The Barna Group recently released
research that reveals how attitudes about Bible usage are changing across
generations. The research interviewed over 1,000 people in five separate
studies. They defined each generation in the study: the Mosaic generation (ages
18 to 25), the Busters (ages 26 to 44), Boomers (ages 45 to 63), and Elders
(ages 64-plus).
The full report can be found here. Here are some of the differences they found between generations:
Less Sacred – While most
Americans of all ages identify the Bible as sacred, the drop-off among the
youngest adults is striking: 9 out of 10 Boomers and Elders described the Bible
as sacred, which compares to 8 out of 10 Busters (81%) and just 2 out of 3
Mosaics (67%).
Less Accurate – Young adults are
significantly less likely than older adults to strongly agree that the Bible is
totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches. Just 30% of Mosaics and
39% of Busters firmly embraced this view, compared with 46% of Boomers and 58%
of Elders.
More Universalism – Among Mosaics, a
majority (56%) believes the Bible teaches the same spiritual truths as other
sacred texts, which compares with 4 out of 10 Busters and Boomers, and
one-third of Elders.
Skepticism of
Origins – Another
generational difference is that young adults are more likely to express
skepticism about the original manuscripts of the Bible than is true of older
adults.
Less Engagement – While many young
adults are active users of the Bible, the pattern shows a clear generational
drop-off – the younger the person, the less likely they are to read the Bible.
In particular, Busters and Mosaics are less likely than average to have spent
time alone in the last week praying and reading the Bible for at least 15
minutes. Interestingly, none of the four generations were particularly likely
to say they aspired to read the Bible more as a means of improving their
spiritual lives.
Bible Appetite – Despite the
generational decline in many Bible metrics, one departure from the typical
pattern is the fact that younger adults, especially Mosaics (19%), express a
slightly above-average interest in gaining additional Bible knowledge. This
compares with 12% of Boomers and 9% of Elders.
Conclusion
seems to be the younger generations have a greater hunger for Bible knowledge
than older generations, yet they are more skeptical, read it less, and consider
it less accurate.
This research can be seen as discouraging on the surface, but it reveals a
deeper opportunity as well. If you feed the hunger for Bible knowledge through
biblical depth in all areas of ministry, then perhaps you’ll see the fruit of
less skepticism and a higher view of Scripture.
