The Bible for Every Generation

As far back as the 1990s, Barna Group’s founder, George Barna, was thinking and talking about generational differences. In The Frog in the Kettle, published in 1990, he examined the generational views of Elders (born 1945 and before), Boomers (1946 to 1964) and the generation he called “Baby Busters” (1965 to 1983), today more commonly called Gen-X.

In the tradition of George Barna’s pioneering work, Barna researchers have continued to observe and document overarching differences between the four adult generations alive in the U.S. today. Part IV takes a closer look at Millennials ages 18 to 31, and at younger teens as well.

Overall, Millennials are less religious and more skeptical than older Americans—and their views on the Bible reflect these tendencies. Yet there is more that unites the four generations than divides them. Barna research confirms the central role this revered text has for most Americans. A majority in each generation believes the Bible is a sacred or holy book. Millions within each age group report reading the Scriptures in the last week.

Despite these similarities, the youngest generations are charting a new course related to the Bible. Here are some of the changes being forged by young adults:

• Less sacred. While most people identify the Bible as sacred or holy, the drop-off among Millennials is striking.
• A negative brand. Non-Christian Millennials hold ambivalent and sometimes extremely negative views about the Bible.
• Lower engagement. The younger the person, the less likely he or she is to read the Bible.

Finally, practicing Christians in each age group are highly engaged with the Bible, and are more similar to each other in their views about the Scriptures than they are to their peers in the general population. Among practicing Christians, fidelity to the Bible remains strong.

From Generation to Generation

Against national trends, practicing Protestants of all ages hold the Bible in high regard and devote significant time to its study.

The average time spent reading is 20 minutes for teens and 30 minutes for adults, including Millennials. Together, practicing Protestants read the Bible more than 2 millions hours each year.

Special Report

Teens & the Bible

Teens read the Bible less frequently than older adults—but some teens read more frequently than others. Six out of 10 African American teens (59%) are Bible readers (that is, they read the Bible at least three or four times a year), compared to half of Hispanic youth (51%) and only four in 10 white teens (42%). Three-quarters of black teens also say the Bible has a lot (44%) or some (30%) influence on their lives, compared to two-thirds of Hispanics (64%) and fewer than six in 10 whites (57%).

As one might expect, when it comes to the Bible’s influence, practicing Protestants (98%) and Catholics (97%) are far more likely than their peers who are non-practicing Christians (55%) or of another or no faith (26%) to say the Scriptures have at least some influence on their lives.

But that doesn’t mean they always feel good when they read it.

What They Feel

In the 2015 “State of the Bible: Teens” study commissioned by American Bible Society, Barna discovered significant differences between how teens and adults feel after reading the Bible. Researchers asked survey participants who had ever read or heard the Bible read aloud to identify the primary emotion they experienced the last time they engaged with the Scriptures. By and large, teens are less likely than both Millennials and U.S. adults overall to report positive emotions and more likely to report negative feelings. In fact, only one in six teens (18%) reports no unfavorable emotions, compared to more than half of all adults (54%). Instead, teens say they felt confused (28%), overwhelmed (19%) or bored (19%).

Teens who practice Christianity report more favorable emotions than their peers after having read the Bible—but, in some cases, more unfavorable emotions, too. Practicing Protestants are more likely than average to report feeling encouraged or inspired (30% vs. 22% among all teens) and practicing Catholics are more likely to say they felt peaceful (42% vs. 28%). However, more Catholics (39%) than teens overall (28%) report feeling confused, and more Protestants say they felt overwhelmed after reading or hearing the Bible. These mixed emotions indicate an area of need and a window of opportunity for leaders who can help teenagers interpret the Scriptures and apply what they understand to their lives and relationships.

Barna also asked teens to identify the woman who has a book in the Bible named after her and they are nearly as likely as adults to choose the correct answer, Esther (52% vs. 57%), and more likely than Millennials (41%) to do so. Six in 10 teens (61%) are also able to identify Isaac as Abraham’s son, which is on par with U.S. adults (59%) and better than Millennials (54%). All in all, teens prove to be at least as Bible literate as many adults and often more literate than twentysomethings.

Teens’ comparative familiarity with the Scriptures is likely due to the fact that a higher proportion of them (26%) compared with Millennials (19%) are practicing Christians who continue to regularly attend church. If they follow in the footsteps of older Millennials, however, a significant number will drop out of church involvement, at least for a time, during their 20s. (Barna asked teens if they plan to attend a church after high school: 70 percent of practicing Protestants and 56 percent of practicing Catholics say it is “very likely.”)

But their current connections to a faith community represent a window of opportunity for deepening Bible engagement— and Part V explores some ideas for how to make the most of the opportunities.

