Rating: 
Summary: finally a book that tells our story
Review:
I'm a young adult and a leader in youth ministry and I've been noticing major changes in the way my generation relates to God and the church. Finally I found a book that tells our story! The boomers don't understand this movement because it's totally different from their experience. But Colleen Carroll does understand it and she tells this story in the best possible way, by interviewing and quoting the people who are living it.
These "new faithful" are young adults like me who are genuinely searching for God and tired of accepting all of the junk our culture offers us as a substitute. The strong evidence in this book is proof of something that more and more of us who work in youth ministry are seeing for ourselves.
There is a movement toward Christian orthodoxy in the next generation and it is real and lasting. I've seen it with my own eyes. Even the media is starting to notice it. This movement is growing. You should find out more about it, because these new faithful may be coming soon to a city (and church) near you.
Rating:
Summary: Faith AND Works, Not Either/Or
Review: May I add input from someone even older than the "Boomer Generation," not to mention the "Gen-Xers" about whom this book is written?
Having finished Colleen Carroll's excellent book, I'd like to persuade some of her less enthusiastic readers to more deeply investigate what I believe to be a false dichotomy between faith and works. That false dichotomy is not new.
I grew up during the '40's and '50's, a product of excellent, pre-Vatican II Catholic (Loretto) teaching -- and orthodox sermons -- followed by public school, then a non-sectarian private high school and non-sectarian university.
Upon graduation from college, I spent the better part of 3 years working out of a Catholic Church/School on the grounds of a nationally-known public housing project. You might be surprised to learn I was inspired to this work by my pre-Vatican II Catholic education.
It was the mid-sixties, a time of tremendous turmoil and opportunity. Those of us who were involved in the Civil Rights movement were tempted to see ourselves as holding the moral high ground. And some of the group lost sight of the kinds of personal devotions and reflections that had been our original inspiration.
As a result, some grievous personal decisions were made, many with lifelong reverberations. Priests betrayed their ordination vows, nuns left their orders, marriages broke up, liasons were made that were unhealthy. Not everyone went off the rails, but we all knew many who did.
Orthodoxy, personal morality and devotions were trashed, as were reputations of those considered "conservative," all because we saw "social justice" as morally superior and sufficient. We would have been the first to "skip Adoration in favor of attending a rally for affordable housing".
So, to those of you who see yourselves as "liberal," I would say, learn from our mistakes. We didn't know it in the '60's, but we were living off of spiritual capital.
Today, the church and the culture in the United States are in trouble. We are surrounded by divorce, abandonment, sexual confusion, fear of commitment. Many who call themselves followers of Christ support the killing of unborn children.
These are all lapses of "personal morality" and they all took root because too many of us were looking ONLY at social justice issues.
Colleen Carroll is one of your generation who has come to understand why and how something went very wrong decades ago. She has seen the fallout and she knows we have to have both straight teaching (orthodoxy) AND social justice. No either/or.
If you'd like to read more of Colleen's writing, see Our Sunday Visitor, where she has just signed on as a biweekly columnist (Into the Deep).
And if you'd like to see what this reviewer is doing these days, go to <www.wf-f.org>.
Rating: 
Summary: Somewhat on the right track, but shallow
Review: Carroll is on the right track in the sense that she refuses to stereotype Gen Xers. I have read several books on Xers and Christianity and they routinely degrade them by assuming that MTV has handed out short attention spans. Carroll thoughtfully describes my generation's values and conservatism.Otherwise, the book is shallow. It doesn't describe how a religious life can be difficult. In her chapter on college life, she doesn't document bigotry toward religion that often exists in colleges. She also fails to understand the complex relationship between politics and religion. The so-called culture wars can be brutal. Not only is there bickering, this war is largely conducted by boomers. So what's a young Christian to do? There is no easy answer but she doesn't acknowledge that religion can be a complex way of life. Journalists have an annoying habit of trying to boil everything down to a snappy headline. This book is a big snappy headline and not much else. A novelist could do better.
Rating:
Summary: Young adults revealed with truth and depth!
