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Scholarship March 29, 2017

Virtual Faith: The Irreverent Spiritual Quest of Generation X

The Wabash Center

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Author
Beaudoin, Tom
Publisher
Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA
ISBN
787955272
Table of Contents
Part One: Why Religion Still Matters: GenX, Pop Culture, and the Search for God
ch. 1 A GenX Journey: Living on the Boundary Between Religion and Culture
ch. 2 Formed by Pop Culture: The Shared Immersion That Makes Us a Generation
ch. 3 Being Virtually Religious: Appreciating GenX Irreverence

Part Two: How Religion Still Matters: Four Central Themes in GenX Religiosity
ch. 4 Institutions Are Suspect
ch. 5 Experience Is Key
ch. 6 Suffering Has a Religious Dimension
ch. 7 Ambiguity Is Central to Faith

Part Three: Being Religious Now: A New Understanding
ch. 8 Making the Virtual Lead Somewhere: A Spiritual Challenge to Generation X
ch. 9 Rediscovering Humility in Ministry: A Spiritual Challenge from Generation X

Conclusion: Giving Irreverence Its Due
Reveals the deep and pervasive search for meaning that haunts Generation X. This book is must reading for anyone who would understand the spirituality of young people at the turn of a new millennium.—Robert A. Ludwig, author of Reconstructing Catholicism for a New Generation In Virtual Faith, Beaudoin explores fashion, music videos, and cyberspace concluding that his generation has fashioned a theology radically different from, but no less potent or valid than, that of their elders. Beaudoin's investigation of popular culture uncovers four themes that underpin his generation's theology. First, all institutions are suspect — especially organized religion. Second, personal experience is everything, and every form of intense personal experience is potentially spiritual. Third, suffering is also spiritual. Finally, this generation sees ambiguity as a central element of faith. This book opens a long overdue conversation about where and how we find meaning, and how we all can encourage each other in this central human searching. (From the Publisher)