University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

Meet the millennials: on the spirituality fence

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Meet the millennials: on the spirituality fence

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Meet the Millennials:
On the Spirituality Fence

Karina Cabreja

A Thesis Presented to the
Faculty of the USC Graduate School
University of Southern California
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
Master of Arts: (Specialized Journalism - The Arts)

May 2017

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Table of Contents
Dedications 3
Introduction 4
Meet the Hipster New Yorker 6
Meet the LA Souljourner 9
Meet the Siblings 12
Meet the Gay Stray Away 16
Meet the Scientist 19
Meet the Yogi: Kundalini Kris 23
Conclusion 27
References 28

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Dedications

This thesis is dedicated to all of the people who helped me throughout this journey. It was
fulfilling, but definitely challenging.

There are no words left in the English dictionary to thank Diane Winston, the most amazing
thesis chair on the planet. Diane Winston is one of the most patient, straightforward, dedicated
professors I have ever come across. She would have reread my drafts one thousand times, if that
were what it took. She never let me off the hook, and I appreciate her for that. That’s what the
best teachers are made of. Thank you, Diane. You make learning fun.

I am also grateful for my readers Sasha Anawalt and Varun Soni. Sasha, thank you for constantly
pushing and encouraging me. Varun Soni, thank you for lending your time and expertise. Your
vast knowledge in religion is invaluable. I was blown away every time we sat down to chat.

Richard Flory, thank you for sharing all of your gems. Fortunately, we share similar interests so
our conversations never felt like work. I cherish them all.

Jim Burklo, Fr. Eduardo Diaz, Benjamin Houston, Kaya Oakes, thanks for allowing me in your
worlds and sharing your wisdom.

To my interviewees, Anna Genislow, Suzie Silverio, Arthur Boston, Josephine Martinez,
Nicholas Martinez, Kristen Van Genderen and Michael Morgan, thanks for putting up with all of
my questions and opening up to me. Your stories are the lifeline of this piece.

Finally, to my mother, thank you for being the fuel that lights the fire inside of me to do
everything that I set out to accomplish. I love you more than words can explain.

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Introduction

Step into a sea of nude-toned Fedora hats, ripped jeans, and bomber jackets. Walk into a
theater with a brightly lit stage, dense fog, and modern visuals. The band here is so cool (not the
cool that tries hard, the effortless kind). The bassist wears a black t-shirt that says “righteous” in
big white letters. The pop/rock songs blare, causing a vibration on the ground that is felt
throughout the body. This could be mistaken for a Justin Bieber concert. But in fact, it’s the 1
o’clock Sunday service at Hillsong LA.
Hillsong is a growing Pentecostal megachurch. Its roots are in Australia, where the first
campus sprouted in 1983 (the church is itself a millennial). Hillsong has since spread across
fourteen countries with sixteen campuses worldwide. Millennials form a large part of the
congregation who –for the most part- feel right at home among their peers. According to the
Pew Research Center –in a survey conducted in 2007- millennials are the generation with the
highest level of political and religious disaffiliation recorded in the US. That’s why they like
Hillsong, because it provides a lax, welcoming, oftentimes tolerant environment but it does not
require a high degree of commitment. Kaya Oakes, author of The Nones Are Alright (exploring
the growing group of unaffiliated millennials), says, “one of the reasons why [millennials]
consistently attend these churches is because they provide a sense of community. People always
want community, and that one is so loose knit that it doesn’t require much work. You just have
to show up.” Hillsong is not the only church championing the millennial spirit, Zoe, Mosaic, One
Church LA and many others are following the same trends. They’re all the rage.
“The model has [traditionally] been all about membership and institution building,” says Richard
Flory, author and senior director of research and evaluation at the USC Center for Religion and
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Civic Culture. “What happens when you have a generation that isn’t committed to that? And how
do you keep them in this tradition when the things that are important to every other generation
aren’t important to this one?”
According to the Pew Research Center (2015), 35% of millennials have left the traditional
church, which is a huge increase from the 12% reported only ten years prior. Yet more than 50%
believe in God or a higher power. There’s been extensive research done surrounding the rise of
the “nones,” people who do not identify with any religion but still believe in something. There’s
also been research done about millennials who remain in the traditional churches. But what about
the ones in limbo? The ones caught smack dab in the middle of the traditional and the trendy,
trying to figure it all out and put the religious pieces of their lives together? Who’s keeping track
of these spiritual curators? Curator seems to be the most appropriate term because they
essentially pick bits and pieces of different religions and/or practices to fit their lifestyle. For
many people in this generation, spirituality -as Kaya Oakes stated- is like a “sampler platter.”
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Meet the Hipster New Yorker

