rather dry. Overall, I believe the book promises more than it delivers, as it promises a powerful commentary on the state of the church today through the process of juvenilization and only really begins to discuss the effects of juvenilization in the final pages. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone outside of an academic setting, as it is a fairly difficult read.

[Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book answered a lot of questions concerning the 21st century church (answering it in multiple areas including Evangelical/mainline protestant, Roman Catholic, and African American churches) in America. What are church looks like today is very different from what it looked like even two-hundred years ago and this book lines up in an easy to follow structure how the last hundred years of World and American history have left us with something in our church (Juvenile delinquents ages ranging from 9-99) that we need to address.

[Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bergler brings a suprisingly balanced view of the Juvenilization of the American church. I went in thinking I'd be frustrated with his arguments against youth groups, but found myself mostly agreeing with him.

[Jody Sloan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this is a good historical look at the church today and how it got to where we are.

[Micah Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read, but pretty thick and not the easiest to get through. Very little practical application, but eye opening none the less.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I expected. 85% of it was the history of youth programs in the 1950's and 1960's. I am glad I read it, but I would not recommend it for everyone.

[Bryant Haynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Theraputic moralistic deism mentioned

[Blake Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative regarding an environment I was never a part of. Also it aided me in understanding a lot of youth organizations of today and how they started and where they went wrong.

[Michael Bowman · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important book to understand the modern Evangelical church.

[Benjamin Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the body of the book can seem cram-packed with nothing but names of organizations and significant people as well as innumerable dates and events it is all information well worth muddling through and taking the time to study. Bergler expertly shows the dilemmas churches faced in dealing with an emerging youth culture throughout the 20th century. Ironically, the Church in trying to combat juvenile delinquency and an increasingly immature pop culture ended up spreading and even encouraging this culture by praising youth as inherently good and adults as inherently bad. Indeed, youth were seen by both Protestants and Catholics as a group of people passionate and motivated for social change. What the youth needed were merely opportunities to lead and make a difference in society.

Unfortunately, Mainline Protestants took this approach too far and ended up teaching the youth that they needed to change society for the better even if that meant abandoning the Church. As a result, social activists which largely grew up attending these churches fled them in mass during the 60's and 70's as it quickly became apparent to them that the Church was an institution of the past which would only hinder efforts for social equality and racial integration. Catholics faced a more peculiar situation.

While mainline protestants prioritized social action over mitigating communist accusations or fears of radicalization, Catholics aimed to make themselves appear more American while also appealing to the youth. As a result Catholic youth organizations focused on social issues they had in common with their Protestant counterparts. This largely included issues regarding sexual purity. Catholic youth went even farther than Protestants in condemning dancing or card games and also boycotted inappropriate films, books and music. Unfortunately Catholic leaders were also increasingly fearful that Catholic theology itself would turn youth away because of its rigid and strict nature. Youth, it was believed, couldn't change the world if they were being restrained and indoctrinated. Unfortunately this also led to a massive falling out among Catholic youth during the 60s and 70s as many Catholics failed to see any rhyme or reason in seeing premarital sex or birth control as immoral.

The tactics of Evangelicals during this period proved much more malleable and adaptive then Mainline Protestants or Catholics. During the 40's and 50's Evangelicals made the fateful decision to keep many of the old Fundamentalist convictions about proper activities and behavior for young people. What was changed were the justifications for these beliefs. Dancing, card-games and rock and roll were seen as gateway activities to lives of sin and delinquency. However, they were no longer seen this way because of the conviction that the Christian life was more than personal pleasure and fun. Instead, youth leaders urged that Christians abandon these activities because they are cheap imitations of the happiness Christ brings. Consequently, the perspective of Christ in the individual Christian changed subtly but sharply; if you wanted a good time, look not to the world but to Christ.