Review: Colleen Carroll has done an incredible job of describing why and how some young adults in our culture have thrown aside the liberated views passed down by the baby-boomers and have chosen a life-style of commitment, mystery and faith. Through powerful personal stories, the reader discovers that this counter-cultural lifestyle is more than a sociological trend or backlash of divorce and materialism. Instead, for the young adults spotlighted, their choices actually balance the extremes of the ultra restriction and conformity of the Fifties and the reckless and relative views of the Sixties and Seventies. We can see, on a very intimate level, how Generation X-ers have sought and found meaning and depth in their lives through authentically living out orthodox Christian faith. Personally, this book has helped me understand why I, as a young adult, think and act as I do--very insightful.
"The New Faithful" is an inspiring account of a small, yet powerful portion of our society. Carroll has the wisdom, experience and superb writing ability to convey precisely what is going on in the heart of our generation. A must-read for any young adult--faith-filled or not--and anyone hoping to understand them better.
Rating: 
Summary: I don't think so.
Review: I would have loved to write an entirely positive review for this book. I certainly respect the author and believe her thesis. There are many positives to the work put into the book, as well as to the publication of the book itself. However, I found the book to be a largely anecdotal effort. While certainly meeting (modern) journalistic standards, I remain unconvinced that America is really seeing a significant trend of permanent orthodoxy among the Gen X'ers (among whom I am counted). I want to believe Carroll, and much of her argument agrees with my own experience. Still, it reminds me of a Neil Peart quote: "My precious sense of rightness is sometimes so naive, that that which I imagine is that which I believe." I didn't find the book to be a particularly engaging read. The content seems repetitious and the same points are made in identical manners in several different places in the book. We are reintroduced to the same sources in different contexts. I certainly can't say that the book was not well written, but it seemed disjointed. In any case, the author has much more experience with a diverse population than I do, and her argument is very encouraging. Hope springs eternal, and I'll join her in praying that the tide has turned against secularism.
Rating:
Summary: I don't think so.
Review: I'm a 25 year-old first-year religion teacher in a Catholic high school. Therefore I fall into the age group that is the subject of this book, and my students are only a few years younger. So I'm in a pretty good position to comment on the spiritual leanings of young people. I cannot remember more than two or three classmates (out of about 400) from my days as a student in a Catholic high school who were "orthodox" by Carroll's definition. The number is not much larger (and the percentage far lower) among my classmates in university (where I majored in religious studies). If ANY of my students (grades 11 and 12) are "orthodox" as Carroll uses the term, they're doing a good job of hiding it. One of my colleagues, who also read this book, says the same is true of her students. Far from showing an interest in traditional devotions, one of her grade 10s referred to the practise of eucharistic adoration as "creepy" while another asked how if differs from "bread worship." My own students are not buying into a lot of the the conservative moral teachings I've tried impressing on them, but are very enthusiastic about issues like religious pluralism and social justice. Granted, I live, work, and was educated in a very diverse city, in Canada, and I don't doubt for a minute that this makes a big difference. But still. I won't dwell on the disjointed and repetitive writing style of the author, as many reviewers have commented on this already. I will say that her book suffers from the heavy reliance on anecdotal evidence (yes, a lot of young people are embracing conservativism, but how many more are not? Or are flatly rejecting it?), as well as her obvious conservative bias. In this book, being conservative (sorry, "orthodox") is often equated with being spiritual or committed to one's faith, or being against things like hedonism and materialism. I have a lot of friends and students who would accurately describe themselves as spiritual, committed to their faith, and opposed to hedonism and materialism, but who would firmly reject the notion that they are conservative, religiously or otherwise. One senses in reading this book that her results are based less on the sober observation of this not-so-readily apparent trend, and more on her own wishful thinking that just maybe it's true.
Rating:
Summary: Young Adults Come Home!
Review: In " The New Faithful", Colleen Carroll takes an in-depth look at a growing trend among Christian and Jewish young adults who are embracing orthodox religious beliefs and practices. Whether it's the Catholic college student who returns to the sacraments and being faithful to the moral teachings of the Church, or the young evangelical business executive who hosts a weekly Bible study and fellowship, the book is full interviews and conversion stories from young adults who are taking a stand for orthodoxy. These are stories of young people who are on a spiritual search and seem to be finding answers in the more conservative views of their grandparents rather than the liberal viewpoints embraced by their baby-boomer parents.Is there a growing trend here? Has the pendulem swung too far in this country in regards to morality and values over the last few decades? The interviews and stories investigated by Ms. Carroll seem to be saying yes. This is a must read for any young adult who is on the faith journey looking for a place to call home. Hats off to Ms. Carroll for a job well done!
