Anxious about a Generation: Exploring a theology of well-being for young people

The epidemic of poor mental and emotional well-being among teenagers is well documented, and the causes much debated. Jonathan Haidt’s book The Anxious Generation and Netflix’ series Adolescence have cut through into public discourse, but how might we think theologically about what is going on? Is it possible that the pursuit of expressive individualism, fuelled by the mantra that you can be anything you want to be, alongside immersion in the projected perfectionism of online influencers, is setting young people up to be unfulfilled, anxious, or angry? In this year’s lecture Prof Andrew Root will take us on a journey of theological and cultural analysis to unpick the idol of exceptionalism in order that we might be equipped to help young people discover an identity not based on their own ability to stand out but in the creativity of the God who made them in His own image. Drawing on the Psalms and the craft of poetry as an example of creative expression that lifts our gaze outward, rather than turning us further inward, Root will demonstrate how such a theological understanding leads to creative practices that might embody a form of good news, and an antidote to anxiety, for young people today.