{"id":27899,"date":"2015-04-06T20:54:01","date_gmt":"2015-04-07T01:54:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/kathyschiffer\/?p=27899"},"modified":"2015-04-06T21:07:56","modified_gmt":"2015-04-07T02:07:56","slug":"what-do-young-americans-think-of-jesus-and-how-can-we-change-their-minds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/kathyschiffer\/2015\/04\/what-do-young-americans-think-of-jesus-and-how-can-we-change-their-minds\/","title":{"rendered":"What Do Young Americans Think of Jesus–And How Can We Change Their Minds?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"PRAYING<\/a>
PRAYING HANDS (Betende H\u00e4nde) by Albrecht D\u00fcrer. Wikimedia Commons. This photo is in the public domain.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Well, Easter has passed.<\/strong> \u00a0We remember with gratitude that Jesus lived, died on the Cross for our sins, and was raised from the dead.<\/p>\n

But what does that really mean? \u00a0<\/strong>Unfortunately, for too many American Christians, it doesn\u2019t mean as much as one might hope. A new research report by the Barna Research Group<\/a>\u00a0demonstrates that \u201cAmericans\u2019 dedication to Jesus is, in most cases, a mile wide and an inch deep.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group, discusses the findings in\u00a0their phone and on-line studies during 2014 and 2015, which are summarized in a report<\/a>\u00a0released on April 1: <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMany of the institutional, cultural and familial tendons that connect young adults to life in Christ are stretching. Much has been made about whether Millennials will get more serious about church and faith as they age, but the fact is younger Americans are not as connected as older generations are to Christ. Jesus is a friend of sinners, but many Millennials are \u2018unfriending\u2019 him at a time when their lives are being shaped and their trajectories set toward the future.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What, exactly, do Americans believe about Jesus?<\/strong> \u00a0The Barna Group lists five tenets of Christianity and shows that in each case, the number of Millennials (those born in 1980 or after) who believe is lower than the number of older adults. \u00a0The five beliefs about Jesus which are analyzed in the Barna studies are:<\/p>\n

1. \u00a0Jesus was a real person.<\/strong><\/span> \u00a0More than nine out of ten adults (and most Millennials, who were born between 1980 and the early 2000s) believe he walked the earth. \u00a0But while 92% of adults believe in the existence of Jesus as a real person who walked the sands of Israel 2000 years ago, there is a slight decrease in faith among Millennials\u2013only 87% of whom believe that Jesus was a real person.<\/p>\n

2. \u00a0Younger generations are less likely to believe that Jesus was God.<\/strong><\/span> \u00a0While 56% of adults believe in Christ\u2019s divinity, that number drops to fewer than half (48%) for the Millennial generation.<\/p>\n

3. \u00a0Americans are divided on whether Jesus was sinless.<\/strong><\/span> \u00a0Again, though, there is a generational difference. \u00a0Among Millenials, 56% say that Jesus sinned while he was here on earth; when all adults are lumped together, that number drops to 52%.<\/p>\n

4. \u00a0Most Americans say they have made a commitment to Christ.<\/strong><\/span> \u00a0In their report, the Barna Group examines different subsets of the population: \u00a0women vs. men, whites vs. blacks, people at various income levels\u2013and have found differences within those groups. \u00a0Again, though, the most significant difference is age. \u00a0According to the Barna Group,<\/p>\n

Millennials are much less likely than any other group to have made a personal commitment to Jesus that is still important in their life today. Fewer than half of Millennials say they have made such a commitment (46%), compared to six in 10 Gen-Xers (59%), two-thirds of Boomers (65%) and seven in 10 Elders (71%).<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

5. \u00a0People are conflicted between \u201cJesus\u201d and \u201cGood Deeds\u201d as the way to heaven.<\/strong> <\/span>\u00a0Here Barna\u2019s understanding of being a \u201cborn-again Christian\u201d strongly\u00a0delineates between \u201cfaith\u201d and \u201cworks\u201d\u2013assessing the situation as \u201ceither-or\u201d rather than \u201cboth-and.\u201d \u00a0Barna\u2019s report explains:<\/p>\n

Millennials are less likely to believe that Jesus is the path to Heaven than are other generations. Among Millennials who have made a personal commitment to Jesus, only 56 percent say they believe they will go to heaven because they have confessed their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior. This percentage climbs to two-thirds of Gen-Xers (64%), six in 10 Boomers (62%) and nearly seven in 10 among Elders (68%).<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

* \u00a0 \u00a0 * \u00a0 \u00a0 * \u00a0 \u00a0 * \u00a0 \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

So what shall we make of the fact that in each category, younger Americans report less\u00a0faith? \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n