By Neil Earle
As 2011 was dawning the December 30, 2010 USA Today featured an article titled “Boomers Rocked the Culture,” a feature that did not go uncriticizied.
The national paper was alluding to the fact that in 2011 the first of the so-called Baby Boomers – those born between 1946 and 1964 – will start entering the ranks of the retired. This same month 50 years ago, John F Kennedy, an early generational political hero, was inaugurated. The Beatles/Leave it to Beaver generation was the largest in history – 80 million strong. Their apparent hedonism and self-centeredness shocked their parents and miffed those under them (so-called Generation X). But…either way you look at it the world we see today is a lot like the world they shaped and influenced. From Bill Clinton to George W. Bush and Dan Quale to Al Gore, their controversies will not soon go away, even if Barack Obama is comfortably placed outside the cohort.
Back in 1991, two authors proposed a theory about recurring cycles of generations that has been scrutinized and battered but endures. William Strauss and Neil Howe’s Generations book still serves as a useful “think piece” for some churches, at least, to try to make sense of the perplexity among people in the pews – or not there, which is even more interesting.
Strauss and Howe were followed by Tom Brokaw’s heralding of the “Greatest Generation” (the G.I.’s born 1901-1922). In 2006 sociologist Leonard Steinhorn responded in 2006 with The Greater Generation, a salute to the Baby Boom generation’s penchant for implementing progressive social changes – from the fitness craze to a more democratic workplace.
Strauss and Howe’s theory is the most comprehensive theory in explaining our diverse congregations. The Bible, too, is more than a little concerned with the issue of passing generations (Ecclesiastes 1:4; Acts 13:36). Most already know of the G.I.s, the Boomers, and Gen. X (or “Thirteeners”). Insert a Silent Generation between the WW2 veterans and the Boomers, add on today’s young up-and-comers (the Millennials) and you have the essential take on the many broad trends in the culture.
Realizing that all theories leak at the edges, let’s try to analyze this scheme from a St. Paul’s perspective of “all things to all men” (1 Corinthians 9:22). Here goes.
The Veterans (born 1901-1922). They’re the proud, beret-wearing, ramrod-straight Legion members you see on parade every Memorial Day. No doubt of their cultural allegiances. Their leading spirits stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944, and liberated Western Europe. This makes them the most identifiable of the generations. They are the ultimate “can do” types. No wonder two of their cohort (one a Canadian from Toronto) invented the comic hero Superman.
This generation includes Walter Cronkite, George Bush, Sr. and Lauren Bacall. They defied a Depression and fought a world war. They don’t let you forget it either and it’s good to hear their stories. They were the WACs, the WAVES and the WRENS (ask them to explain) who came home, bought affordable houses, raised 2.5 kids and stayed in the same job for decades. They paid the taxes to pivot NATO, help rebuild Western Europe and stare down Communism. They include the Beaver’s mom, Barbara Billingsley – steady as a rock. They also knew how to relax – they laughed at “Uncle Miltie” in 1948 and entertained kids as Mr. Rogers, Buffalo Bob and Lucille Ball. Oh yes, this “civic” generation is only now passing from the scene – capable, responsible, and achievers par excellence, their values still resonate today.
The Adaptives (born 1923-1945). Living in the shadow of civic-minded heroes, this generation grew up valuing competence, community, institutions. They are sometimes called the “Quiet” Generation but their calm and logical approach is exemplified in William Shatner as Captain James Tiberius Kirk of the Starship Enterprise, or Judy Collins, the unsettling best-selling folk singer. This group loves reasoned dialogue. Think of Governor Mario Cuomo, Charles Kuralt, John Glenn, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and a host of astronauts – practical doers as well as highly intellectual achievers. They don’t get much “safer” than steady Tom Bosley, Richie Cunningham’s dad, or unflappable Peter Graves from “Mission Impossible. This generation has clearly left a mark. Their dedication to quiet competence took us to the moon.
Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964). Question: “What are you rebelling against?” Answer: “What have you got?” This movie quote sums up a lot of the tumultuous generation that grew up quietly watching Buffalo Bob on Howdy Dowdy or listening to heartthrob Paul Anka croon “Diana” before they exploded across the campuses in the 1960’s. I know them well. They’re my generation, perhaps the most privileged, most educated and most questioning cohort yet raised.
Sometimes set at years 1943 to 1960, the Boomers are nevertheless identified by their one true trait: the as questioning of received traditions. In this they exasperate their Veteran parents and bewilder their Adaptive older siblings. Think of Vietnam protests, Beatlemania and Diane Keaton as “Annie Hall” and you’ve got the picture. However, the Boomer penchant for dissent and raising a little Cain is often a way of getting things done. Boomers like to champion causes as rebels and their sheer size has left perhaps the most indelible mark on the culture. Leonard Steinhorn checks off the accomplishments: women’s rights, environmentalism, safety belts, flex time at work, racial equality, a decent wage – these are all innovations Boomers have advanced that were conspicuously missing in the good, grey 1950’s. The generation is so huge that some say it splits into two waves. There is the Dan Quale/Al Gore side and the Bill Clinton/George W. wing
Reactive or Gen X (1964-1981). A most interesting tribe. This is the age group that remembers the energy crisis, an age of limits (the 1970’s), a population “bust” and a not-so-subtle anti-child culture. Sociologist Vance Packard wrote 1980s book “Our Endangered Children” when families had to cut back and competition intensified. The result? The Xers are born survivors. They helped make “Staying Alive” the hit of 1979. Like icons Steve Jobs and Bill Gates they learned to heroically go it alone while in their twenties. “Just do it” or “Go for it” became generational mantras. This is a cohort used to life “on the edge” as in Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Kimmel.
The young and healthy Michael J. Fox leaping and cavorting in “Back to the Future” and “Family Ties” was emblematic of this era in both Canada and the United States. Frenetic, fast-moving – they were a “party-hearty” crowd willing to push the envelope and live by one’s wits. Nike’s “Just do It” expressed their “in-your-face, eye-of-the-tiger” realism. However, high rates of community voluntarism and concern for often-overlooked younger children is just part of their saving graces. Unlike Boomers, they don’t need the limelight. Take Wendy Kopps, a Princeton grad who quietly started “Teach for America,” a Teacher’s Corps for her peers to work a year in underprivileged schools. Unlike Adaptives, they don’t need peer approval before forging ahead on their own. In essence they are still-youthful-seeming problem-solvers.
The Millennials (1982 to now). Nice kids, most of them. I met a lot of them teaching American history at a community college from 2002-2007. Called “the millennials” because they will come to responsibility in the 21st century, these are the young up-and-comers raised by the cocooning parents of the 1980’s, couples who preferred staying at home to winning corporate success, much like Diane Keaton portrayed in the movie “Baby Boom.” A smoke-free environment, Neighborhood Watch, soccer classes, a Children’s Summit at the UN, stepped up activism against drugs and violence – these kids have been the recipients of these efforts. With no memories of the Cold War or even President Reagan, they tend to be more laid back then the “Heck no, we won’t go!” generation. Strauss and Howe think the cycle will start all over with these, our young people, hoping they will become the new group of Civic Heroes, like their great-grandparents.
Just maybe. As a part-time College instructor, I found that today’s youth do have a remarkable capacity for “openness,” for hearing both sides of a story. So much controversy has swirled above them from Congress and the heated rhetoric over reactions to 9/11 that they are almost vociferously non-political. Curiosity is a major trait and they are attentive to true stories of people who made a difference. “Make a difference” maybe their quiet mantra. They are Xers without the sharp elbows. Twenty-two-year-old Sarah Yetman in Eastern Canada received her Bachelor of Social Work and set out to change things more than a little and so influenced others to follow in her path. Yes, they chase expensive toys but are willing to knock themselves out to work at getting them. The social network can make them a generation in space but they are not as spaced out as the older generations tend to believe. The number who consider law enforcement as a career is noticeable. Dropping birth rates may help give them an advantage post-Great Recession. There’s nothing like feeling needed to make you less snarly and competitive. We’re rooting for you, millennials.
