Reconciling Christianity and Modernity: Australian Youth and Religion

ABSTRACT - The growth of New Christian Movement Churches (such as the Pentecostal movements) in Australia is explored against a backdrop of falling attendance among the more 'traditional’ churches (Catholic, Anglican etc). The powerful appeal of these New Christian Movement Churches (NCMs) to young people is studied through a series of interviews with young Australians using a phenomenological approach. The common threads from the enquiry are drawn together and mapped onto Lambert’s (1999) secularization of religion model. A 'consequences of modernity’ (Giddens 1991) argument is used to understand how these NCMs fulfill the need that these young people feel to reconcile aspects of modernity with their religious beliefs.

Citation:

Teresa Davis and Jeaney Yip (2004) ,"Reconciling Christianity and Modernity: Australian Youth and Religion", in NA - Advances in Consumer Research Volume 31, eds. Barbara E. Kahn and Mary Frances Luce, Valdosta, GA : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 113-117.