Young, Woke and Christian: Words from a Missing Generation

Product Information

Victoria Turner (Ed.), Young, Woke and Christian: Words from a Missing Generation, (London: SCM Press, 2022)

He added that there were many pressing issues in society at the beginning of the third millennium that were missing from the book such as digital rights, cyberspace and artificial intelligence. I think it’s almost a call to arms to the suffragettes to those of us who can no longer be peaceful, to those of us who can no longer sit in that dialogue and be not spoken down to, but not fully listened to you either” – Anna Twomlow Comprised of a breadth of voices, Victoria Turner’s Young, Woke and Christian offers prophetic words that promise to lead readers from experience and theological reflection to decisive action. Each contributor offers a fresh response to a current crisis that weighs heavily on the shoulders of young people, even if it is often overlooked by the Church. This book successfully brings together voices that passionately cry out for a truly integrated Church – one seeking truth and justice; one that cares for the world that it inhabits; and one that cares for all people with whom that world is shared.

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That this is a book the church needs to take note of is clear. There is no claim to be the only missing generation, but they are, if we are honest, the generation of active, articulate, educated and enthusiastic young adults that most churches profess to wanting to attract after the usual ‘we want more children’ comment. Molly Boot is a theologian, broadcaster and musician. They write and speak on medieval mysticism and the arts, trauma theology, queer theology and neurodiversity.

Instead, this chapter offered an alternative view, saying a resounding “yes” to the notion of loving God erotically. “Eros, this way of loving which is passionate and embodied, and takes the whole of ourselves, is absolutely the way in which we love God,” Molly said and this had been a thread through the scriptures and Christian history. Victoria Turner wrote in her editor’s preface that the 2017 and 2019 campaigns by Jeremy Corbyn had sparked the woke movement in the UK. She was among the ‘Corbynistas’ who followed him and describes a rally as like a charismatic religious experience. The deflation when Labour lost was mixed with a feeling of betrayal that the older generation had let them down.There is much writing and strategizing about young people in the Church, which tries to understand and minister to them as the ‘missing generation’. This book is a much-needed contribution by young people to that conversation, and I pray the Church listens. Molly Boot, who is training for the ministry in the Church of England, spoke about the gulf of understanding between generations on sexuality. Holding alternative ideas in church was hard: “A lot of us have testified to how tiring and difficult it is to be seen as a representative young voice”. The first two chapters of Christianity and Wokeness examine how woke ideology is entering the culture and, more consequentially, the church. According to Strachan, "wokeness" means to be "awake" and in tune with the prevailing zeitgeist. Critical Race Theory (CRT), which sees society as an intentional system of power structures meant to oppress others based on their skin color, is currently the most well-known example of woke ideology. CRT purports that "White Privilege" is at the root of social justice issues and must be eradicated.

Young, Woke and Christian’ brings together young church leaders and theologians who argue that the church needs to become increasingly awake to injustices in British society. It steers away from the capitalistic marketing ideas of how to attract young people into Christian fellowship and proclaims that the church’s role in society is to serve society, give voice to the marginalised and stand up to damaging, dominating power structures. Next, Molly Boot’s chapter tenderly and powerfully reconsiders our own relationship with our bodies. They move away from the objectification of the body as ‘it’. Rather, they remind us that our bodies are interwoven with our mind and spirit. Hence, our bodies are worth attending to with our Christian faith, our practices, and with a special concern for purity culture.

So, if you have struggled to understand the perspectives of young people in your congregation, and if you have seen the Christian faith as incompatible with being woke, then I encourage you to read this book. Read it carefully, respectfully and prayerfully, in the hope that even if you disagree, you can learn from it.

I think that the conversation is really the most important thing. How do we hold people into that conversation and make it something that is open and valuable and good, listening to one another, rather than kind of demanding allegiance to every single issue that the book proposes?” This isn’t a place for easy answers; it’s an opportunity for us all to ‘Wake Up’ — to have a stretch, draw the curtains, and notice where God is calling us to deeper justice, wider mercy, and greater love. The panel is curated and chaired by Greenbelt’s youngest trustee, Molly Boot. Instead, he proposed “transgressive activism”, likening this to Jesus flipping over tables in the Temple, concluding: “I think we need to be more Christlike in activism.” He said people remember these acts and this prompts a conversation, moving the agenda forward. Furthermore, Strachan provides guidance for responding to unbiblical ideologies. According to Strachan, wokeness calls into question the sovereignty of God and contradicts Scripture by saying that the root of all evil is "whiteness." But, as Strachan explains, "[in] biblical terms, 'white' skin is not our biggest problem. Sin is." He goes on to say, "If you have been convicted and demeaned for your skin color or heritage (whatever each may be), you have been wronged." Woke ideology turns humans against one another, and results in individuals being judged by the color of their skin and status in society rather than the content of their character or their status in the eyes of God.It is perceived that young Christians are frustrated with the Church over social issues because they care about their political and social identities more than their Christian identities, placing ideology over Scripture. This book counters this myth ferociously, showing how for these authors their passion for liberation and justice is precisely because of their relationship with Jesus, not in spite of it. They want the Church to be more faithful to the mission of God in the world, not less.