PLUS: adolescence extending into 30s, accidents leading cause of teen deaths
Youth Drifting Away from Faith? — A number of studies indicate that youth are falling away from religion—or, more perhaps more fairly, their faith looks markedly different from their parents. The latest study to suggest this trend comes from Lifeway Christian Resources. While 65 percent claim to be Christian, nearly three-quarters say they’re more spiritual than religious. More than two-thirds of respondents say they seldom or never read spiritual texts, and only 31 percent say they pray by themselves every day. Only one in four admits to going to religious services every week (Oregon Faith Report).
Accidents Leading Cause of Death for Teens — More than 16,000 teens die each year; nearly half die in accidents, according to a new study by the U.S. Centers or Disease Control and Prevention. Car crashes are by far the deadliest threat to teens overall, accounting for more than a third of all deaths. Other accidents rank high, as well. Homicide ranks as the third-highest cause of death: About 13 percent of the 16,375 of the 12- 17-year-olds who die each year are murdered; and among African-American teen boys, it’s the single largest cause of death. Even more disturbing: Nearly one of every 1,000 black teen males dies prematurely—a rate 15 times higher than that of white teen males. “I wish people would look at these groups with an eye toward intervention,” says Arialdi Minino, author of the study. He adds that teens are a “relatively neglected group when it comes to public health.” (HealthDay News)
Hottest Graduation Gift: Plastic Surgery? — As youth graduate from high school this spring, many parents may give their children something they’ve been asking for: plastic surgery. Experts say the summer between high school and college or work is actually a great time to have cosmetic surgery, if they must get it—but they caution that it’s not always a good idea. Take Sabrina Weiss, who had rhinoplasty after graduating from high school several years ago. She always thought her nose was … weird. “It felt like a defect,” she said. “I felt like it was all anyone saw when they looked at me.” While she thought that fixing her nose would fix her shyness, too, she found that she was still as bashful as ever. When she looks back, Weiss wishes she hadn’t undergone surgery. “As a teenager, you’re so myopic, you don’t think about the long-term consequences of what you do,” she said. “Whatever is done is permanent,” says Dr. Richard Fleming of the Beverly Hills Institute in California. “Nose job, breast work—they have to know it’s permanent. They have to know if they decide not to do it at this time, they can get just as good a result one year or 10 years from now. They have to know there’s no rush in doing this.” (CNN)
Quote: — “My personal experience having preached all over the country reveals three things: One, adolescence is extending into the early 30s. Practically, this means young people are delaying most major life decisions from career path to marriage, children and even which set of spiritual beliefs they will adhere to. Subsequently, their ambiguity and lack of certainty about Christian doctrines is not surprising in light of their entire life.
“Two, young people are committed to churches not built for them but built by them. Around the country young people are flocking to churches that have clear authoritative Bible teaching about real life issues, are lead by authentic leaders, include night services, use online social media, embrace technology, serve the poor and suffering, strive for community, encourage creativity and allow young leaders to lead at the highest levels.
“Three, young people are more spiritually honest. The days of feeling some sort of cultural pressure to adhere to historic Christian truths is simply gone. Subsequently, we may not be seeing younger people less devoted to Jesus Christ but simply more people being honest so those who in the past would have professed faith they did not possess or practice are simply being honest which is more admirable than being a hypocrite.” — Pastor Mark Driscoll, discussing the faith of Millennials (USA Today)
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