An American society that widely denigrates traditional morality is witnessing a surprising phenomenon—the rebirth of religious orthodoxy among a significant segment of young adults born under the banner “Generation X.” Colleen Carroll discussed this development, the subject of her new book The New Faithful: Why Young Adults Are Embracing Christian Orthodoxy, at an October 18 Center seminar. She said that interviews with nearly five hundred young believers across America had revealed their deep commitment to radical faith.

Rebelling again the liberal environments in which they were raised, these young orthodox are defiantly countercultural in their outlook. They reject premarital sex and believe in natural family planning. Most importantly, they have made faith the central priority of their lives. Determined to change the world, they are committed to racial reconciliation, ecumenism, and “culture of life” issues, but they value community and religious observance over the worldly success associated with money and power. Carroll noted that “their spiritual search has been accelerated by the decadence” of the surrounding culture.

Senior fellow George Weigel, who moderated the discussion that followed, noted that Carroll’s research not only offered a telling “glimpse into the heart of the new faithful” but also gave further proof of the “massive falsifi cation of the secularization hypothesis.” Many of those joining the exchange focused on the generation gap that has emerged between older believers and these younger, transformed believers.