A cursory review of UnChristian (Kinnaman/Lyons) and Souls in Transition (Smith/Snell) provided marked statistical differences, particularly in the objects of their study. UnChristian reports on the perceptions of “outsiders” (both those born between 1984-2002 and those born 1965-1983) of contemporary American evangelicals, with some attention to Mosaic evangelicals perception of American evangelicals.

Souls in Transition, by contrast, explores the religious attitudes and spirituality of “emerging adults” (born between 1980-1991). It does not give attention to evangelicals as a Christian group, but focuses on broader sectarian divisions (Protestant, Catholic, ethnic/political differentiations, and several non-Christian religions) and denominations.

Besides the difference in groups studied (apart form the apparent overlap in age between Mosaics and emerging adults) and religious lens, Souls in Transition is much more interested in self-perception and peer-perception in religious attitudes, where UnChristian is interested in cultural perceptions of a specific religious group.

In short, the comparative qualities of these studies is incredibly limited. What may be useful, however, is looking to understand how the generational qualities and attitudes about religious life and spirituality explored in Souls in Transition undergird/feed into the negative perceptions of evangelicals as described in UnChristian. For instance, the emphasis on individual autonomy/thinking for oneself would drive a bias against evangelicals in suggesting that they are “sheltered” from the real world, where there are differences and cultures are relative. Values that insist that harming/hurting another person is self-evident would very easily lend towards a dislike or disgust of what is perceived to be (and sometimes can be) an antihomosexual culture amongst evangelicals.

So, rather than looking to compare the studies, a good use would be using Souls in Transition (and perhaps other generational resources like Generation Me, The Narcissism Epidemic, and The First Year Out) to understand why young adults feel so strongly about the things they see in evangelicalism (which certainly exist to some extent), This could also provide the proper framework for contextualizing the right response in going from “unChristian to Christian.” Resources like The Next Christians by Gabe Lyons would be appropriate resources here.

At the end of the day, studies here are helpful tools in knowing the people we’re preaching the Gospel to. 1 Chronicles 12:32 commends the men of the tribe of Issachar for being men who “understood the times” and knew what Israel had to do. As disciples of Jesus, we, too, should understand the times and respond in ways that are contextually-attentive, missionally-driven, and Christ-honoring.

Exploring everything from Augustine and Calvin to Edwards and Kuyper, Smith deftly displays the wider treasures of the reformed tradition beyond what Calvinism has been known for. The reality that Calvinism is a “world- and life-view” and that its orientation is about worship, not lectures or picky doctrinalism are just two fine examples of the points that Smith makes with these easily-read, finely-written, and often amusing letters. Whether you consider yourself reformed or Calvinist is beside the point. This book is well worth reading.

The results of Lyons’ struggle with these questions includes The Next Christians. In this book, Lyons sets out to create a vision (with lots of good examples) for what Christians can pursue and create, not as cultural separatists or as cultural Christians, but as culture restorers empowered by the work of Jesus Christ and His mission in the world. Lyons looks at how the world has shifted and changed in the last several decades, and what kind of communities we ought to be seeking as people who love Jesus, love the Gospel, and love creation and are crave its redemption.

This book was excellent as a summary and providing a way for Christians to begin to think differently about their roles as believers and as churches, and what story God is writing in the creation and its coming restoration through Christ. As disciples, we have a responsibility to engage with the work of being restorers and agents of reconciliation in a world that was torn away from its harmony with God. The Gospel empowers us to do this, and the hope of this restoration is the unique contribution of Christianity. So let’s recover it.

But, I don’t think those opinions have much biblical grounding. Boyett, it seems, has sacrificed biblical wisdom for the sake of relevance and a “cool” Christianity that, really, amounts to nothing more than a moralistic, therapeutic deism (what Christian Smith highlights as the predominant religious notion among American teens). One would grant that the worries of young teens are often insignificant to adults and so, the topics of books like this may seem insignificant. I would argue they should be addressed, but they should be addressed in a mature way, grounded in biblical discernment, not in how cool (or geeky) a Christian should be.