Barna Research: Belief in Jesus Rises, Fueled by Younger Adults
“According to Barna’s latest data, 66 percent of all U.S. adults say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus that is still important in their life today. That marks a 12-percentage-point increase since 2021” - Barna
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I found it interesting that among the younger generation, it is men that are more likely to identify with Christ. What I find interesting is that back in my teens and early 20's, when I would talk to other young people about Christ, the young men were far more willing to listen and to engage than the young women were. I remember the young women looking at the other girls and smirking, but the young men would ask questions and state their opinions and didn't even seem to care when the girls laughed at Christianity. I often got the impression that the young women were more concerned about what the other girls would think and were afraid to be seen as religious, while the young men felt free to have their own beliefs and opinions. That may have worked in favor of churches when women had peer pressure from other women to be in church, but it seems to be having the opposite effect the last few decades. For years, men didn't feel the need to give into the peer pressure to be in church, but now they don't feel the need to give into any peer pressure to not be in church either.
Even given the vagueness of “a personal commitment to Jesus,” that 12% increase number is astounding.
I’m still finding it hard to believe.
But there have been times in US History when that number might have been more like 50%… i.e., Great Awakening, flawed though it was.
Though I’m trying really hard to be grumpy, I can’t see any downside here. At the very least 12% more people gave Jesus some thought.
Views expressed are always my own and not my employer's, my church's, my family's, my neighbors', or my pets'. The house plants have authorized me to speak for them, however, and they always agree with me.
At the very least 12% more people gave Jesus some thought.
I recently watched Chuck Missler speak on the 7 churches of Revelation. His view is that each church represents a different age in church history. I have not been willing to completely discount that view, but I have also been very cautious about embracing it as well. Some of these things make sense, but I do not have enough isogetic evidence to contend for them. Having said that, if his idea is correct, then we should not be surprised that this age would be characteristic of the Laodician lukewarm church when a half century ago we were coming to the end of the hayday of missions in churches that seemed to be more in line with the church at Philidelphia. What I was encouraged by was his take that even though each area may be dominated by a certain church style, there are still remnants of the others.
What it comes down to is that even if we are in the Laodician age where people are only luke warm for Christ, we still have some people who are willing to let Jesus into the church as he stands to knock. Even if Chuck and others are correct about the trend of luke warm continuing, we should still be faithful to spread the word. What makes it hard is that the last few people I have led to Christ, just do not seem to want to grow anymore in their walk with the Lord. They are just luke warm at best.
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