Pharos Journal of Theology (Jan 2017)
Religion, Spirituality and Ethics on the Born-Again Youth: Conceptualizing the Christian Spirituality
Abstract
There is clearly a strong link between religion, spirituality and identity. The formation of identity in especially the youth is an important developmental issue. Religion is evidently associated with identity formation and ethical conduct which is also motivated by parental influence. It is clear that youth whose parents are meaningfully religious and ethical are more likely to be considerably religious themselves. Christian spirituality in the youth is also promoted by community influences. This research paper examines the role of religion and spirituality in the development of ethics and the formation of identities in youth. It was conducted against the socio-religious status, where 85.6% of the overall population of South Africa appeared to affiliate with the Christian faith. The data for this research study was collected through qualitative exploratory interviews and focused group discussions. These were further supplemented by the review of related literature. All the participants who were considered for this research affiliated with Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches from East London, in the Eastern Cape Province. The study revealed that there are two categories of Christians within Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches. The first category is that of devout Christians; while the second is that of nominal Christians. Both categories classify themselves as ‘Born-again’ Christians even though the latter (nominal Christians) does not entirely subscribe or adhere to all the principles of the Christian faith.