During the late 50's and early 60's, however, Evangelicals changed tactics. No longer did they see it as necessary to maintain these strict standards. Instead they began to see cultural mediums like rock and roll as neutral carriers for the Christian message and gospel. Evangelicals began to shift focus and make entertainment through the popular trends of the day their priority. In many ways this tactic has proven effective throughout the past 40 years or so. More evangelical youth stay in the Church than Mainline Protestants or Catholics and a significant portion of those become heavily involved in the Church throughout their teenage years. Unfortunately, however, this has also caused Biblical literacy and spiritual maturity to be neglected among Christians of all ages today.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, excellent book. Highly recommend it, though you do have to expect a heavy, textbook-ish read. But well worth the time and effort. I got a copy from the library, but it would be well worth the money to purchase. If I'd had my own copy, it would have been very marked up with highlighting and notes by the end. It would be a great book for groups like church Board of Elders or other leadership (including Pastors!) to read as a group and discuss.
~~~ (I've finished the book, but wrote this when I was about 1/2 through):
~~~
I'm about halfway through the book now, and unless the author makes some completely bizarre conclusions in the end, I'd strongly recommend the book. Beware: it does read somewhat like a textbook. Lots of sources cited and quotations. I got it on interlibrary loan, but have occasionally wished I had my own copy to write in. Such great background for understanding how we got to contemporary "worship" and other absurdities in the church.


A few quotes to jog my own memory later:

p. 42: "Youth leaders set the stage for the juvenilization of Christianity by overestimating the political power of youth and underestimating the long-term effects of accommodating youth culture."

p. 51: "Since the fate of the world depended upon winning as many youthful converts as quickly as possible, preachers at YFC rallies didn't worry about ways they might be subtly altering the gospel message. To appeal to teenagers, YFC preachers painted Christianity as the most attractive way of life available, and tried to dispel fears that it was boring or restrictive.... Evangelical leaders like Graham and Rayburn insisted that accepting Christ as savior did not mean giving up pleasure and wearing a long face. Instead, it meant acquiring a new hero and falling in love with Him. At the same time, they stressed that following Christ included absolute obedience to his commandments and separation from 'the world.' This seemingly contradictory combination of fun and moral strictness would prove crucial to evangelical youth work and to the juvenilization of the gospel message in the decades to come."

p. 52: "Some fundamentalists criticized the movement for selling out to worldliness and cheapening the faith by using vaudeville-style gimmicks like the 'gospel horse.' (How many persons in the Trinity? The horse stamps its foot three times.) Youth for Christ leaders answered that their rallies were not church services, so it was fine for them to be entertaining. They also insisted that in light of the world crisis and the imminent end of the world, youth needed to be reached by any means necessary. Since most evangelical adults already believed that winning young converts was crucial to saving the American way of life, YFC quickly won this argument."

p. 54: "Like it or not, all youth organizations would eventually follow in the steps of Youth for Christ by trying to create Christian versions of youth culture entertainment."

[Shay Gabriel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bergler and I disagree theologically, I'm quite certain, but we both share a concern for the vitality of the church and its testimony to the Word of God.

However, although I agree with some of the things Bergler writes, I find his argument overall lacking simply for the sheer number of holes. Many scholars of church growth and shift now talk about generation theory, and I think it's a mistake for Bergler not to engage with this — is there a difference in how generations have approached Christianity? Is this a one-way street? Is there no reaction?

Additionally, the social and economic context of these shifts Bergler identifies in American Christianity need explicating. Has there really been no significant cultural shift from the 1960s to the present day? How is the rise of "youth culture" distinct from the rise of mass commodification? What role does political economy play in all this?