Suzie Silverio is a 28-year-old aspiring actress from New York. Her parents were both
born in the Dominican Republic; a heritage that is visible in her chocolate brown complexion,
full head of dark brown hair and New York/Latina urban accent. She dresses in ripped boyfriend
jeans, metallic Rayban sunglasses, Vans sneakers and what is arguably the coolest oversized
black leather jacket on the planet. Suzie was raised Roman Catholic, but is a regular at Hillsong
Church’s New York campus. The church is led by Pastor Carl Lentz and Joel Houston (son of
Senior Pastor Brian Houston, who found Hillsong in Australia).
“Suzie is the quintessential hipster, from the clothes she wears to the music she listens
to,” says best friend Ashley Acosta, Silverio fits right in at Hillsong. All it takes is a glance at
Joel’s, Brian’s and Ben’s (lead pastor at the LA Campus) instagram accounts – each with 100k+
followers - to notice that Silverio’s trendy fashion sense is oftentimes matched or surpassed by
the church leaders and their wives.
“I grew up in a Catholic household, went to church every Sunday no excuse! I attended
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Sunday school, too” said Silverio about her upbringing. Then came high School “I had more of
a choice so I only went on holidays. I also felt conflicted because my friends weren’t religious at
all so all we did was hang out”.
In recent years, the Roman Catholic Church has been rocked by scandals surrounding
clergy and sexual abuse. Many have defected although millions still find comfort in its rituals
and teachings. Silverio is not of these.
“When I got to college I realized, the more conservative the church was, the more
hypocritical it was,” she said. “It’s very judgmental, so you feel like you have to look a certain
type of way to fit in. If you have tattoos or if you’re gay, you’re automatically shunned.”
But rather than give up everything, Silverio went in search of a spiritual connection
elsewhere. Flory, the USC researcher said that this is not unusual.
“Yes there’s religious decline, but I don’t believe its necessarily secularization because
they [millennials] are still maintaining some sort of space in their lives for -I’ll say- God,” he
explained.
Silverio found the closest thing to a home at Hillsong, which she randomly stumbled upon
via Instagram. She was immediately intrigued.
“Social media is everywhere, so it’s important that we don’t neglect it and use it well. I
think we can use it a lot better than we do,” says Ben Houston, the head of Los Angeles’
Hillsong church. Houston has 175 thousand followers on instagram.
Instagram and Faceboook may bring millennials in the door, but the “show” keeps them
there.
“My first experience was amazing,” recalls Silverio. “I go in, lights are down, there are
balloons, neon lights on the stage. Then I notice everyone around me is my age so I was able to
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connect more. Everyone there seems to have grown up in strict Christian households as well.
And then, of course the band. I was like ‘OMG I feel like I’m in a concert, but I’m not at the
same time’ I felt comfortable.”
Although Silverio has attended Hillsong for two years, she has not been baptized yet. She
wants to be sure that this is the right decision for her. She admits that part of stepping away from
Catholicism had a lot to do with the scandals surrounding it. But there also was something
special about Hillsong,
“[Millennials] are going towards churches like Hillsong because they’re straying away
from their home religion,” she explains. “Hillsong is like a sanctuary.”
Hillsong is not safe from scandals however. Ben’s grandfather, Frank Houston, was
removed as pastor from his church in Australia after admitting to having molested young boys
during his early ministry. Today Hillsong does not reject homosexuality, but they do not condone
it either. The church welcomes gays for worship, but they are not allowed to take on leadership
roles according to a blog posted on the Hillsong site in 2015. To Silverio’s point about the
Catholic Church: Hillsong does not shun or judge gays, but they don't let them volunteer, either.
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Meet the LA Souljourner

