14
The Message -- for Catholics of Southwestern Indiana
Church changes needed to reach Generation X, speaker
By TONY STALEY
Catholic News Service
DE PERE, Wis. ICNS) -- The
church is going to have to think
and act in a whole new way if it
4 hopes to meet the needs of Gen-
L eration X, said an assistant pro-
fessor of religious studies at St.
Norbert College.
It will be a difficult task
because those in Generation X
persons born between approx-
imately 1965 and 1985 -- see
Christianity "as just another
home page," said the professor,
Howard Ebert.
This is because Christianity
has become just another voice,
rather than the formative voice
in our society, Ebert told the
monthly Claude Allouez Forum,
which is co-sponsored by the
Green Bay Diocese and the The-
ological Institute at St. Norbert
College.
Ebert ticked off several sug-
gestions for meeting the spiritu-
al needs of Generation X:
-- Listen to what its members
are saying. It will require think-
ing about the faith in a different
way. It's not about marketing the
faith, but about developing a
new form of Christianity.
Acknowledge and affirm
the questioning and restlessness
they feel.
-- Return to the basics of the
faith -- God, Jesus and the
church -- rather than debating
the ranks of angels.
TEC #22
Teens, observers and team members for Teens Encounter Christ gather for a group picture
during TEC weekend #22 in the Diocese of Evansville: from left, first rou; Elaine Spalding,
Kandice Smith, Jake Lampert, Curt Klein, Gala Linette, Mary Engelland, Sarah Chappel;
second row, Diane Fehrenbacher, Eugene Schmitt, Theresa Donis, Natalie Seger, Janelle
Leinenbach, Adrienne Koral, Camille Matheis, Audrey Betz, Chad Blessinger, Mark Hoff-
man; third row, Mark Messmer, Andy Froehle, Danielle Merder, Mindy Fuesler, Jason Eck°
erle, Alexa Chappel, Erin Grannon, Betsy Hopkins, Drew Sills, Andy Witmeier, Father Gor-
don Mann; fourth row, Chris Wiekman, Patrease Woodside, John Spahn, Erin Goebel, Alissa
Halter, Erin Schweiss, Kate Grampp, Michelle Goelzhauser, Katie Loehrlein, Sarah Endress;
• fifth row, Chad Lueken, Tracy Merkel, Sarah Debes, Ann Kempf, Stuard Gibbs, Brian
Wathen, Mary Fromme, Carole Spacinsky, Diane Kempf, Terri Hildenbrand, Elaine Morris,
Margaret Steckler; s/xth row, Brian Blackgrove; Jim Peregoy, Gary Schueler,Deborah
Neufelder, Rick Etienne, Dan Schenk, Bob Oberst, Jack Thompson, Ralph Propes, Sharon
Vogler, Dianne Klein, Sister ]Vlerry Marcotte, Father Dick Wildeman, Joe Dotterweich. TEC
#22 was held at St. Mary Church, Ireland.
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--Avoid being dogmatic. This
is a group that doesn't believe
much can be said with complete
certainty.
-- Retrieve the diversity in
the Christian tradition.
Show that the faith makes
a difference in the human expe-
rience.
Ebert also called for recover-
ing the mystery of God. Instead
of trying to use words to capture
God, he said, realize that God is
a mystery that cannot be
defined.
"God is not in the answers, but
in the questioni6g," Ebert said,
suggesting that God be seen as
the enabling ground for the free-
dom to ask these questions.
Catholicism also needs to
stress the relationship between
God and the world, how God' is
connected with us, with suffer-
ing and with the environment,
Ebert said, adding that Genera-
tion X is comtPortable with seeing
the world as God's body.
Generation X is clamoring to
get to know Jesus, particularly
the human Jesus, the suffering
Jesus, and it prefers the Gospel
of Mark to
tion X i
of Jesus and wants
operating in
The of
appeals to
that of hierarchy
ty. Generati
ed in
time, but in
healing. They
good music
Nor should the t
itself as family, since
tion X that can
broken, abusive
tional families, he s
church needs to be
open
ready with
Ebert said.
ii:i
The
21
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