Children of a modern God

The crowd surges to the stage with arms outstretched, mouths open and eyes closed in rapture. They form a tight, heaving mass in front of the young lead singer, who is bouncing around the stage near banners reading "Love God" and "forever". "I know it's hot, but my Jesus didn't know it was hot when he died on the cross for me," he screams to his sweaty flock, before singing that "I live to see this generation saved".

About 500 teenagers - who arrived here by the bus-load from Frankston, Werribee, Dandenong and Sunshine - sway or pray in time to the loud music. More still are expected at services over the Easter weekend, typically the busiest time in the Christian calendar.

Bass guitarist Tim Bradbury, 17, of Mooroolbark, has been attending the Planetshakers evangelical church since it started in Melbourne four years ago. God is the centre of his life, he says.

"I revolve my life around him. He's your best friend, someone who's very generous, has open arms. He's almost like your father."

The vinyl chairs filling Collingwood Town Hall on Friday night were empty for most of the service, as the teens stood to chant or clap while the youth pastors spread the word on stage.

This Friday is Good Friday, the most important date on the Christian calendar. But how many young people in particular will be marking Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection on Easter Sunday?

Empty pews are a common sight in Australia's established churches. The latest census found that just over half of 15 to 34-year-olds call themselves Christian, compared with 64% of all Australians and 79% of those aged over 65. Data tracing generation Y - those born from 1976 to 2001 - over the decade to 2006 as they began forging their own beliefs shows that about a third stopped identifying themselves as Catholic, while more than 40% turned from Anglicanism.

But it seems the long-documented drift from established religions has not left generation Y godless - or at least has not left it lacking in spirit. Experts suggest young Australians are increasingly embracing spirituality, whether in rebellion against their parents' secularism or as an antidote to rampant materialism.

Spirituality used to have a predominantly religious meaning, often referring to someone's relationship with God. Now it is used more broadly to denote a person's outlook and values, whether religious or not. And its rise among generation Y has prompted some who once spoke about the death of God to now contemplate something akin to a resurrection.