The Juvenilization of American Christianity Quotes

“Juvenilization is the process by which the religious beliefs, practices, and developmental characteristics of adolescents become accepted as appropriate for Christians of all ages. It begins with the praiseworthy goal of adapting the faith to appeal to the young. But it sometimes ends badly, with both youth and adults embracing immature versions of the faith.”
― Thomas Bergler, The Juvenilization of American Christianity

“the followers of the easy life will never extend freedom in today's world; they won't even keep it for themselves.”
― Thomas Bergler, The Juvenilization of American Christianity

“the biggest problem with youth culture was not the immorality of its content but rather the sort of persons it tended to create: passive consumers with poor critical-thinking skills. Such leaders realized that despite all the apocalyptic rhetoric
surrounding young people, they were more likely to be lulled to sleep by the trivial world of teenage social life than to be directly defeated by the devil (let alone the communists).
Of the many words swirling around about young people in the 1940s, only this message of the insidious deadening effect of popular culture still rings true. Unfortunately, few at the time heeded this warning. Instead, most remained optimistic that youth culture could be easily tamed or ignored. But in such an atmosphere, it was unlikely that anyone would pay much attention to how youth and their preferences could - and would - dramatically reshape the face of American Christianity.”
― Thomas Bergler, The Juvenilization of American Christianity

“To give one example, consumerism and juvenilization reinforce one another. People who know who they are, who think carefully about purchases, and who exercise self-control are harder to persuade to buy products they don't really need. In contrast, impulsive people who are searching for a sense of identity, who are looking to salve their emotional pain, who desperately crave the approval of others, and who have lots of discretionary income (or are willing to spend as if they do) make ideal consumers. In
other words, encouraging people to settle into some of the worst traits of adolescence is good for business. Not all businesses and advertisers operate on this basis, but enough do to encourage the cult of youth and discourage people from growing up. Considerable evidence suggests that consumers can see through these techniques and resist them to some extent. But immersed as we all are in the culture of adolescence, it becomes increasingly hard to embrace the self-denial and character formation necessary to achieve what used to be called mature adulthood.2”
― Thomas Bergler, The Juvenilization of American Christianity