Barry L Saylor

Emerging Voices Barry L Saylor

Recent research has demonstrated a loss of verbalization, or grasp of the Christian language, in the emerging generations of Western Christianity. As contemporary culture rejects Christian identity more and more, subsequent generations are losing the ability to proclaim their faith well. This is particularly troubling for those on the theological campus seeking to train and disciple today's emerging adults as the next generation of ministers. Emerging Voices attempts to identify factors behind this phenomenon and to map out a better way forward, particularly for the theological campus. As contemporary issues such as the elimination of faith from public discourse and the ubiquitous influence of technology shape students in the years before college, what can be done to reclaim the Christian language for students tasked with preaching the gospel? This project combines a deep dive into some of the leading research regarding religion and spirituality in youth and emerging adulthood, alongside of a focused study group. In uniting these approaches, Emerging Voices attempts to give expression to those who most need to be heard in the coming decades of the Christian church in Western culture.