Rating:
Summary: Encouraging Report on Gen X Spirituality
Review: More often than not, reports on the Christian faith of Generation X are negative, citing trends of tolerance and pluralism for low commitment to church membership or religious understanding. Believers who understand that God has no grandchildren may wonder if the winds of faith seen in isolated areas will dissipate into the doldrums of apostasy reported in and encouraged by prominent media outlets. Journalist Colleen Carroll doesn't believe it will happen. "With conservative churches attracting committed Christians, liberal churches hemorrhaging members, and young believers working overtime to spread their faith, the future of orthodoxy in America looks bright," she writes, concluding her 294-page report on people within her generation who have dedicated themselves to the teaching of Jesus Christ. This optimistic book, heartily recommended by Charles Colson and Nigel Cameron among others, records dozens of stories of young Catholics and evangelicals who define themselves by God's unchanging truth, not their careers or their politics. They are interested in meaningful traditions which shun the world and the trappings of consumerism. That's why students at Harvard and University of Chicago start their own Bible studies, and then ask certain teachers to lead them. That's why medical students from St. Louis gather to discuss how God's call to be a doctor or nurse changes the way they will practice medicine. Boston College philosopher Peter Kreeft is quoted, saying that these students are rejecting "the old, tired, liberal, modern" mindset in favor of a more orthodox one. "Even though they know less history or literature or logic" than students ten or twenty years ago, Kreeft said, "they're more aware that they've been cheated and they need more. They don't know that what they're craving is the Holy Spirit." That should be encouraging to some of us, who may be wondering if Generation X can hear the true message of the gospel through a rattling of tolerance. Carroll writes that many young professionals have obtained a high level of wealth much earlier than their parents and consequently realize that material success doesn't foster personal contentment or joy. So the Spirit of God draws them into faith communities where Biblical truths are taught clearly and accompanied by opportunities to practice them. And some reach out to their peers. Simon Baker, a banker in San Francisco, holds informal parties for his Silicon Valley associates where a prominent Christian thinker, like Os Guinness or David Aikman, discusses or debates Christian ideas with the guests. He was nervous at first, because liberal distrust of Christianity and natural self-reliance dominates his city; but his parties have been well-received. Baker, who came to the Lord during the financial success of the 90s, hopes the recent economic decline will inspire his colleagues to reconsider the purpose of living. Carroll believes the reason stories like these are not reported on by most journalists is that they don't understand why a younger generation would react to the doctrines of liberalism by returning to long-standing traditions. Though trained to look for emerging trends in society, liberal reporters don't view a return to timeless truths or an embracing of orthodox Christianity as progress. They may see it as the very repression they broke from in the 60s returning to repress a new generation. That's why Carroll wrote this encouraging account of the people she calls, "The New Faithful." Despite the reports or lack of reports in our newspapers on the spiritual interests of young adults, there are many stories of hope to tell.
Rating: 
Summary: Helpful
Review: Ms. Carroll adeptly employs the best techniques of investigative journalism, serious scholarship (her end notes are voluminous), and engaging narratives to provide her readers with a positive image of committed, young, conservative, North American Christians. She sketches the image of a generation disillusioned by their parents' liberal excesses, and inevitably drawn to more traditional expressions of the faith. Her text makes a perfect domestic companion to Philip Jenkins' more global, "The Next Christendom: the Coming of Global Christianity." Any serious student of current religion would do well to read this book.
Rating:
Summary: An Important Book and a Great Read
Review: Once in awhile a book about religion and society comes along that is truly important. The New Faithful is one of those books. Carroll gathered facts, statistics and personal stories and created a narrative that I couldn't put down. Her breezy style made the reading easy, but don't mistake that for a lack of substance. This book delivers the goods. It gave this jaded reader a new perspective on a group that I rarely hear the so-called experts talking about. This book is a breath of fresh air and an important contribution. Read it. You'll be glad you did.
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