- Jan 30, 2014
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State of the Bible, 2014
Here's what they found.
IMO, the good news in those results is that many of those reasons are correctable, some of them easily so. But one thing's for sure, if we do nothing these trends are only going to accelerate and eventually Christianity will become irrelevant in the US.
The obvious question we're probably all asking is, "Why is this happening?" Well, the same Christian group did a survey of young people and found that they were leaving the faith at pretty high rates, so they asked, "Why".Now there are just as many Americans skeptical of the Bible as there are engaged with the Bible. According to the fourth annual State of the Bible survey, 19 percent said that they were skeptical of the Bible. This number is up from 10 percent in 2011.
This trend is even more pronounced among the Millennial generation (who range in age from 18-29). According to the State of the Bible report, Millennials are
- Less likely to view the Bible as sacred literature (64 percent in comparison to 79 percent of adults),
- Less likely to believe the Bible contains everything a person needs to know to lead a meaningful life (35 percent in comparison to 50 percent of adults), and
- More likely to never read the Bible (39 percent compared in comparison to 26 percent of adults).
Here's what they found.
The study of young adults focused on those who were regular churchgoers Christian church during their teen years and explored their reasons for disconnection from church life after age 15.
No single reason dominated the break-up between church and young adults. Instead, a variety of reasons emerged. Overall, the research uncovered six significant themes why nearly three out of every five young Christians (59%) disconnect either permanently or for an extended period of time from church life after age 15.
Reason #1--Churches seem overprotective.
Reason #2 – Teens’ and twentysomethings’ experience of Christianity is shallow.
Reason #3 – Churches come across as antagonistic to science.
Reason #4 – Young Christians’ church experiences related to sexuality are often simplistic, judgmental.
Reason #5 – They wrestle with the exclusive nature of Christianity.
Reason #6 – The church feels unfriendly to those who doubt.
IMO, the good news in those results is that many of those reasons are correctable, some of them easily so. But one thing's for sure, if we do nothing these trends are only going to accelerate and eventually Christianity will become irrelevant in the US.