This book's origins as a dissertation are obvious: The greater portion of it explores Methodists, Youth for Christ, and Catholics as they attempted to woo teenagers to their church. But there's less exploration of what constitutes juvenilization, of what we really lose when we neglect to develop Christian maturity, and of alternatives for the church in the future. The concluding chapter is too brief. While Bergler is careful to say that there are good things about the shift in Christianity across the 20th Century, he never quite explains what they are.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bergler explores how the effects that American Christianity has undertaken since the 1940's. His main argument is that since American Christianity at the time thought that the youth were the future, it bred a Christianity that was juvenile; that is, the "process by which the religious beliefs, practices, and developmental characteristics of adolescents become accepted as appropriate for Christians of all ages." (p.4)

He expounds on his thesis by exploring mainline Liberal churches, the Black church, the Roman Catholic church, and the Evangelical church. Each of these expressions suffered in various capacities from juvenilization, but, far and away, the most interesting chapter with the most effects we still see today are the Evangelicals. The chapter "How to Have Fun, Be Popular, and Save the World At the Same Time" on Youth For Christ was easily the best chapter. There's not been a book quite like this one that has given me such an historical framework to think through the "how did we get here?" of American Evangelicalism.

If you are a church leader, you should seriously consider reading this in order to understand the type of cultural expectations that most people have in regards to church and it's function. If you are a youth leader, then this book should be required reading.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn't what I thought it'd be, but that doesn't make it a bad book. The author definitely dug deep and used a wide variety of sources. It provided much less of his personal opinion and far more history than I anticipated. It was worth highlighting a few quotes but isn't something I plan on reading repeatedly. I do want to read his follow-up to this book, in hopes of him expounding on the last chapter, giving more of the consequences, and how we can readjust for the better.

I'm not sure if it would have simply taken more work, or additional authors, but only focusing on the Catholics, Methodists, African Americans, and then lumping all "Evangelicals" together was frustrating to me. As part of the "Evangelical" crowd, and having been to a variety of churches, there is a wide difference in what the extremely conservative Presbyterian churches have done in regards to youth and what more mainstream Southern Baptists have done, and then the Independent churches are a breed all their own. To lump us all in together, with very little focus except for the non-church affiliated groups like Young Life, left me with few answers as to what has happened in the churches I've attended. I'd have been interested in having a historian or two in a variety of denominations each write a chapter with a brief history of their denomination's youth ministry and influence.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book traces the history of youth ministry in the United States from the 1930s through the present, with special emphasis on the youth experience in the 1950s and 1960s in the mainline Protestant, evangelical, black Protestant, and Roman Catholic traditions. The author's theses is that while investing in youth ministry created growing churches with committed followers, it also led to a greater number of Christians who were deeply immature in their faith. He explains that there is a fine line between appealing to youthful tastes and pandering, and how many ministries have crossed that line.

The book provides fascinating historical insight into the experiences in each denomination, which helped me to understand contemporary problems in my own church, as well as other local congregations. The author does a good job as a prophetic voice calling for more Christians to embrace spiritual maturity, and calling upon church leaders to lead in this direction. He is also to be commended for not whole-heartedly condemning the youth, but rather for looking for ways for youth and adults to both grow towards maturity in their faith. I would have liked an expanded epilogue that contained more practical ways to accomplish this, but perhaps that will be the author's next book.

[Bradley Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful book but the best sections are the introduction and final chapter. The history throughout is helpful but not many will.exoext when picking up the book. Worth the read just for the final chapter. Essential for every youth minister.

[Shay · Rating 5 out of 5]

For better or worse, youth ministry and youth culture have changed the American church and the effects will be long-lasting. The real question is: what will we do about it? This book is really a history of youth ministry in America and how it has juvenilized the church at large. It was well researched and is a fascinating tale of just how youth ministries changed the landscape of the church we know today. For the most part, author Thomas Bergler saves his own thoughts and feelings for the last 3 pages, but those were my favorite pages to read. After looking at the 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s, he shows how catering to the youth isn't always the best for the church, but neither is ignoring them.

I'm surprised that this book isn't being talk about more. I highly recommend that anyone in ministry read this book and try not agree with Bergler's thesis. Rather, embrace what history has taught the church and move to change and adapt for the future generation.