Half African American, half white Ana-Nicole Genislow is also a spiritual Mulatto aside
from her racial makeup. Genislow’s father was a European Messianic Jew (self-described Jews
who believe that Jesus is the Messiah), and her mother was a Christian. Although both are
rooted in Christianity, his Jewish heritage played a large part in informing her personal identity.
Her stepmother was Mexican, and was part of a 7
th
day Adventist church. “I was involuntarily
exposed to a lot of religions and cultures, but I think I’m lucky because of that too” says
Genislow.
Ana-Nicole Genislow is a 21-year-old senior at UCLA whose multicultural background
has propelled her curiosity to get to know God on a deeper level. She is willing to build that
relationship in any church that can feed that connection. USC researcher Flory says her
experience reflects a pattern among millennials. “We thought we'd see more syncretism
[throughout our research], but what we are finding is groups where participle religion [means]
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curating your own personal experience,” says Flory.
Genislow’s mother passed away when she was only two years old and her father died eight
years later. She was left in the care of her Mexican stepmother who believed religion was
important to the home. Ana-Nicole memorized scriptures and prayed daily. Several years later,
an aunt introduced her to the Baptist church where she was baptized. Even as a teenager, she
took an independent approach to developing her faith.
“God gave me a peace that’s beyond my understanding in the midst of the chaos that was
going on in my life,” she explained.
Genislow’s faith evolved further when she attended the University of California, Los
Angeles. She found the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, which brings students together for
friendship and prayer. Genislow –like many other spiritual seekers her age- was captivated by
the music she heard at Intervarsity services. “We sang songs from Hillsong, Bethel, songs in
different languages – Spanish, Swahili,” she says. “I actually didn’t even know Hillsong was a
church, I thought it was just music.” Now, she says she might have to look into that church, too.
According to Flory, the USC sociologist, the music is the message: “The music and the
entire experience is familiar to them, both in the form -- it has the structure of regular old church,
but also in the sound and look of the actual worship service,” he noted... “The music fits with
their general musical tastes—and is largely already familiar to them because of the Hillsong
brand. It’s not unlike going to any show at any theater and I don’t think it’s coincidental that of
all the buildings they could be renting, they are using a theater to put on a pretty theatrical
show.”
In addition to volunteering at the Intervarsity fellowship, Genislow is involved in a
ministry internship with the campus Methodist group. She is part of a program called the 580
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Café that feeds students for free because her faith motivates her to serve others. She also
worships at different places. There’s Intervarsity on campus but she also attends services at
Fearless LA and occasionally at Mosaic.
Both Fearless and Mosaic are part of the new wave of millennial megachurches that have
been trending in the US and particularly in Los Angeles. They are located in areas that are
popular among young people. Fearless LA, for instance, holds services in a nightclub in
downtown LA. Mosaic services are held in the heart of Hollywood. They are Christian and
Pentecostal. Mosaic belongs to the Southern Baptist Convention, although you'd never know it
unless you dig deep enough. They attract millennials through their music, social media outlets
and modern (what some would consider ‘loose’) approach to Christianity. Jim Burklo, Associate
Dean of religious life at USC says “The theology of most of these megachurches stem from the
Baptist church. In reality, its just lipstick on the pig.” The problem, he says, is that although these
churches are increasing in membership, they are decreasing in terms of community/civic
engagement. However, millennials like Genislow find service opportunities elsewhere.
Burklo says that the high number of congregants is mainly due to the “low bar entry;
low bar exit” modus operandi of these megachurches. They require no social commitment. “You
walk in, you consume, you give some money -if you feel like it- then you leave.” Genislow may
not find community service initiatives within the church, but she is committed to searching them
out and through them, piecing her spirituality together. Her pattern of mix and match is typical of
millennials, according to Flory. “Usually, it’s about service, doing things for others,” he says.
“It’s about designing the experience to enhance their religious and spiritual identity.”

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Meet the Siblings

Brother and sister Nicholas and Josephine Martinez look a lot alike. They are the best of
friends and are only two years apart (30 and 28, respectively). They were both raised in a very
strict Roman Catholic household in uptown Manhattan, and while Nicholas has taken a more lax
approach to religion and spirituality, Josephine remains true to her upbringing.
“I think one of the things that’s so beautiful about it [Catholicism] is that it’s a tradition
that’s been passed down to you from your parents who got it from their parents and so on,” she
explained. “And even when you think about a church miles away in a distant city, it’s still the
same mass. You’re a part of something much older than you’ll ever be –it was there way before
you and will still be here way after you’re gone.”
For Nicholas, the tradition doesn’t hold the same value, “I still go to church from time to
time, and I consider myself a believer, but I’ve moved away from organized religion because I
feel like it divides more than it unites.”
Both attended Catholic school. Nicholas and Josephine were part of the choir, served as
altar boy and girl and volunteered at soup kitchens. “Nicholas says all these bad things about the
church, but he’s a good person today because of what he learned through this religion. So it’s in
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him even if he don’t like it,” says mother Nicolasa about her “radical” son. Although he does not
frequent mass on Sundays, he does admit to actively praying and meditating.
Josephine on the other hand is still a devout Catholic, practicing her religion in the
conventional way she’d learned throughout her childhood. She is not an “in your face” type of
Catholic, but she’s very involved in her community. She continues to volunteer and was recently
appointed as a retreat leader at Charis NYC, an organization that hosts retreats for young adult
Jesuits. Josephine also sponsors a high school student, funding the teen’s Catholic school
education. She no longer lives at home with her mother, but makes a point to go to church with
her every Sunday. She also admits that while she has questioned her spirituality during college,
she’s never questioned the Catholic Church. This may be a result of having attended Le Moyne
College –a Jesuit school.
Nicholas graduated from Cornell, a secular University, which he says “allowed for
everyone to celebrate their religious differences.” He is not currently involved in any
community service activities. According to the Pew Research Center -based on a study
conducted by the UCLA research institute- while attendance at religious services continues to
decrease dramatically, the students’ overall level of spirituality increases throughout their college
career.
Josephine and Nicholas’ spirituality is actually one of the only things the two don’t seem to
agree on. They even shared the same pivotal, life-altering experience that disrupted their belief
system in the first place. About ten years ago their older sister Grace, died from a pulmonary
embolism. She passed away a week after having survived a hit and run car accident. Discharged
from the hospital after being told she was 100% okay, Grace returned home where the next day
she passed away from an undetected blood clot. The family was blindsided. “It’s almost like
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being given a second chance, and then –nope, just kidding,” says one of Nicholas’s close friends.
“When Grace died, I dealt with all the [spiritual] doubts that were already brewing… I took
a step back and asked myself ‘who am I?’ in terms of what I believe,” Nicholas said. “I certainly
don’t know what happens in the afterlife. But I had to make a choice: Is the person I love gone
forever, or is she in some heavenly resort playing in clouds, or is she present within me in some
manifestation?” He chooses to believe the latter.
Josephine felt differently:
“The outpouring of love that we received from other families in our church, in our
community was truly overwhelming. I am not just saying this, it was
overwhelming! We had nine priests presiding at her funeral mass; it was almost
like a bad joke. We had soloists offering to sing at the funeral. Grace’s grammar
school principal had become a big deal at the Archdiocese and he came to her
services offering condolences from the Archdiocese of New York. If anything,
my sister’s passing only made my faith stronger and appreciate the traditions in
ways I hadn’t previously considered.”

