Sea change
hypersync and Jorge Sánchez note that the kids, the generation after me, are looking Catholicwards in their sincere seeking:

The poor need not be poor, so we cannot see the Church’s primary role as “feeding the poor.”

The Social Gospel of liberal, mainline Protestantism is dead (not to suggest working with the poor is dead, however!)

...the Baby-Boomer Seeker church experience has run its course, the liberal "god is dead" or perhaps "Process" theological perspectives have shown themselves to be not very satisfying to most people. The younger generations, so demographers and generationalists suggest, seek after something more solid and ancient (read, not trendy), something that restores a sense of mystery, and something that is respectful and non-condescending - unlike much of what passes for "modern" church.

I've said before that I hear more and more from younger people that they prefer the language of Rite I (Elizabethan English), they like the more formal liturgies, that they find resonances with contemplative and monastic-like spiritual experiences.

I find that older people in the [Episcopal and I’ll add RC] Church (the [American] 1928 Prayer Book generation) and the young seem to have much more in common then the big group in the middle that now controls the Church.

... These two guys said there is even a semi-secret group at General that is regularly saying the Rosary. The Oxford [Movement] Tradition of General is not dead, despite the 1960's "reformers" who want it to be so. How frustrating it must been for these folks whose life work has been to remake the Church into something else (what, I don't know), only to see young people raising the hands in front of them saying, "NO!"

I've also found that young people tend to want to be challenged to think and seek, but not told what to think or do by "authorities." They respect the authorities generally, but want them to help them seek and find rather than to indoctrinate them. No easy believe-ism for these folks!

Labels: Anglicanism, the Catholic faith