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Gen Y becoming less Christian
Most young adults who call themselves Christians aren’t living in a way that reflects their beliefs, a survey from LifeWay Christian Resources reveals in USA Today.
According to the survey of 1,200 18- to 29-year-olds, 65 percent of millenials call themselves Christians. Of those self-proclaimed Christians,
- 65 percent rarely or never pray with other people, while 38 percent never prays by themselves
- 65 percent rarely or never attend worship services
- 67 percent don’t read the bible.
- Only about half of them believe that Jesus is the only path to heaven.
However the study also shows that there is still roughly 15 percent who appear “deeply committed” to their faith in their study, prayer, worship and action.
Colin Hansen, the author of Young, Restless, Reformed, is encouraged by the 15 percent.
“I’m not going to say these numbers aren’t true and aren’t grim, but they also drive people like me to build new, passionately Christian dynamic churches,” says Hansen.
The study also showed that seven in 10 Protestants between the ages of 18 and 30 who went to church in high school have left by the time they were 23. And 34 percent of them didn’t return, even sporadically, by the age of 30.
Of all the millennials surveyed, 72 percent said they were “more spiritual than religious.”
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“According to the survey of 1,200 18- to 29-year-olds, 65 precent of millenials call themselves Christians. Of those self-proclaimed Christians, 65 percent rarely or never prays with other people, while 38 percent never prays by themselves; 65 percent rarely or never attend worship services; and 67 percent don’t read the bible. Only about a half believe that Jesus is the only path to heaven.”
Lack of teaching of God’s Word at home, in the church. Lack of believe God’s Word is true.
While the enemy of God was teaching it is ok not to pray or read God’s Word.
God we need an out pouring of your Holy Spirit, please given us a revial.
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Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam might be called “hereditary” religions. They reproduce their religion by reproducing their genes.
Christianity and Islam might be called “viral” religions. They reproduce their religion by reproducing and infecting others with it.
Over time, some viruses seem to naturally lose their effectiveness ant spreading. The Mama and Daddy viruses wail and gnash their teeth about how the child viruses are not reproducing like they used to.
Or as they used to say when I taught in the ghetto, “Keep the faith, baby!”
When they weren’t saying to that naughty girl, Faith, “Keep the baby!”
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Amen to that, Pastor Roy.
Wait until these people have children of their own.
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I was less committed to my faith at that age. Most people go through a backslid period, God never let go of me. I came back. Hopefully most of them will too.
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Random: They are all hereditary. The best predictor of religious belief has always been parental belief.
I think the main reason for the dramatic drop-off in religious faith is that modern media have exposed young folks to the rank hypocrisy and self-interest of most religions and their leaders. Not to mention the multiple examples of religiously supported and sponsored violence, suffering and warfare that the same media have covered so extensively.
Fortunately, in most of the world, religion will never again be able to dominate education and media (not to mention behavior) the way they used to do.
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Is there demographic stat data to show the tendency to lapse in your faith among: Mormom, Jehovah Witness, Christian Science etc??
Marriage tends to for many at least re-ignite church attendance.
I know lotsa Christians who were turned off by the whole church scene in their early 20s. That doesnt mean they ceased believing.
But..
we are enjoined in Scripture to not forsake gathering together. Small group Bible Studies and cell groups might be better for young folks in those years when so many fall away.
And why might that be?
Young adults could be “used mightily” if given the chance. Dare the ordained paid full-time staff truly call upon the young adults to do anything beyond sit in the pews and shout back Amen?! I think the reason many young adults drift away are not too different than the reasons cited by Dave Murrow in “Why Men HATE Going to Church”.
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#4 Kbells,
I was one of those kids whose parents werent going to contribute much beyond a meal and place to sleep while I was in college (mid 20s)
I was not there much for the singles/youth stuff due to a part time Sunday job and its time and 1/2 pay. Do they have jobs paying Sunday time and 1/2 anymore? For a secularized generation, I doubt it!!
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NJLawyer 04.27.10 AT 5:37 PM
Amen to that, Pastor Roy.
Wait until these people have children of their own.
–
If we are still here.
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#5 Arcadia
Arcadia: You sound as if you are disillusioned with religion. I can’t say that I was ever “illusioned” with religion. On the other hand, what replaces it?