The support system and community that the church offered Josephine during that time
reinforced her beliefs. But the millennials who are straying away from church don’t see the good
that can come from the institutions. Varun Soni, the dean of religious life at the University of
Southern California explains, “this is due in part to the fact that millennials are brought up in a
media crazed society that is primarily driven by entertainment or for the sole purpose of
generating revenue. If it bleeds, it leads. All of the negative stories about the church end up in
the front page, which means that the stories of philanthropy and community service…the fact
that Catholics are running the most important hospitals in the country, food pantries –these
things are not getting reported. It’s not sexy enough”
According to Nicholas, it isn’t the media that has caused him to wander off into other
churches for exploration –after all, every church is rooted in good. Rather, it’s the magnitude of
the negative factors (i.e. sex scandals, homophobia, corruption) that overpower the good ones.
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“Plus,” he says, “the only real way to develop compassion and love towards other people is by
learning about their background and who they are –that includes other religions.” Nicholas
hasn’t denounced the Catholic Church completely, but he’s not fully committed to it either. He
explains, “I’m not into following doctrine, but whenever I miss the ritual, I just go back –it’s as
simple as that.”
One thing the siblings do agree on is their take on the new wave of megachurches, namely
Hillsong. Unlike many people their age, the cultural markers that make churches like Hillsong
attractive, do not draw them in. “I’m kind of scared of Hillsong because it’s very kumbaya-
ish…it felt too much like a rock concert. There’s nothing wrong it, but it wasn’t for me,”
Nicholas said. “I think it’s skewed towards younger people. And it was very palpable that they
were vulnerable and were in search for something.”
Josephine feels the same way, “When I think of Hillsong I think of a cult. People are
blindly following beliefs that someone told them about before reading a Bible for themselves and
studying scripture. Its also the ‘cool’ thing to do, so everyone’s just following the bandwagon”
The siblings continue to practice their faith individually. Josephine says Nicholas is
“whimsical,” and Nick says that she is set in her ways; just like their mother. Ultimately, both
seek to find spiritual fulfillment at whatever capacity, but according Nick, God doesn’t only live
in the Catholic Church, “No one says you have to stay in the neighborhood you grew up in for
the rest of your life. You’re supposed to go. Grow. Expand your mind. It’s the same with
religion.”

