01: Virtual Faith: The Irreverent Spiritual Quest of Generation X (Jossey-Bass Publishers, $22) by Tom Beaudoin, shows how popular culture drives much of the spiritual concerns of the baby analyzes everything from fashions (tattoos and baggy clothes) to rock music to show how Generation X spirituality is shaped by four themes: a suspicion of institutions; an emphasis on personal experience, suffering, and ambiguity.
It seems that the last two themes (the theme of suffering is often related to the broken homes of baby busters) that distinguishes the younger generation from baby boomers. Readers may feel that baby busters are too diverse for any close theological connections to be drawn between popular lyrics (as in “Losing My Religion”) and other cultural icons and their spiritual lives. Nevertheless, Beaudoin provides interesting ideas about how religious groups can tap into Gen X spirituality (from using computers to renewing tradition and rituals).
02: Readers might want to take a look at RW‘s new web site: http://www.religionwatch.com.
Some parts of the site are still under construction, but when it is complete we will feature a sample issue, information about the newsletter, and a yearly subject index. The site will mainly serve as an introduction to RW, and we request that subscribers pass our address along to friends and colleagues who might be interested in the newsletter.
However, in the next few months we are planning to add an archive of past articles that will be searchable by subject — creating a helpful research tool for students of contemporary religion.