I think the main reason for the dramatic drop-off in religious faith is that modern media have exposed young folks to the rank hypocrisy and self-interest of most religions and their leaders. Not to mention the multiple examples of religiously supported and sponsored violence, suffering and warfare that the same media have covered so extensively.
Fortunately, in most of the world, religion will never again be able to dominate education and media (not to mention behavior) the way they used to do.
You are defining a positive as the absence of a negative. Nature abhors a vacuum. Replace religious belief for many people and their heads will implode. Especially at a certain web site I could mention where a thin layer of belief, perhaps a micron thick, is the only thing that stands between them and the cold vacuum of nihilism. Do not try removing your illusions at home.
After my aunt and uncle became a believer in natural foods, they began to make their own organic grape juice at home. They left it in the bottle too long and one day (fortunately when no one was at home) the bottle exploded, driving shards of glass into the walls. Do you want to be responsible for shards of exploded evangelical minds embedded in walls?
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Jesus said that there will be those faith will be choked by the cares of this world.
It’s easy to do nowadays. Very easy. We’re distracting ourselves to death, I think.
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My daughter is a committed Christian who attends a Christian college and reads her Bible daily and writes deep and lucid theological papers. She serves the needy in her local community and travels a few times a year to foreign and domestic mission fields, the latest aiding a Native American community, teaching children and helping families and building and repairing dilapidated buildings. She is my hero.
But she feels like I do about sitting in a pew for an hour with a few feel good songs and a short monologue which we’ve heard hundreds of times before with people who play church. It can be a chore. And so I can understand why attendance is down.
That’s not a put down of others. We are all guilty of this. In church we behave. We are careful with our words. We are careful how we dress. We use church words. Our actual lives are set aside temporarily for an hour or so. That is fine, but it isn’t real. It isn’t who we really are. Talk to these people outside of church and you discover they actually are real. It is outside of church where Christians really belong. Church should prepare people to interact with the world.
Many churches are inward focused. They want people to “Come and join us”. The insiders talk a certain way and dress a certain way. They want to reach the people “out there” to come “in here”. Are you in or out? Well, if I look at Christ’s life, we should be out there, not in here.
Some churches emphasize “putting on Christ”, but the result is that we pretend to be someone else for a few hours a week. Unfortunately, that alter ego we put on often isn’t much like Christ at all. He was God in the flesh and became a nobody, a humble servant of others seeking no fame. He spent his time in the highways and byways. Neither church nor synagogue were a major focus of his life. His fellowship was with his disciples, friends and neighbors.
I understand the mission of the church. But I am not sure that what the Western church has involved into is all that it can be. I think we can do much better. We can be more real.
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* involved = evolved
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I think every generation worries about the next. But the real truth is that there is always only a remnant of true believers. Historically, it is persecution which cleanses the church. Hardships drive people to look for meaning, and some will find God, others will deny Him.
Our job is as it has always been, to teach the full Gospel.
From the first verse to the last, and to help those less mature than ourselves in their relationship with our Lord.
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“Of all the millennials surveyed, 72 percent said they were ‘more spiritual than religious’.”
This often means they “feel” their faith but don’t really practice it in tangible ways or along side other imperfect human beings.
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#5 – “I think the main reason for the dramatic drop-off in religious faith is that modern media have exposed young folks to the rank hypocrisy and self-interest of most religions and their leaders.”
In other words, the media have shown themselves to be blatantly bigoted and have dishonestly stereotyped Christians to smear them unfairly. Yup, Arcadia has a point about the media.
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XION (#11),
GREAT POST!!
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Perhaps this is just a snap shot of the normal cycle of nations.
The following link is an excellent article for all of us to reflect upon. How far along would you peg our decline?
http://www.probe.org/site/c.fdKEIMNsEoG/b.4217933/k.664B/The_Decline_of_a_Nation.htm
“Nations most often fall from within, and this fall is usually due to a decline in the moral and spiritual values in the family. As families go, so goes a nation.
This has been the main premise of thinkers from British historian J. D. Unwin to Russian sociologist Pitirim Sorokin who have studied civilizations that have collapsed. In his book Our Dance Has Turned to Death, Carl Wilson identifies the common pattern of family decline in ancient Greece and the Roman Empire. Notice how these seven stages parallel what is happening in our nation today. In the first stage, men ceased to lead their families in worship. Spiritual and moral development became secondary. Their view of God became naturalistic, mathematical, and mechanical.”