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Meet the Gay Stray Away

Bubbly, energetic and cheerful are the words that come to mind when describing 31-year-
old Arthur Boston. He brightens every conversation with a great big smile. Boston is a
professional make-up artist from a small southern town, currently living in Los Angeles. He was
raised in the Mount Zion United Methodist Church in Metter, Georgia. His mother is an Eastern
Star -an extension of Freemasonry founded in 1850 to give women the opportunity to share in
the biblical values and benefits that Master Masons had been receiving since 1717. Boston’s
father is a Mason and his live-in grandmother was a devout member of Mount Zion. “My family
was so damn extreme,” admits Boston.
Freemasonry is considered the world's first and largest fraternal organization. According to
its members, their belief that “each man has a responsibility to help make the world a better
place” stems directly from scripture. There’s a lot of speculation surrounding the organization,
especially because it’s considered to be a secret society. “Please honey, my daddy kept all that
Mason information locked in a suitcase inside of another locked suitcase, meanwhile his porn
magazines were kept in the bottom drawer for all to stumble across,” laughed Boston.
This is just one of many of the contradictions that turned him off from his super strict
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household and the religious traditions that were attached to it. Boston was also dealing with an
undercover sexuality that was not accepted or embraced within his immediate community. At
church, he was told that being gay was wrong which made him feel unwelcome at Mount Zion.
Against his wishes however, Boston spent most of his childhood inside those walls, “Child, I
went to vacation bible school in the summer, Sunday school every third and fourth Sunday, usher
board conventions once a month, revival once a month, Eastern Star conventions -it was too
much, I’m over it!”
Today, Boston only attends Methodist services when he visits his mother in Georgia or
attends weddings and funerals. When asked to describe his experience growing up as a (forced)
devout participant in the church, his response: “Traumatic.” His formative years were “stolen”
from Boston as he recalls feeling “suffocated” by religion. “Finding your identity as a
homosexual person in America is already difficult, can you imagine having to spend 85% of your
free time in a church that’s supposed to bring you closer to God, yet persecutes you?” says close
friend Brooke Daniels. That’s why Boston strayed; he felt like he could breathe again, once he
was out. He had been aware of his sexuality at an early age, and wanted to be able to express it
unapologetically. “I knew I was gay when I was like 4…I wanted to play with dolls, and I
definitely knew I wanted to take my naps [in pre-school] next to Bradley Smith and Chris
Clance.” He came out during his senior year in high school as he prepared to leave home for
college and leave the Methodist church for good.
According to the Public Religion Research Institute (2015), 7% of millennials identify as
either gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, a percentage that is more than twice the share of
older Americans who identify as something other than heterosexual. It was only after classes
were in session at the American Musical Dramatic Academy (AMDA), that Boston began to own
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his spirituality. “I advise every clergy member of every traditional church that condemns us to
take a Theater History class so they can learn a thing or two,” he says after explaining that even
Shakespeare had a hand in translating King James’ version of the Bible. And Shakespeare was
speculated to be bisexual (based on his sonnets) “It’s all a cluster fuck,” explains Boston.
Although there are several progressive megachurches in Los Angeles, Boston doesn't
frequent those either, claiming that they too are judgmental. He admits that every time he tries to
go to one of “those” churches, something negative or condescending comes up about the LGBT
community, “Honey, they're all the same.”
Burklo explains that his daughter experienced something similar when she briefly left her
traditional church for a megachurch. She was stunned to realize that even the leaders of the
inclusive and modern megachurch believed that homosexuality was a bad thing. Burklo’s
response: “Well, the fog lifts… Even McManus [from Mosaic] who’s a modern stud refers to
gayness as a ‘lifestyle’.”
These days, Arthur Boston focuses on his strong belief in Jesus. His values stem from the
Methodist church that raised him, but have since evolved. Participating in daily prayer, giving
thanks, exuding kindness and trying to seek fulfillment in life sums up his current spiritual code.
He admits to never having questioned his belief in God and Jesus. The distrust is only directed
to the church at large -“There is nothing wrong with who I am. My God makes no mistakes.”
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Meet the Scientist

