While church attendance in the U.S. has steadily declined over the last century, teenagers in America are still interested in knowing more about Jesus.
A recent survey from Barna Research found a vast majority of American teens (77%) are at least “somewhat motivated” to learn more about the Son of God.
The researchers behind the new survey see the openness to learning about God as “encouraging news” that presents an opportunity for engagement with younger Americans.
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“This generation tends to believe there’s something out there more powerful than them,” reads a report on the data. “Still, many remain hesitant to embrace religion or churchgoing. Church leaders should recognize that teens’ openness to learning about Jesus represents a significant opportunity for meaningful engagement — but this requires a thoughtful approach, given Gen Z’s hesitancy toward religion and the church.”
The data found 52% of U.S.-based teenagers are “very motivated” and 25% are “somewhat motivated” to know more about Jesus.
With that in mind, the researchers suggested, “Leaders would do well to create spaces for open dialogue where teens can explore their questions about Jesus without pressure.”
Pew Research Center data from 2018 found 80% of Americans reported believing in God, but only a slim majority (56%) said they believed in the Lord “as described in the Bible.”
At the time, Barna’s David Kinnaman said those results were encouraging.
“Though religious affiliation and church attendance continue to decline, spiritual openness and curiosity are on the rise,” he said. “Across every generation, in fact, we see an unprecedented desire to grow spiritually, a belief in a spiritual/supernatural dimension and a belief in God or a higher power.”
Broad interest in deeper understandings of Jesus is certainly encouraging. However, it is concerning to see data not only suggesting church attendance is in decline, but that biblical literacy is plummeting.
In 2023, the American Bible Society’s State of the Bible survey found only 9% of Americans read Scripture on a daily basis — a reality that has led to “biblical illiteracy,” according to Dr. Michael Youssef, a theologian, author, and pastor based in Atlanta.
“This is grieving to me,” Youssef told CBN News. “And we are surprised at what’s happening in our culture and our society? Are we surprised when we have neglected the measuring stick? … In fact, when they were forming the [biblical] canon — the word ‘canon’ actually is an Arabic word, believe it or not, and it comes from the [phrase] ‘measuring stick.’ … How do we know what is right and what is wrong and what is deceptive and what is false and what is right and what’s truth, unless we have that measuring stick?”
You can watch our full conversation with Youssef below:
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