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#11 – Thanks for your post Xion.
My dad is my hero. I grew up without a shred of doubt that my dad absolutely loved the Lord’s church. He read Bible stories to me daily, he worked hard, he was kind to other kids in the neighborhood and took a crew of them to church for Sunday School every week. He also constantly volunteers to preach at nursing homes and is kind to all. Many here would consider his chrch a bit boring, but that notion is lost on him. He was always so exited to be at church and still is. He loves the people so much.
Thus, while I respect them and the point they make, I still just cannot relate to those who don’t love going to church, singing in pews, hearing Bible-based sermons and shaking hands with everyone there. And I have always been with churches who knew there was more to it than that too. That’s just a smattering of the joys I get out of church.
Xion, I agree we can do better. Never give up.
I also know that there is nothing on earth more “real” than my dad’s ‘churchy’ love for his church (not just the church as a concept or ideal but his specific church–building, flawed people, programs, sermons, old hymns and all). He’s in his 80s and going quite strong. The light is turned on for sure.
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#18 Thanks Joel. That is a wonderful legacy. And I know that joy.
But imagine children that are too protected and comfortable at home and never want to leave the nest. Responsible parents will push them out to engage in the world. Churches need to be reminded that the end game is to be found “out there”, not to swell their membership.
Regarding the joys of pastoring, I am curious whether you smile when you read Prov 14:4. Whenever I read this I think of church and imagine Jesus chuckled about this:
“Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox.”
In other words, for a church to accomplish much, you’ll need boots and a shovel and a very tolerant nose.
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Random: Despite haaving been taken to church weekly by my organ-playing Mom, I never was illusioned and really didn’t pay much attention until they started really messing in American politics.
BTW, I’m not sure that exploding grape juice driven shards might not be interpreted as just one of His Mysterious Ways. After all He is frequently worshipped using magical grape juice.
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Xion, 11; posts like that remind me of how blessed I am in my church.
I always anticipate Sunday mornings — I am challenged deeply by the sermon, often brought to quiet tears during communion and in the congregational singing. I leave there filled, refreshed and determined to live as Christ would have me live in the coming week.
I can’t imagine being “bored” by church!
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Arcadia, thank you for your reply.
As far as I can see:
1) Religion arises from our knowledge of our own mortality We are the only animal with the abstract thinking to contemplate this despairing concept.
2) Our solutions are:
a) We won’t die. (We envision an imaginary Heaven, where we would live forever and never be bored.)
b) We dance to our genes, creating little copies of ourselves.
c) We create “immortality” projects such as good deeds. Herbert Hoover saving lives during the Russian famine, to give one example. Or we create projects doing bad deeds, Hitler and Stalin killing millions of people. Or we create works of art, such as Mozart’s music, Rembrandt’s paintings, or Tolstoy’s novels.
None of these solutions satisfy us. This is one of the better wmb threads, and Xion’s comment was well written and even Joel Mark’s comment brought up a little eloquence and inspiration. However, this is not a web site that communicates happiness, contentment, and joy. There are a lot of people worse off than you, and unhappier than you, but you are not a bunch of happy campers, and it shows.
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I think our young people are discouraged by the dichotomy between what we say and what we do. They see our hypocrisy at home, at the workplace, and at church.
So they ditch it all. Sometimes, I can’t blame them.
David, Red Letter Believers blog, “Salt and Light”
http://www.redletterbelievers.com
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Life has a way of teaching hard lessons and some of these young people will “come to themselves” and return.
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#19 – Xion, the sort of love and commitment to the church I am speaking of is quite compatible with what you are saying about putting on boots and weilding a shovel, so to speakm “out there.”
But I may differ with you when you say that the “end game” is found “out there”, not to swell their membership. My problem is with the word “not.” I just don’t accept the dichotomy. Both have their needed place in Christian living. The end game is heaven and the road includes a good church home where we can support each other and find nurture AND where we can send each other “out there” into the world with boots on.
Regarding Proverbs 14:4, the rancher (who needs oxen as a livelihood and is willing to get dirty) also hopefully has a nice home in which he can go to sleep and get cleaned up.
