In A Generation of Seekers: The Spiritual Journeys of the Baby Boom Generation, Wade Clark Roof of the University of California presents a survey of this generation's search for meaning. Those born between 1946 and 1964 were deeply affected by the social upheavals, affluence, gender revolution, education, and media of the 1960s. Although vastly different in many ways, most baby boomers value experience over beliefs. They distrust institutions and leaders, are more interested in personal fulfillment than in community, and are fluid in their allegiances.
Roof profiles the spiritual journeys of seven prototypical baby boomers including an evangelical, a New Age devotee, a man who is shopping around for a church, a woman who has a love/hate relationship with the Catholic church, and a father who has returned to church for the sake of his children's religious education.
Although two-thirds of all baby boomers dropped out of churches and synagogues when growing up, those who have come back have high expectations. Some of the things they look for are a warm, accepting environment, a less authoritarian and more democratic community, and a place that provides a diverse crosscut of programs in spiritual education.
Roof points out that middle age has propelled many baby boomers to embark on a spiritual journey. They seek a more active inner life, closer ties with the natural world, an appreciation of the body, and a sense of community. The author predicts that the proliferation of groups, seminars, and retreats aimed at the spiritual interests of this generation will increase and intensify for the remainder of this century.