CV NEWS FEED // Gen Z doesn’t approve of silent discos in cathedrals, according to a recent article from British news source UnHerd.
The historic Anglican Canterbury Cathedral held a 90s-themed silent disco last week, which received significant pushback from devout Anglicans. According to UnHerd, the disco was “a stark reminder of Britain’s declining faith.”
However, UnHerd noted that the majority of participants were “middle-aged women,” rather than teens and young adults.
“While this might have been down to the event’s Nineties nostalgia theme, it also suggests that partying in a church is something which particularly appeals to a certain generation of secular Britons — a generation who might still see rebelling against Christianity as puckishly subversive,” UnHerd stated.
Though Gen Z is stereotyped as being one of the most tolerant and progressive generations, UnHerd reported that Gen X and millennials have been the ones calling for “more liberal theology and the need to ‘update’ the church for contemporary culture,” not Gen Z.
UnHerd also hypothesized that younger generations tend to rebel against the values of their parents and grandparents. If Gen X and millennials become more progressive, Gen Z could become more traditional and open to the idea of religion as a result.
According to a 2022 report from Christian think tank Theos, Gen Z is “more likely to think religion has a place in the modern world than any other generation.”
It is now re-enchantment which holds subcultural value,” UnHerd wrote. “Though this may take on questionable forms, it seems unlikely to entail holding silent discos in cathedrals. Young people have had enough of the profane; now, more and more are seeking the sacred.”
