Young attracted to distinctive religious subcultures, Roman Catholic authors say

THE “distinctiveness” that, 50 years ago, was a source of embarrassment to Roman Catholics is drawing young people to the Church and keeping their faith alive, a new book argues. In a post-modern culture characterised by the search for identity, belonging, and meaning, it is “strong religious subcultures” that will often draw young people into the fold, argues the book After Secularisation by Stephen Bullivant, Hannah Vaughan-Spruce, and Bernadette Durcan, published by the Catholic Truth Society. When it comes to the parish, the book observes a “growing trend of people choosing which parish to attend based on reasons other than pure geography. . . The cultural importance of individual choice and authenticity in the post-Christian era has made an indelible impact on the practice of Catholicism.” Growing parishes understand this, the book suggests. Instead of operating as “generalist organisations aiming to serve all in a heterogeneous market” (a quotation attributed to the sociologist …