Michael Morgan is not the kind of scientist you’d see donning a long, white lab coat.
Instead, he wears a shirt that says “Christafarian” and a trendy beanie with the word “blessings”
airbrushed across the front. He is a musician, scientist, self defined tech geek, uber driver, sales
associate, world traveler, teacher, evangelist, event planner and the list goes on. He also always
carries a book written by Mary Baker Eddy tucked under his arm. This millennial is part of the
Church of Christ, Science. How does this leg of science differ from the rest? Well, aside from
being one of the few churches founded by a woman, its members believe that healing is a
spiritual practice that supersedes any medicinal remedy (although they do accept medical
treatment). Christian Scientists believe that disease is a result of mental error, not physical
illness. In a nutshell, every person has the power to apply God’s divine healing laws to remedy
whatever ails them.
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The Church of Christ, Science has been subject to some criticism, because of a number of
members who have opted to reject medical care for their families. As a result, the deaths of
several children (due to diabetes, mumps or pneumonia) have cast a dark perception on this
denomination. However, there is no requirement or law within the church that says you should
not see a doctor; it’s up to each individual.
Morgan is a committed member of the church, even though he continues to explore other
religions in the hopes of “constantly honing [his] ability to become aligned with the frequency
of God; which is a science in and of itself.”
When asked his age, Morgan replies, “I am eternal, and so are you.” He is Scottish and
Irish, his father is agnostic and his mother practices Christian Science. His wife was also raised
in the church, and the couple is now raising both their daughters in the same way -with a twist of
other religious customs. Morgan recently celebrated one of his daughters “anniversaries” (his
word for birthday) and was upset that her maternal grandparents brought a birthday cake.
“Eating food is a way of taking medicine, but it can also be very toxic,” explains Morgan.
They do not visit physicians unless there is an extreme case or are in need of a required
physical for a job or for school. On the rare occasion that they do see a doctor, it’s not to receive
any form of healing. Rather, they attend to “respect the law of the land” and to “quiet the fears
of those around [them].’ “You will never find Tylenol or Advil in my medicine cabinet.” How
then does Morgan cure a fever? “Prayer.”
“He really doesn’t care what people think –a gift and a curse,” says Morgan’s wife. This
statement made evident as he ended our conversation in the middle of the busy quad to sing and
rap a freestyle prayer song dedicated to my well-being. People stopped and stared, and he was
unaffected. Aloof and passionate at the same time, Morgan vows to continue to pray for anyone
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and everyone he encounters.
Morgan studied at the University of Southern California, where he is a Christian Science
evangelist. He serves in the Office of Religious Life and organizes interactive outreach events
centered on Science, Religion, and Medicine. He has frequently changed jobs in pursuit of
aligning his professional goals with spiritual ones. Morgan became the CEO of a tech company
that was developing an app for musicians. The app, “egroove,” was intended to help artists share
their music a lot quicker and easier through their phones. He’d already been concerned that this
did not coincide with his evangelic purpose. When it came time to present the app at a
conference in San Francisco, Morgan had a revelation. The conference was being held inside of
an old Christian Science church that had been shut down a few years prior. He took it as a sign
to quit the tech company.
Shortly thereafter, Morgan began to travel, in search of universal love. He has visited
China, Kenya, Japan, Mongolia, India and Israel. He taught Islam, Hindu and Christianity at an
elementary school in Kenya and spent time with a witchdoctor who taught him how to spiritually
protect himself from verbal spells.
Upon his return, Morgan became an uber driver and worked as a business salesman at
AT&T. “Every person that came into my car, I prayed for. People would start complaining on
my reviews,” explained Morgan. He was eventually asked to step down from both positions
because he refused to stop praying for others. Or what they would call “proselytizing.” Morgan
disagrees and denies that his attempt to pray has anything to do with converting anyone “it’s all
about love, man. That’s it,” he says.
The relationship between Morgan and his in-laws have suffered tremendously because they
believe that his actions are extreme. His wife also grows impatient begging “please stop this,
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you’re freaking people out.” Ironically, to Morgan his behavior is not as extreme as his loved
ones describe it to be. In fact, he considers himself to be an open-minded spirit. “I attend Jewish
services, I love Jewish people -I almost converted to HRock (non denominational church in
Pasadena, CA). I was even a minister at my church at one point and had to quit because they
don’t allow me to hold any other job or explore any other religions.”
Even though Morgan remains faithful to his traditions, he also admits to having faced
persecution within the church. He was shunned and disliked because of his attempt to minister
to his fellow congregants through music and the arts. As painful as this was for him, Morgan
continues to shape his traditions in a way that speaks to his peers. Varun Soni explains that
while Morgan is part of the 66% who have not rejected the institution, this is part of the
generation’s overall approach to implementing action in order to find answers and solutions
within the church. “For example, 20 years ago if we’d had a gay evangelical student, they
would’ve said, ‘I’m leaving, there’s no room for me in the church’ … today they’d say ‘the
church has to change in order to accept me.’” Morgan embodies this ideal. He continues to
minister and spread the word of Christ at secular music festivals like SXSW. A study conducted
at UCLA in 2003 of over more than 120k college students across the country, showed that more
than 50% of millennials said that they’ve experienced a heightened sense of spirituality while
“listening to beautiful music.” Morgan admits “I feel closest to God through the arts.”
Morgan is less interested in dogma and more interested in doing -- living his faith, instead
of simply believing. His spirituality is a blend of the traditions passed on by his mother and the
experiences he’s had globally and among his peers. “You cannot be a religious label to do God’s
work. You carry that label, but that label does not define you. I believe that there’s a science
that governs everybody. That science is love.”
23

Meet the Yogi: Kundalini Kris

“Kindness is my religion,” proclaims 28-year-old Kristen Van Genderen. Raised in
Philadelphia –of Dutch-Indonesian-Eastern European descent- Van Genderen has developed a
spiritual system that enriches her personal and professional life. Becoming a certified Kundalini
Yoga instructor this year has opened the door for the spread of kindness, compassion and
contemplation that has become the focus of her life. She recently moved to Los Angeles from
Philadelphia where she was studying to become a videographer and is now pursuing that career.
Kundalini Kris –as her friends have come to know her- is a lapsed Catholic, despite having
received all of the initiation sacraments (Baptism, first communion, confirmation). “My mom
mainly wanted to instill good morals and the tradition based on how she was raised,” says Van
Genderen, who never felt connected to Catholicism. Father Eduardo Diaz, a priest at a local
parish in New York, explains, “We call those Cafeteria Catholics; people who send their kids to
24

