The New Faithful

A dear friend of mine posed the following question in a recent email:

"I heard that seminarians are more accepting of the new pope than seasoned priests...Is that true from what you've seen? Just curious...I think that that would be an interesting thing. Would that mean that the Church is moving more towards conservativism?"

I quote it here directly because of it timeliness; in formulating an answer I find myself encountering a highly teachable moment for more than just my friend. Many people of my parents' generation have noted the esteem "you young folks" have for the Pope, a notation often expressed in bewilderment. It is undeniably true that the New Faithful, as Colleen Carroll Campbell calls them in the interview hyperlinked above and quoted below, are embracing orthodoxy (the more preferred term, as 'conservative' is too closely associated with politics and 'traditionalist' smacks of bias- and neither really captures the true nature of what's going on). Here are some choice samples of the interview I would like to draw out for closer analysis:

These young adults have been steeped in a wholly secularized, materialistic, hedonistic society since birth. For many of them, Christian orthodoxy presents a radical and attractive alternative to a life lived only for self and the pursuit of pleasure. In many ways, the explanation for their attraction to orthodoxy boils down to St. Paul's maxim: "Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more."
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In The New Faithful, I use the term "orthodox" to describe a faith that holds fast to the timeless teachings of the Gospel and the ancient truths of the faith. The faith of these young adults is robust and demanding, grounded firmly in Jesus Christ and his passion, death, and resurrection. The Christianity these young adults practice belies the drift toward moral and theological relativism that has characterized the mainline Christian churches — and, sadly, the teachings of many dissenting Catholic theologians — for years.
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Nearly a quarter of young voters in the 2004 election cited moral values as their top concern in deciding who should be president – that's even higher than the national totals for that category. Many of the "new faithful" I know are concerned about a wide array of social and political issues, but they have a few "non-negotiables" that matter most. Chief among these are the life issues and social issues, including the protection of traditional marriage and the defense of the legitimate role of religion in the public square – issues that helped President Bush and other Republicans in the recent elections. But no political party should take these voters for granted: Nearly all of the new faithful I interviewed about politics said that their votes are cast out of loyalty to biblical morality and the teachings of their faith, not allegiance to party politics.
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As polls consistently demonstrate, America's media elites have markedly different views on religion and politics than the general public. They tend to be far more secular and more socially liberal. For that reason, many are either ignorant of or hostile to orthodox religion.

The emergence of the "values voter" in our recent elections and the Schiavo case, not to mention the extraordinary outpouring of love and admiration for Pope John Paul II in the wake of his death, have certainly captured the attention of the mainstream media, and to their credit, I think many journalists are sincerely trying to understand this huge segment of the American population that wants to see God back in the public square, that supports the right to life for the weakest among us, that admires a Pope who refused to bend on matters of the moral law. The "new faithful," like most in their generation, are generally quite media savvy. They know the power of the media and they are using that power for evangelization as well as political persuasion. They are also adept at using the language and arguments of our secular, pluralistic culture to reveal the media bias that exists against orthodox believers, and to demand fair treatment from media outlets that often do not even recognize their own bias or how deeply it affects the stories they tell or refuse to tell. (emphasis added)
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There are plenty of other statistics showing, for instance, that the new generation of priests is significantly more theologically orthodox and morally conservative than their Baby Boomer predecessors, that American teenagers and college students are increasingly more disapproving of casual sex and abortion, and that America’s conservative religious congregations are drawing vastly larger numbers than liberal ones. The movement I chronicled in The New Faithful is even stronger today than it was when I first began looking at the trend a few years ago.
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The reasons young adults gave for their love of the Pope were remarkably consistent. He appealed to young people because he was everything their popular culture is not: He was authentic, and unselfish, and unafraid to tell them the truth. While the rest of the world shamelessly pandered to them and told them to "do whatever feels good," Pope John Paul called them to a life of prayer, and self-sacrifice, and service to others. He told them to refuse to settle for the false gods of power, and money, and sexual promiscuity. Instead, he said, follow Jesus, embrace the poor and the powerless, and strive to become saints. It’ s a radical message — it’s the Gospel message. And it has appeal in any generation, but it is particularly captivating for this generation.
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Perhaps more profoundly, we see his influence on the new generation of priests who are staunch defenders of his teachings, the new generation of Catholic married couples who are embracing Natural Family Planning and his "Theology of the Body," and the young people of all backgrounds who see this Pope as a man of prayer, peace, and justice whose example is worthy of imitation. His "new evangelization" and calls for building a "culture of life" will be carried out by this new generation, the young people he loved so dearly, who loved him so dearly in return.
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Many of their elders in the faith are worried that the "new faithful" are bent on "going back in time" or making the Church "too conservative." I think the opposite is true. These young adults believe that it is time to move beyond the rebellion of the 1960s and the shallow spirituality of the 1970s, and enter the new millennium with respect for the past, enthusiasm for the future, and uncompromising commitment to the truth of Jesus Christ.

I would offer my blog as manifest evidence of the trend Ms. Campbell (or C.C.C. as I call her in my Links column in the lefthand margin) has reported. I could also offer overwhelming anecdotal evidence in support of Ms. Campbell's observations based on my work in young adult ministry at my home parish.

I have also observed a greater demand for authentic Catholicism at the college I attended. When I was freshman, I helped start a bible study. I was one of many students wishing that Ex Corde Ecclesiae would be more faithfully implemented. And I helped start a faith discussion group called "Catholic Discovery" because so few of my peers could articulate the very basics of Catholic doctrine. In my return visits, I have seen many of the changes I had pined for being realized and many of the paths my classmates and I had forged being paved by the incoming classes, in little significant ways.

So it's here. We're here. Change. For the Greater Good of All.