Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers [Hardcover]

Christian Smith (Author), Melinda Lundquist Denton (Author)

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Product Details

Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press (Feb 8 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 019518095X
ISBN-13: 978-0195180954
Product Dimensions: 24.3 x 16.6 x 3 cm
Shipping Weight: 612 g
Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #87,022 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #54 in Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Children's Studies
- #76 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Sociology
- #85 in Books > Nonfiction > Social Sciences > Sociology > Religion

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Encyclopedic in scope and exhaustive in detail, this study offers an impressive array of data, statistics and concluding hypotheses about American teenage religious identity, with appendixes explaining methodology and extensive endnotes. Sociologists of religion at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Smith and Denton cover a range of topics: e.g., "mapping" religious affiliations, creating new categories to describe teenage spirituality, exploring why Catholic teens are largely apathetic. All the book's findings derive from interviews conducted with teenagers for the National Study of Youth and Religion. Interestingly and against popular belief, Smith and Denton conclude that the "spiritual but not religious" affiliation thought to be widespread among young adults is actually rare among Americans under 18, and that the greatest influence shaping teens' religious beliefs is their parents. Despite the personal tone adopted in the first chapter and the topic's wide appeal, readers should be prepared to wade through lengthy presentations of research findings. Most helpful are summaries appearing in bullet form within several chapters, providing accessible and succinct overviews of the raw information and statistics. Regardless of whether this research will be "a catalyst for many soul-searching conversations in various communities and organizations" among parents and pastors, scholars will surely agree that this study advances the conversation about contemporary adolescent spirituality. (Mar.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"We strongly recommend this book to those interested in the religiousity of American teenagers. Social scientists, religious leaders, youth leaders, and parents will find this an enlightening read." --Brigham Young University Studies

"This book is, quite simply, the best book ever on the best study ever on the topic of adolescents and religion. It is exemplary social science, combining the best of qualitative and quantitative methods, not only empirically strong but theoretically rich." -- Journal of Adolescent Research

"Let this book challenge you as parents and church leaders to evaluate what you are teaching the rising generation. More importantly, let it challenge you to examine your beliefs and practices and the teaching of the church." --Equip for Ministry

"For scholars as well as parents, teachers, relatives, mentors, and other persons interested in the well-being of teens, this is and will likely be the definitive book on teens and religion for years to come." --Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion

"Fills an enormus gap in our knowledge about young people. If there is one book to read outside your discipline this year it is Soul Searching. --Worship

"This book is, quite simply, the best book ever on the best study ever on the topic of adolescents and religion.... This is a book that should be read by everyone who researches or works with adolescents in America. It is essential reading for anyone who seeks a full understanding of the lives of adolescents in our time." --Journal of Adolescent Research

"the most comprehensive and reliable research ever done on youth and religion. For the next 50 years writers on the topic will be referring to their book."--The Christian Century

"Smith and Denton's findings beg for a response from those working in youth ministry."--The Christian Century

"demolishes the conventional wisdom....a must-read"--Andrew Greeley, National Catholic Reporter

"This survey is 'the largest and most comprehensive and detailed study of American teenage religion and spirituality conducted to date.' All major religions and two, what the authors refer to as 'minority religious traditions, Mormonism and Judaism,' are covered...In the meantime, this book does place Mormons and Jews in context to the majority US religions and that is a valuable beginning."--Community, the Jewish Community Federation (KY) newspaper

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
I SAT SLEEPILY in my car waiting in the public library parking lot for 10 A.M. to arrive, the appointed time for my interview with a 16-year-old girl from this small mountain town in a Middle Atlantic state. Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com ^(beta)

Amazon.com: 4.7 out of 5 stars (23 customer reviews)

139 of 149 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Author, April 1 2005

By Christian Smith - Published on Amazon.com

Ce commentaire est de: Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers (Hardcover)

In response to "Truth Seeker"'s review, a few basic points:

1. Muslims are not ignored in the book. The data include a full national sample of Muslim and other minority religion teens. As the book explains, however, because Muslim teens are so relatively few in number, only a handful show up in any national sample. Nevertheless, detailed attention is paid to Muslim (and Hindu and Buddhist) teens on pp. 315-317, based on the data we do have.

