Rev. Dr. Ruth E. Shaver: The importance of community

In a recent episode of “Inspired” by Interfaith Radio, Varun Soni, dean of religious life at the University of Southern California, spoke about the increasing feelings of alienation among college age students. They have hundreds of online friends, he said, but they don’t have the skill set necessary to make lasting in-person relationships. In particular, they lack skills to connect with older people who could serve as mentors and guides in life. Soni attributes this to the growth of online communities such as Facebook and Twitter, but even more to the decline of multigenerational religious communities of all faiths gathered to find meaning and purpose in their lives. In the same episode, former Harvard and Yale humanist chaplain Chris Stedman spoke about non-religious communities gathering to do the same work.

As a Christian pastor, I have watched faith/spiritual community attendance and participation drop off a cliff in the past 30 years. The causes vary from region to region, faith tradition to faith tradition and person to person, but the reality is that people of no particular faith  are a growing percentage of American society at a time when our two youngest generations need real, connected and purposeful community more than ever. I’ve come to the realization that I don’t care what tradition people find comforting, as long as that tradition does three things well: affirms the dignity of each individual regardless of any differences; affirms that human beings have the power and ingenuity to resolve the biggest global problems when we work together (especially climate change and all that comes from it); and empowers people of all ages to take helpful and hopeful action against greed, hatred, oppression and violence wherever and whenever these arise.