Melinda Lundquist Denton

The University of Texas at San Antonio

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Christian Smith

University of Notre Dame

Richard Flory

University of Southern California

Lisa D. Pearce

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Robert Faris

University of California, Davis

Mark Regnerus

The University of Texas at Austin

John P. Bartkowski

The University of Texas at San Antonio

Jessica Halliday Hardie

City University of New York

Jeremy E. Uecker

Baylor University

Shandra Esparza

University of the Incarnate Word

Jaime González

Fundacio Pere Tarres

Cooperative Institutions

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

University of the Incarnate Word

Brigham Young University

The University of Texas at Austin

The University of Texas at San Antonio

Pennsylvania State University

Baylor University

Harvard University

Fundacio Pere Tarres

Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

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Introduction

Oxford University Press eBooks (2020)

Melinda Lundquist Denton Richard Flory

Abstract This introductory chapter sets the context for the book, situating it in the larger National Study of Youth and Religion as the final overview book of the project, taking into account all four waves of data collection, from 2002 to 2013. The chapter lays out the basic “emerging adults” frame for understanding the stage in life of the young people in the study in Wave 4 and differentiates the book from the popular “generational” accounts such as “millennial” and other generational labels. Finally, the chapter provides a road map for each of the chapters to follow, giving a brief description of what each chapter includes and previewing the major findings of the book.

10.1093/oso/9780190064785.003.0001

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Religious Attachment and the Sense of Life Purpose among Emerging Adults

Religions (2017)

Julian Culver Melinda Lundquist Denton

The salubrious association between religious involvement and well-being is evident among the general population of religious individuals. In particular, the sense of attachment to a deity is linked to promoting healthy behavior and positive well-being. The link between religious attachment and well-being is particularly salient for emerging adults during a life stage where they are developing their own sense of self while also renegotiating religious commitments. The current study uses OLS regression and a lagged dependent variable model to analyze how perceived closeness to God is linked to the sense of life purpose among a diverse, national sample of emerging adults. We find that relative to those perceiving closeness to God, those who reported feeling neutral or did not believe in God experienced lower levels of life purpose. Respondents who reported feeling distant from God had the lowest scores on the Life Purpose Index. The findings are examined within the framework of religion and attachment theory literature. The study encourages researchers to consider attachment to a deity as an important link in explaining well-being outcomes, especially among religious individuals.

Closeness

Purpose in life

10.3390/rel8120274

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Problems met with in the ward.

PubMed (1951)

Melinda Lundquist Denton

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Back-Pocket God: Religion and Spirituality in the Lives of Emerging Adults

Melinda Lundquist Denton Richard Flory Christian Smith

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Spiritual Seekers, the Disengaged, and Religiously Devoted Teens

Oxford University Press eBooks (2005)

Christian Smith Melinda Lundquist Denton

Abstract This chapter examines three specific groups of American teenagers: “religious seekers” who claim to be “spiritual but not religious”, teenagers who identify themselves as nonreligious and who never attend religious services, and teens who are highly religiously active and devoted. It is shown that most American teenagers espouse rather inclusive, pluralistic, and individualistic views about religious truth, identity boundaries, and need for religious congregation. Parents of teenagers strongly influence the character of their children’s religious lives. Teens who are more religiously serious and active are also more likely to be involved in a larger number of other programs — clubs, hobby groups, sports, or other organized activities; less religiously active teens tend to be involved in fewer.

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Religious Identity

10.1093/019518095x.003.0004

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Mapping American Adolescent Subjective Religiosity and Attitudes of Alienation toward Religion: A Research Report

Sociology of Religion (2003)

Christian Smith Robert Faris Melinda Lundquist Denton Mark Regnerus

Sociolo~sts know surprisingly little about the reli~~us attitudes and practices of adolescents in the Un/t.ed States. This article be~rts to redress that laek of knowledge by examining descriptive findings on adolescent religiosi~ and attitudes toward religion from two recent, reputable national surveys of American :youth. We present descriptive statistics on three fundamental aspects of subjective youth reli~osiO (importance of reli~on, frequency of pra~er, boro again status) and four measures of youth attitudes of alienation toward reli~ ( agreemem with ~rents, approval of churches, desired influence of churches, financial donations to churches ). We also examine the irrfluences of gender, race, age, and re~n on most of these reli~~us outcomes. This de.scriptive irutuiry should help to increase understanding of and to help lay down a baseline of essential descriptive information about American adolescent reli~osit'y. Further research is needed to investigate the social in… of different kinds of reli~osity on various outcomes in the lives of Arnerican youth.

10.2307/3712271

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Conclusion

Oxford University Press eBooks (2005)

Christian Smith Melinda Lundquist Denton

Abstract The concluding chapter summarizes and elaborates the findings in this volume. Some recurrent themes have emerged from the analyses in this book. Among these is that religion has a significant presence in the lives of many U.S. teens today. Most U.S. teens are content to follow their parents’ religious footsteps, and most feel quite positive about religion. The religiodemographic diversity represented by U.S. adolescents is no more varied today than it has been for a very long time.

10.1093/019518095x.003.0009

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Religiosity in the lives of youth

Routledge eBooks (2009)

Lisa D. Pearce Melinda Lundquist Denton

After a significant period of marginalization, the social scientific study of religion, especially in the lives of youth, has experienced a resurgence. A renewed interest in the social importance of religion stems from the growing acknowledgement that religion persists and matters for global, local, and individual identity, social relationships, and well-being. For this chapter, we focus on religiosity in youth, or more specifically adolescence, which we define as the second decade of life (ages 10-20). Adolescence is a time in the life course for which the study of religion is particularly important for two reasons. First, the confluence of dramatic biological, psychological, social, and economic changes in adolescence suggests this is a prime time of life for religious or spiritual change and development. Further motivating the study of religiosity among youth is the question of whether religion might serve as a protective factor in the face of the challenges of adolescence. In this chapter, we review the current state of three primary streams of research on religiosity and youth:& the extent to which young people are religious; & factors that shape youth religiosity; & the influence of religion in the lives of young people.

10.4324/9780203881965-64

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Research Methodology

Oxford University Press eBooks (2020)

Melinda Lundquist Denton Richard Flory

Subject Religious Studies Collection: Oxford Scholarship Online

10.1093/oso/9780190064785.005.0001

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Dedication

Oxford University Press eBooks (2020)

Melinda Lundquist Denton Richard Flory

Extract With deep thanks and appreciation to the many parents and youth who participated in the National Study of Youth and Religion from 2002–2013. We are sincerely grateful for your willingness to share your lives with us.

10.1093/oso/9780190064785.002.0004

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