First there were Hippies and Yippies. Then there were Yuppies and Preppies. Along came GenXers and and BoBos. Now, here come the Grups. Never heard of them? Don't look now: you might even be one. At the very least, you know some of them and are called to minister to them. Regardless, you need to read Adam Sternbergh's article in the
New York Magazine to learn all about this remarkable sociological and cultural phenomenon.
Excellent piece. On this same topic, Joseph Epstein's 2004 article, The Perpetual Adolescent, should also be consulted.
ReplyDeleteNice!
ReplyDeleteSo true, it's scary!
ReplyDeleteRegrettably, the church is taking this same trend and making it the norm. The dumbing down of the church is tied to the same thought processes that lead to 40 year olds looking like slackers or bums.
ReplyDeleteWow, I knew I lived a long way from New York, but I didn't know how far! That is so far from my experience I don't even know how to respond. My gut reaction is: "That's pathetic. Grow up!"
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ReplyDeleteWhile I can't really be pigeon-holed into one group or type, some of what the article said about Grups happens to be true of me. I have to admit that remembering to take a dress to wear to church when I visit my grandparents is a new thing.....and I personally find it delightful (that is, the blue jeans I get to wear on the other Sundays)
ReplyDeleteRegarding having flexible work schedules and time for pursuing enjoyable activities, I'm all for that. Have to say this past year doing just that has been the happiest of my life....maybe not the most lucrative in terms of money, but lucrative in terms of fulfillment. In fact, I've worked harder this year and made more of a difference, than I ever did in a "regular" job. In other words, this square peg finally found the matching square hole, after attempting to live with the round ones for so long.
As for the dumbing down of various aspects related to the church, this "partial grup" is bummed about that unfortunate occurrence. But I don't think it has as much to do with the dress code as it does a deeper issue. Now, that's a topic I may just tackle in a blog posting of my own once I've ruminated a bit more on these ideas.