2. The analytical categories used (comparing conservative, mainline, and black Protestants with Catholics, LDS, and not religious) is state-of-the art method in the sociology of religion. These are the major religious traditions in the U.S., and most readers want to know how teens in those traditions are faring. Of course it is possible to focus on specific subgroups (e.g., Catholic school attenders) and get more highly specified results (see point #4 below), but the basic comparisons in the book are entirely valid and routinely employed in sociology of religion.

3. The book makes perfectly clear that the teens portrayed in the Catholic chapter are not "typical" Catholic teens, but representatives of those Catholic teens who are not doing well religiously. They are explicitly situated in the overall and clear finding that Catholic teens as a whole are not doing well religiously. Of course there are some very solid, committed Catholic teens, but they are not the norm, they are the minority. Whether or not (truth seeking) Catholic readers want to hear that unpleasant fact is another story. My request is simply: Don't shoot the messanger because of the message.

4. The NSYR (www.youthandreligion.org) project from which this book comes has also collaborated with the National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministry and The Ministry Source to publish a special report focused exclusively on Catholic youth, which goes into greater depth in analyzing different kinds of Catholic youth. That report can be purchased at http://store.nfcym.org/store/merchant.mv. The Instituto Fe y Vida is also writing a book using NSYR data focused exclusively on Hispanic Catholic and Protestant teens.

I hope these points help to clarify some matters raised in Truth Seeker's review. I think a fair reading of the book shows that the charge of "LOPSIDED, BIASED AND ANTI-CATHOLIC" is simply false.

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Non-Christian Nation, Aug 4 2005

By John M. Custis - Published on Amazon.com

Achat Amazon v�rifi�(Quest-ce que cest?)

Ce commentaire est de: Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers (Hardcover)

Christian Smith and Melinda Denton have produced a wonderful analysis of the religious condition of teenagers (ages 13-17) in the USA. They collected survey data on 3290 teenagers and then followed up with more extended interviews of 267 of those surveyed.

The initial survey gave an over all picture of the religious character of these teenagers including their affiliations, participation, beliefs and experiences. The interviews provided an in-depth exposure of what these teens really believe.

As it turns out, the seeming wide-spread acceptance of religious life by teens (only 16% were "not religious") is largely to a vague, self-defined religion which the authors defined as: Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. The teens believed in a generally disinterested divine power who supervised a system to provide personal peace and prosperity for nice people, or perhaps to help them them be nice. They adhered to a religion that is helpful, but not entirely necessary. While there were those who could be described as believers in Christianity as defined by the Bible, and also those who denied any religion, the clear majority favored MTD.

The book is a "must read" for any who would like to better understand the status of the spiritual interests of youths. It also is valuable for all who would generally understand American culture. While the authors make no such claim, it is likely that the youths' view of religion is likely the common view of our age. At the least, it surely will be the increasingly dominant religion as these youths enter adult life.

For parents and youth workers who are interested in true spiritual life for their children, it shows the arena in which their own youths reside. It should stimulate good thinking and discussion of how properly to intervene in what turns out to be a huge spiritual void in the lives of professing spiritual/religious youths.

This is an excellent book.

34 of 38 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read, Nov 19 2004

By Richard Flory - Published on Amazon.com

Ce commentaire est de: Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers (Hardcover)

I was fortunate to be able to read an advance copy of this book, which provides the most comprehensive treatement to date of the spiritual and religious lives of teenagers. The findings show a significantly different side of American teenagers than what we normally see on television and in the movies. If your views of teenagers are based on what you think you know about them from the news, TV shows and movies, you need to read this book and get a more accurate picture. I highly recommend this book for parents, youth ministers, and anyone who is interested in understanding the lives of teenagers today.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 23 reviews 4.7 out of 5 stars