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#23, I think it’s because young people see the divisions in the church (the Body of Christ that is supposed to be ONE) and they want none of it. They see the inconsistency of the church saying “we are united in Christ — except, really, we’re not.” I don’t know that they think those exact thoughts, but I think they look around and see that you can really find any “flavor” of Christianity you want — if you want it one way you can find it that way; if you want it another you can find it that way. Can’t find exactly what you want? Start your own church! But the church loses its organic strength when it can be divided up so easily and re-created according to personal preference. That’s my theory.
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Folks lets not forget, Society is pushing anti-christian Values. An that the lust of the Flesh is a very strong values being pushed.
Galatians 5:16-26 (New King James Version)
Walking in the Spirit
16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
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19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like;
—
This is what TV, Movies, Music, Book and Stars are pushing and living as being normal behaviors.
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Also in some church circles.
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#23
There’s never not been a disparity between what we say and do. That’s the very nature of being a Christian: knowing how to live rightly and understanding that we won’t ever do so.
Take this site, for example: Each one of us here who are believers know that we’re called to love each other with a radical love that will make people on the outside wonder what’s going on. Yet we see in thread after thread people who disagree with each other hurling accusations and tearing each other apart. Is this the radical love to which Christ called us? No. Do we know better? Yes. Are we still projects under construction by the grae of Christ, who repent of our sin and move forward when we fall, striving to do better next time? Yes.
Perhaps the American church is in decline; I don’t put much stock in the kinds of polls, but I’ll concede it’s most likely happening. But even with that downswing here in the US, we see the ascendancy of orthodoxy and the growth of the church in Africa and Asia, taking the lead where the West once led, with many African churches now sending missionaries to the US. That’s exciting.
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Angela, not to make you an offender for a word, but rather than use the term “less Christian”, I might have chosen “less godly”. Either you are Christian or you are not Christian. However, godliness grows or declines.
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hopesprings – I always wonder what people mean by saying less Christian. It like someone saying they are going to barly make it to heaven.
That idea goes against God’s Word in some many way.
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From what I understand of history, the percentage of true Christians has always been in the teens. So this may not be out of the ordinary.
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Perhaps if Christians endeavored to be less Old Testament and a more Sermon on the Mount Gen Y would be a little more accepting. Gen Y isn’t blind. They see the correlation between conservative Christianity and right wing political positions. I’ve learned nothing at WMB if not that being a “Real Christian” means you most probably support preemptive war, torture, discrimination against gays, global warming denial, anti-intellectualism, corporatism, etc. Christians have allowed Christianity to become synonymous with political positions that many people will find unacceptable. By becoming so incredibly partisan, conservative Christianity is driving people away.
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Perhaps if Christians endeavored to be less Old Testament and a more Sermon on the Mount Gen Y would be a little more accepting.
—
lets forget Jesus called people to repent of their sins.
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Lets forget about Pauls writtens.
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Do we surrender God’s Word in order to reach these people?
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If these young people have truly come to Christ at some point, He is well able to reach them. He can order circumstances and work in the heart.
The prodigal’s father didn’t chase after him, but probably followed his son with his prayers. When the prodigal came to himself (”What am I doing?”) his father was waiting for him.
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Perhaps some are leaving the Lord’s church for some of the same reasons that people rejected the Lord Himself two thousand years ago.
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#34 – “Perhaps if Christians endeavored to be less Old Testament and a more Sermon on the Mount Gen Y would be a little more accepting.”
Only if they were willing to give up not only adultery but lust as well.
Only if they were willing to tear out their own eye or cut off a hand before they would willfully sin.
Only if they were willing to give up not just murder but disrespect, name-calling and hate as well.
Only if they were willing to live without holding grudges.
Only if they are willing to swear off divorce for life, except in the case of unchastity.
Only if they are willing to be forgiven to the same extent that they forgive others.
Actually, anyone who cannot see the loving will of God exressed in the Old Testament would fail to see it in the Sermon on the Mount as well. In fact, they would probably dislike Jesus’ demanding sermon even more.
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Random:
Please understand this isn’t meant to be accusatory, but you and your nihilist posse seem to suffer from excessive unhappiness and anger. The christians on the other hand seem to be fairly happy (although occasionally angry). Seeing as you’ve so numbed yourself to misery, how can you recognize happiness?
