A faith of their own : stability and change in the religiosity of America's adolescents

 by Lisa D. Pearce. Pearce (sociology, North Carolina-Chapel Hill) and Denton (sociology, Clemson) present the second book using data from the National Study of Youth and Religion. Denton wrote the first, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers, with Christian Smith (CH, Dec'05, 43-2154). This newer analysis focuses on changes in religious identity, if any, as teens move into late adolescence. Pearce and Denton classify subjects as Abiders, Adapters, Assenters, Avoiders, or Atheists, based on content (belief), conduct (practice), and centrality (importance) of religiosity. The greatest stability emerged among Abiders and Atheists, those most confident and secure in their religious identity. Among others, the authors discerned small but significant change, usually a decrease in religious practice such as church attendance. At the same time, most respondents reported little change in belief. Many reported faith deepening, as it became more personalized than institutionalized. Pearce and Denton show how proper "scaffolding" (a support network allowing for increasing autonomy as adolescents mature) promotes positive reinforcement for religiosity. Most importantly, they argue that any unidimensional approach obscures the richness of adolescent spirituality. Primarily for social scientists, this work is important for readers at all levels who are attempting to understand the religious life of American adolescents. --Choice (Check Catalog)