Our church, GCI, is already aware of the need to mentor and nurture the millennials with what we call our “Generations” ministry. The success of our 24 well-run summer camps is a noticeable bright spot boding well for the future. Not as questioning as the Boomers or as automatically reactive as Gen X, these young people are not our future, they are here now.
But think of the challenge it is for churches to reach audiences composed of five different generations. What’s a church – what’s a church pastor – supposed to do?
In church congregations of four or five thousand the answer would be easier: simply tailor programs for each age group’s interest. Most of us however aren’t dealing with those numbers, which means it’s harder to find the trained and savvy staff to reach them all. What to do?
First, each age group has to remember a line I hear a lot at Christian gatherings today: “It’s not about me!” Sounds simple but it reminds today’s Christians of all ages and generations that none of us can afford to stay locked in place. Change is nature’s law. The Christian faith is ours to share, not to keep to ourselves. Jesus famously said, “A city on a hill cannot be hidden…You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world.” Salt spreads, is meant to permeate. Light is for others. The Gospel call is to leave our comfort zones and learn how to relate to others. One book’s title is eloquent: “Out of the Salt Shaker – Into the World.”
Jesus famously said: “For the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). Never did he discriminate. Never did he condemn (except uptight religious leaders). Nor should we. Millennials are much more tolerant of social behavior that G.I.’s may consider reprehensible. Those in the Veteran or Adaptive generations must be careful not to easily misjudge today’s young people. That ear ring in the ear, that iPod dangling in the jacket, the torn jeans, the scruffy hair, or the skinhead look – these are things that can set up negative reactions in those who think June Cleaver’s 1950’s dress code was God’s ultimate standard. We all need to be stretched and kids always have a way of doing it.
Perhaps that’s the key. “Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly (John 9:24).”
A pastor friend tells the story of his going back to university in 1989 in a large Canadian city to finish his degree. He had heard the inbuilt prejudices expressed against young men wearing earrings. “Surely,” he used to hear around his church, ”this is the diametric opposite of masculinity.” He soon saw that the biggest, bulkiest hockey players in his class were all wearing earrings. The concept seeped in: “Hey, this is just a matter of style.”
Many of us Baby Boom pastors to Gen X in the 1970’s can remember the battles over long hair in that funky decade. Or music. Or dress. What a waste! Twenty years later the style has completely changed around. Now bald is in! How silly to get stressed out about matters of personal style.
That’s why clinging to 1950’s standards of dress honed in a more settled era can be such a barrier to accepting the much more casual approach of Gen X or Millennials. “What? Child care at church? Why back in my day kids were taught to sit still.” These may have been great values but the reality is so different today. And above all things the church must learn to face reality.
Let the Xers and Millennials get on with it. GIs and even Boomers cannot really expect the Lawrence Welk generation to adore everything represented by Contemporary Christian Music. Certain in-built prejudices are just ingrained and may never disappear. But then again, rose bushes have thorns. Reform-minded Boomers caught in the middle have to realize that sometimes it is good to “stoop to conquer.”
At the very least, then, the Generations Thesis can serve as a call for tolerance and big-mindedness. We must respect each others points of view or those coming along will soon go back home. It was a wise church leader who said: “The last eight words of the church may well be: This is the way we’ve always done things.’” After all, this is the first time in history when children now know more about the practical application of technology than their elders. Does the word iPhone ring a bell? The profound changes we see about us signal one of the most tumultuous social upheavals in human history. With four or five age groups inside many congregations can the church rise to the occasion?