They are concerned because many Gen Xers aren't coming to church and are into a lot of stuff that makes traditional Jews, Christians and Muslims nervous.

I, too, wish more of them would go to church or synagogue or mosque, but many are probably not going to get religion unless a big meteor comes hurtling toward Earth.

One of the problems is the kind of God they were given during their early years. They were taught Ñ or were allowed to believe Ñ that they could get anything they wanted from God. And they tried, but it didn't work. Now many of them either think they were sold a bill of goods or believe the church is against fun.

Either way, they are not going to come back to church and get fooled again. And in many ways, traditional religion has shown that it believes young people are not to be trusted. If you give them something to do, traditional religion believes, chances are good they will mess it up. There are few things that will turn a person off faster than not being trusted.

So you can see we have some problems dealing with Generation X.

But we also have to admit that they do things that make us nervous and sometimes angry. One example is the trend toward markings. Many wear rings all over their bodies, and they adorn their bodies with tattoos. When I was a teen-ager, the only people who had tattoos were guys who had fought in World War II. And we figured they had sacrificed so much they could do anything they wanted.

But now, it seems, if you're Generation X and you don't have a tattoo or a ring, you really don't belong. One author, Tom Beaudoin, likens tattoos and rings to sacraments for some Generation Xers, and tattoos have permanently marked an entire generation. Beaudoin's first book, "Virtual Faith" (Jossey-Bass Publishers, $22), which explores some of these issues, should be in bookstores very soon.

There are many things that trouble many of us about Generation X, but now some religious bodies are trying to do something about this generation we thought we had lost.

For instance, here in the Twin Cities, a new church has recently opened its doors and is attracting some attention. It's called Praxis, and its members worship in the basement conference room of an old nightclub/restaurant that has a neat piano bar and good food.

Michelle Hargrave, a young, bright United Methodist minister who seems to have done everything the right way, started the church for Generation Xers after getting permission from her bishop. She began by hanging out in coffee shops, bowling alleys Ñ almost anywhere she might be able to actually sit down with young people and have a conversation.

In the process, she met all kinds of people, many of whom she invited to join her mission design team, the group that would actually develop the community of faith.

What they came up with sounds like a good fit for Generation X. Their band is called First Lounge of God, and they actually have conversations in church. They do studies of issues important to their lives, and Hargrave preaches what she calls interactive sermons.

This may not be exactly what Gen X needs, and that's why the mission design team has to remain flexible and open to new experiences. But at this point, the congregation is doing well Ñ not exactly self-supporting but the bishop likes what he sees.

Those who would criticize these kinds of efforts simply do not understand the future and how important all of this will be to the future of religion. We can't have religion the way it has been in the 20th century in the next generation. We have to be flexible and open and do almost anything to bring those young people back to religion.

If you are part of a similar experiment, I'd like to know more about it. Please write or e-mail me. My address is 345 Cedar St., St. Paul, Minn. 55101. My e-mail is cmorphew@pioneerpress.com . And my fax number is (612) 228-5500.

Clark D. Morphew