Religion and Generation Z: Why 70 Per Cent of Young People Say They Have No Religion

These timely if inconsistent essays assembled by Mountford (Church Going Gone), a fellow at Saint Hilda’s College, Oxford, contemplate the decline of religiosity among Generation Z in the U.K. Citing a 2017 survey that found 70% of 18- to 25-year-olds claim no religious affiliation, Mountford compiles a variety of perspectives seeking to explain this trend away from religion broadly and the Christian church specifically. Tara Lee’s “Age of Uncertainty” raises the common theme that “religion has become heritage,” dull and uncompelling with outdated views on sexuality and politics. Christopher T. Bennett interprets young people’s indifference to religion as “indicative of [its] fading significance in the modern world, rather than pig-headed antitheological arrogance.” Other contributions focus on Christianity’s history of misogyny, the friction between religion and science, and the failure of clergy to address climate change, alongside more personal reflections on receiving pushback from secular college classmates and finding hope in musical liturgy. The essays vary widely in tone, ranging from academic to confessional, and for that reason can feel tenuously connected at times, though the perspectives on offer frequently enlighten. These sometimes unfocused reflections offer valuable insights into the present and future of the church. (May)