Sunday school and only come to church on Easter–picking and choosing.” Van Genderen says
she was never fully sold on the idea of Catholicism, but in High School she started to question,
“what the hell was out there?” One of her teachers made the class read, “Peace is Every Step” by
world-renowned spiritual leader and zen master, Thich Nhat Hanh. The book got her through
her adolescence and taught her that spirituality began by looking within.
“Kristen is totally a free spirit. That girl is just always happy and tries to spread joy. She
sees nothing wrong with the world even when everything is wrong with the world” says close
friend Luisa Moreno. This attitude is a direct result of years of trying to find herself. While in
college at Temple University, she found solace in meditating in the wooded areas of the campus
and inviting friends to do the same. Although she admits that what she once thought was
meditating, doesn’t even compare to the almost “trippy” experiences she’s been able to achieve
since.
Van Genderen believes that religion is the way in which we live our lives, not where (or
who) we worship. She is dedicating her craft of video editing to a project called “Time Stamps.”
This began with her sick grandfather, as she’s in the process of capturing special moments in his
life so that she can build a montage of his life post death. As a result, she has offered these
services to other people, and is now capturing pregnancies, babies’ growth and the elderly.
“That’s what makes me feel fulfilled. Encapsulating peoples’ special moments so that they can
relive them over and over.”
After moving to Los Angeles, Van Genderen stumbled upon Kundalini yoga, and had a
love at first sight experience. She’d tried other forms of yoga, but she loved that Kundalini
required that she keep her eyes closed throughout the meditation. Keeping her eyes shut allowed
her to connect with the practice on a deeper level. This form of yoga was brought to the West in
25

1969. It focuses more on breathing and chanting than on movement. Controlled breathing creates
spiritual transformation by releasing the powerful Kundalini energy at the base of the spine.
“Sometimes people leave out the spirituality aspect…they think it’s a bunch of physical stuff,
which it is…but it’s a physical exercise, the purpose of which is to make it so that you can reach
a meditative/contemplative place,” explains Burklo.
Kristen Van Genderen is now a certified yoga instructor. “As an instructor, you’re just the
channel. Everyone has the answers within them, and Kundalini is just a tool to extract them,” she
says. Her mother and atheist brothers, on the other hand, were doubtful of the new journey she’d
embarked on. Until her mom suffered from chronic arthritis, that is. She got desperate, so
Kristen sent her a mantra to repeat for 40 days, which led to her miraculous healing. Now mom
is all about it.
Kundalini yoga provides Van Genderen with a sense of being and feeling connected; and
through that experience, she’s been able to find her truth and essence. Before that happened,
Kris tried hard to find answers to the question of life’s existence and purpose. Today, she is
comforted in the truth that “we all have the answers within us.” The existence of God and Jesus
is not a concept that sits well with her. The words “God” and “Jesus” (based on Catholic
teaching) make her very uncomfortable. Instead, she believes that the divine is in everything; in
a flower, a friend’s eye, a fingernail –it’s all around us.
I wondered how she copes with death or tragedy, and she says, “it’s simple, I just have to
come back into myself and breathe, recalibrate.” Kaya Oakes states that in part, religion doesn’t
have a lot of purpose when you’re in your 20’s and 30’s because what religion does is find a way
to help with end of life issues. “Unless you lose a family member, you don’t really think about
that when you’re young,” Oakes affirms. However, Van Genderen admits to having attempted to
26

connect with loved ones who have passed away through her yoga practices, which she says have
been successful.
Although Van Genderen is proficient in her yoga practice, it’s not her religion. “Kundalini
is the spiritual platform through which I meditate and have learned about myself.” When asked
what religion she follows, Van Genderen says that kindness; compassion, love and openness are
at the center of her belief system. There is no title. There is no box. It is all everywhere. She is
not committed to any religion and believes that what may seem believable today, may not be
believable tomorrow. “It’s about whatever my truth is at the moment.”
Kristen Van Genderen is a millennial whose moral code is a culmination of life experiences,
conversations, and truths derived from meditation, philosophies, Buddhism and Kundalini yoga.
“I’m sure [my spirituality] will continue to evolve and grow. It’s a collective belief structure that
is always evolving”.
27

Conclusion
Studies continue to show that there is an overall decline in traditional organizations and
institutions among millennials. This isn’t only true for religion. Politics are being affected as
well. The distrust in institutions is rampant among this generation, even spilling over into the
institution of marriage. “They want to interpret religion in a way that already confirms the way
they see the world, rather than reconfiguring the way they see the world into a religious box,”
says Soni. This applies to the “traditional stray-away,” the “spiritual curator” and the
“traditional” millennial alike. Each has undergone a different experience, and are all in search of
the same thing, using similar techniques. “Just because we see the 34% that are rejecting this
idea of tradition -the biggest number we’ve ever seen- it doesn't mean that the conversation of
God or spirituality stops. It’s the opposite, actually” Soni says.
Religion has fallen below the critical mass for millennials, explains Burklo. For instance,
if a new iPhone is released, most people will purchase it because it’s become a “thing,” there is
societal pressure associated with it. And although it seems that the megachurches are becoming
a “thing,” Burklo argues that they still follow a traditional doctrine (albeit loosely), and their
membership is “easy come, easy go.” It doesn’t require commitment, so there’s no pressure. It’s
easy. In addition, the parents of millennials also play a major role in this, too, he argues, “their
parents’ commitment to religion is weak at best. So now their kids’ commitment is getting even
looser. It’s evolution.” Oakes agrees that there is a vast social acceptance of being non-religious
in our community. Being religious is no longer a social norm in our culture. “I mean, take
Berkeley for example, it’s not really a big deal to be non religious, most of our students aren’t
and it’s not something that’s shocking or weird anymore,” says Oakes.
Either way, the millennials are currently the most diverse generation in human history,
28