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Do you think young (or any group of) people tend to be attracted to Christianity because it is pro-life or repelled? Would they be attracted to us more if we wanted the state (ordained governing authorities) to respond to terrorist jihadists more often with a white flag and appeasement? What about if we believed that equal marriage rights should go to polygamists, homosexuals, polyamorists, bisexuals, transsexuals, same-sex siblings and so on? Would they like us if we were gullible enough to fall for any hoax the media, elitists and the intelligentsia throw at us, even after fraud and distortions of data are proven to have been used? How about if we force money from some and passed it out to whoever wanted it? How about if we had not been the ones to oppose slavery first and with the most conviction?
If we drive people away for being true to God’s Word and honest in our convictions, then so be it. Jesus said it best:
* ““This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.”” ~ Jesus (John 3:19-20
).
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41, Provost, I agree in theory but in practice…. Take a look at Saturday’s Whirrled Views if you want to see what he means. Cheryl D and Karen O really shone but most everyone else was rather scary.
I am very glad I was not there or else I most likely would have made a complete fool out of myself trying to do what Cheyl D did.
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#34 KWatson “I’ve learned nothing at WMB if not that being a “Real Christian” means you most probably support preemptive war, torture, discrimination against gays, global warming denial, anti-intellectualism, corporatism, etc.”
You’re making a classic error. Have you heard of separation of church and state? World is a place where Christians can discuss politics and religion, which often have little in common. About half of us here are conservative. Being a leftist you not only disagree them, but twist what they say into something utterly unrecognizable and then trample it underfoot in triumph.
That is fine, but your beef is not with actual conservative positions nor with actual Christianity. You are debating a caricature in your own imagination.
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34. Kwatson
Your observations are in the ball park but it appears your interpretations are skewed.
What you are observing is the difference between a Christian Worldview and a neo-Marxist Worldview.
Having a Christian Worldview one does endorse Just War Theory (not preemptive war), discrimination against sinful behaviors, scientific truth Vs junk politicized science; truth, reason and logic Vs scientism; free market, private ownership and enterprise Vs fascism, socialism and corporate/govt partnerships. Christians (true Christians that is) support God’s design for sphere sovereignty and God’s will for morality.
Your tone and emphasis on Sermon on the Mount harkens of the Obama/Wallis religion best described as spiritual Marxism with just a bare minimum of Christian lingo and reference. You’re correct that Gen Y is more accepting to this neo-Marxist religion as they have been heavily indoctrinated into the neo-Marxist Worldview through government schools and media. Unfortunately, most are living the lie, know no better and prefer the dark Vs the light and life.
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The reasons some among Gen Y may be becoming less Christian are, no doubt, diverse. They are a heterogeneous group. And whatever we can do to improve our outreach and address their legitimate concerns, I am for. But any decision to become “less Christian” may be eternally fatal for the decision-maker (God will be the Judge). If they let cultural nuances or concerns or other people determine their eternal fate, that would be most sad. The responsibility we all have before our Maker will not be mitigated by culture or excuses about other generations or trends.
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Amen JM.
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I’m terribly late joining this conversation, but I’d like to point out something small from my own experience. I am a 22 year old who was raised in a strong Christian home. I still attend church somewhat regularly and pray and read the Bible, but not nearly as often as I should. I’m definitely in the minority of my friends. I have two other friends who attend church about as frequently as I do, and all the others never go, despite just about all of them being raised in Christian homes. I think that, from talking to them, the primary reasons they have left the church are the divisiveness and the hypocrisy that they see, just as Juliana and Rupzip pointed out. Of course, their own actions in leaving the church certainly do fall on them, but the church is at fault too for focusing on things that are unimportant and distract from their true mission (which then drives people away).
Finally, I also wanted to share that I wait tables, as do most of my friends. All of us work on Sunday mornings, and every single of us will tell you that Sunday mornings are the worst shift of the week – because Christians are our biggest Sunday customers, and they are by far the worst customers we will ever encounter. They are rude, demanding, demeaning, and inconsiderate. They also consistently tip poorly, no matter the level of service. And there is nothing more frustrating and anger-inducing then being left a tract instead of a tip. I hate admitting I am a Christian when Christians who come into my workplace consistently act in such a shameful manner. It is behavior like this that pushes at least my friends away from the church.
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