Melinda Lundquist DENTON and Richard FLORY. Back-Pocket God, Religion and Spirituality in the Lives of Emerging Adults. New York: Oxford University Press, 2020. Pp. 268. $29.95 hbk. ISBN 978-0-19-006478-5. Reviewed by Francis BERNA, La Salle University, Philadelphia, PA 19141.

Not surprisingly, when the churches were allowed to reopen in the midst of the pandemic the congregation consisted almost exclusively of the 55+ club. Only a handful of younger people were there, a few families with small children. With fewer restrictions now in place many pastors wonder, will the people come back? How many and when?

While a detailed report on a ten-year study of teens into emerging adults, Back-Pocket God offers some important perspectives for institutional religion as a whole in contemporary American culture. Any continued significant engagement with formal religious structures calls for something more than an announcement that “it’s time to come back.”
One significant factor contributing to diminished church participation among emerging adults is relevance. The study indicates that few of the young people surveyed four times expressed any hostility to organized religion. Rather they simply found that the organized religions of Judaism and various Christian churches provided anything of value. Those who remained committed seldom found it problematic that other peers were not committed. Interestingly enough, a fair number of the currently non-committed remain open to religion becoming part of their life, perhaps with marriage and parenthood.
A similar perspective emerges with the young people’s understanding of God. In the early teen years, the young people understood God as personal and an important dimension of their lives. As they emerge into the adult years, the divine becomes a more distant force with deist overshadowing. Hence the book’s title – God is like an app on the smart phone, “accessible with limited functionality.” God is with them, “but stowed out of sight” (p. 233). Even among the committed emerging adults, religion consists of one obligation among many.

The researchers report that discussion of faith and religion in the family home contributes the most to emerging adults remaining committed to religion. The active participation of parents sharing the same faith and intentionally integrating it into the everyday life of the family strengthens the young person in their own commitment. While not detailed in the study, it would seem an open family environment where the young people can safely explore doubts, ask about faith in a changing world, and discuss matters of right and wrong provides the soundest formation.

Not being a social scientist, this reviewer at first questioned the length of time from the last surveys and interviews to the time of publication, seven years. By the end of the text, the question was resolved. The authors fully appreciate the complexity of measuring religious commitment. The study consists of both quantitative and qualitative data. Charts detail extensive cross-referencing of the data and the authors provide clear interpretations well-understood by the non-professional reader. The inclusion of individual narratives from the qualitative interviews nicely complements the data. The excursus into the “spiritual but not religious” phenomenon deserves the attention of both religious leaders and young people.

Another question concerns the importance assigned to weekly participation in church as a measure of authentic commitment. While seemingly one of the best measures, at least among Catholics in the United States, less frequent observance even among the committed seems to have become the norm long before the current pandemic. And, while the surveys took into consideration youth groups and mission trips, an examination of engagement with university campus ministry along with its service opportunities might offer some valuable information.

In light of what the emerging adults have to say about religion, Back-Pocket God raises a significant concluding question for organized religion and its leaders. How will they adapt? The authors offer four possibilities: stay the course; change traditional doctrines and practices; maintain traditions but push the boundaries; or, create new types of institutions. However, as the data seems to suggest, no one approach will work for everyone. More liberal Protestant churches experience greater decline in emerging adult participation and Roman Catholicism has some of the most significant decline. Motivation for religious commitment remains highly complex.

With a market-place culture institutional religion may well be tempted to improve its product and advertise its relevant value for the modern person. Or, institutional religion might take a different approach inspired along the lines of Pope Francis’ image of the church as a “field hospital.” Institutional religion would locate itself where people are at – in all the complexity of human life. And, rather than announcing the relevance of the institution, the institution would announce the relevance, the value of those it seeks to serve. The question would not be if the institution is relevant to emerging adults, but are emerging adults relevant to the institution?

Will the people come back? Will the convenience of live-streamed worship in the splendid privacy of one’s home replace the assembling of God’s people? Convenience and exaggerated individuality suggest this possibility for many people. On the other hand, the solitude and loneliness of pandemic living might help all of us to appreciate even more our need for one another – everyone is relevant and we belong together.