according to Soni, “They’re the most multi ethnic, multi cultural, multi faith.”
“The message gets lost [in the idea that] everybody in whatever the
generation is (gen X, baby boomers, millennials) does this or that, and that’s
really not the case. What it is is that everybody in their generation is responding at
the same point in their lives, to the same social, cultural, economic kinds of
developments. And that helps form the way they think about the world. But that’s
not the only thing that forms their views on the world, because they respond in
slightly different ways. But you’re always going to have the quote unquote true
believers. The people that don’t leave and the people that find what they need in
the tradition. What else is going on? It’s not just the gloss overview, but it’s also
what lies underneath. Why are some younger people still part of the tradition as
opposed to bailing out? I think those are more interesting questions,” says Flory.
Similarly, this begs the question: What about those who are still just trying to figure it
out? What about the millennials on the fence? There are several layers that can be uncovered in
order to fully understand this generation and their spirituality. The numbers only scratch the
surface. This generation is diverse in every sense of the word, but one thing that remains certain
is that they are all still in search for the answers to the big questions in life.

29

References
Alper, Becka A. “Millennials Are Less Religious Than Older Americans, but Just as Spiritual.”
November 23, 2015. Accessed December 24, 2016. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-
tank/2015/11/23/millennials-are-less-religious-than-older-americans-but-just-as-spiritual/.
Boston, Arthur, personal interview, July 23, 2016.
Burklo, Jim, personal interview, September 6, 2016.
Cooper Ph.D., Betsy, Daniel Cox Ph.D., Rachel Lienesch Ph.D., and Robert P. Jones Ph.D.
“Anxiety, Nostalgia, and Mistrust: Findings from the 2015 American Values Survey.” November
2017. Accessed December 24, 2016. http://www.prri.org/research/survey-anxiety-nostalgia-and-
mistrust-findings-from-the-2015-american-values-survey/.
Christian Science, What is Christian Science? 2016, http://www.christianscience.com/what-is-
christian-science
Diaz, Eduardo Fr., personal interview, November 2015.
Flory, Richard, personal interview, class lecture, October 2015.
Fraser, Caroline, “Suffering Children and the Christian Science Church,” The Atlantic, April
1995.
Genislow, Ana, personal interview, April 3, 2016.
Houston, Benjamin, telephone interview, November 11, 2015.
Houston, Brian. “Do I Love Gay People?” January 15, 2013. Accessed December 24, 2016.
http://hillsong.com/collected/blog/2015/08/do-i-love-gay-people/#.WF3l36IrLBV.
Lipka, Michael. “Millennials Increasingly Are Driving Growth of ‘nones.’” May 12, 2015.
Accessed December 24, 2016. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/05/12/millennials-
increasingly-are-driving-growth-of-nones/.
Martinez, Josephine, personal interview, October 10, 2015.
Martinez, Nicholas, personal interview, October 10, 2015.
30

Masci, David. “Q&A: Why Millennials Are Less Religious Than Older Americans.” January 8,
2016. Accessed December 24, 2016. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/01/08/qa-why-
millennials-are-less-religious-than-older-americans/.
Morgan, Michael, personal interview, September 7, 2016.
Oakes, Kaya, telephone interview, October 22, 2016.
Soni, Varun, personal interview, February 2016.
Silverio, Suzie, personal interview, September 30, 2015.
Spirituality in Higher Education. The Spiritual Life of College Students. Graduate School of
Education & Information Studies: University of California, Los Angeles, 2005.
http://spirituality.ucla.edu/docs/reports/Spiritual_Life_College_Students_Full_Report.pdf.
Stille, Alexander. “WHAT POPE BENEDICT KNEW ABOUT ABUSE IN THE CATHOLIC
CHURCH.” News Desk (The New Yorker), January 19, 2016.
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/what-pope-benedict-knew-about-abuse-in-the-
catholic-church.
Van Genderen, Kristen, personal interview, January 27, 2016.

.

Abstract (if available)

Abstract This thesis explores the spiritual journey of a diverse group of millennials who are trying to solidify their spiritual makeup.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Cabreja, Karina M. (author)

Core Title Meet the millennials: on the spirituality fence

School Annenberg School for Communication

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Specialized Journalism (The Arts)

Publication Date 02/07/2017

Defense Date 02/07/2017

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag Millennials,OAI-PMH Harvest,Religion,Spirituality

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Winston, Diane (committee chair), Anawalt, Sasha (committee member), Soni, Varun (committee member)

Creator Email cabreja@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c40-329146

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Rights Cabreja, Karina M.

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Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

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