Today the Barna Group, arguably the nation’s leading researcher of religious trends and practices, has released a new study with some startling news about the faith practices of young adults:
[D]espite strong levels of spiritual activity during the teen years, most twentysomethings disengage from active participation in the Christian faith during their young adult years – and often beyond that. In total, six out of ten twentysomethings were involved in a church during their teen years, but have failed to translate that into active spirituality during their early adulthood.
Barna found that much of the change occurred during the “college years.” It turns out that a relentlessly anti-Christian academy may have considerable influence after all. This is welcome news for those who decry the existence and influence of “Jesusland,” but the rest of us, it should serve as a rather dramatic reminder that college matters — and not just for a student’s career prospects.