Millennials & The Bible “Brand”

As Barna explored at length in Making Space for Millennials,⁶ the generation as a whole tends to be hyperaware of marketing messages, images and branding—which caused us to wonder, How do young adults view the “brand” of the Bible? In the 2014 national study of young adults commissioned by American Bible Society, researchers found significant differences, when it comes to the Bible’s brand, between practicing Christians, non-practicing Christians and non-Christians.

Word Associations

Presented with a list of words to describe the Bible, choices vary according to Millennials’ beliefs and practices. Practicing Christians’ top five choices reflect a belief in the Scriptures’ veracity and divine origins: fact (63%), testimony (53%), sacred (52%), historical (47%) and revelation (46%). Non-practicing Christian Millennials are more likely to choose words that treat the Bible more as an artifact, a witness to a religious tradition and its beliefs: historical (47%), symbolic (42%), sacred (38%), testimony (37%) and story (33%). And non-Christian Millennials prefer words that place the Bible within the realm of other religious books or cultural legends, such as story (50%), mythology (38%), symbolic (36%), historical (30%) and even fairy tale (30%).

Brand Messages

When asked to choose what they believe are the top two or three main messages of the Bible, a plurality of Millennials point to “There is only one God” as the top contender (39%). Their second choice is the Golden Rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (35%). And rounding out the top three is a narrative storyline, that “humans are sinful and require forgiveness and redemption” (32%). As on other questions, non-practicing Christians reflect the choices of the generation overall, though they slightly prefer the Golden Rule (42%) over the message of one God (38%). Non-Christian Millennials’ top three answers are the same as non-practicing Christians’, but in a different order of preference. They point to the Golden Rule as the Bible’s primary message (36%), followed by the narrative of redemption, “Humans are sinful and require forgiveness and redemption” (35%) and the statement “There is only one God” (32%).

Such similarities between non-practicing Christians and non-Christians indicate that these are the primary messages “outsiders” hear about the Bible from culture or from Christians and the Church. It is encouraging that such positive themes—and, indeed, a gospel summary—continue to be absorbed by the broader culture.

Today’s Market

Beyond its sweeping themes, what does the Bible have to say about the pressing issues of our day? Most Millennials agree the Bible encourages some positive human behaviors—among them, forgiveness (78%), patience (76%) and generosity (75%)—and discourages some negative human activities—for example, war (49%), slavery (46%), prostitution (61%), gambling (59%) and pornography (56%).

There are a few issues, however, on which Christian and non-Christian readings of the Bible diverge. On the question of social justice, seven in 10 practicing Christians are convinced the Bible encourages it (69%), while non-Christians are less persuaded: Only 41 percent say the Bible encourages social justice; 17 percent say it discourages it; 18 percent think the Bible is silent on the topic; and one-quarter isn’t sure what the Bible has to say about social justice.

Similarly, Christian and non-Christian Millennials are not on the same page when it comes to what the Bible says about one of society’s most contested issues: same-sex relationships. Practicing Christians (1%) are less likely than non-Christians (5%) to say the Bible encourages same-sex relationships; more likely to say it discourages them (87% vs. 57% of non-Christians); and three times less likely to say the Bible is silent on the issue (12% vs. 38%).

The Bible in Public

In the 2014 study of Millennials and the 2015 study of teens, Barna asked what young people think when they see someone reading the Scriptures in public. Among the wider U.S. population, teens and young adults express mildly positive or neutral feelings, while practicing Christians report much more positive responses. As might be expected, a non-Christian’s reaction to someone reading the Bible in public is less enthusiastic than a practicing Christian’s. In fact, the primary feelings non-Christians experience are alienation and distance. Non-Christian Millennials say they assume the Bible reader is politically conservative (22%); that they don’t have anything in common with the person (21%); that the person is old fashioned (17%); or that he or she is trying to make a statement or be provocative (15%). Fewer than one in 12 indicate any kind of positive response, such as encouragement (7%) or joy (7%). And only 9 percent say they feel curious about what’s in the Bible when they see someone reading it—a finding that may disappoint Christians who hope reading in public could spark interest in the Bible.

It’s interesting to note, however, that about one in 10 practicing Christian Millennials expresses guilt or various kinds of alienation that are more in keeping with their generational cohort than with practicing Christian teens. These mixed emotions likely point to the social cost, explored in the Introduction, that young adults face in order to remain faithful.

One common way young adults engage with the Bible in a digital age is to post scripture passages on social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Unsurprisingly, practicing Christians are the most likely to do so: A combined 81 percent have posted Bible verses online in the past year.

But what do others think when people post scripture passages? Similar to seeing people reading the Bible in public, the practice evokes primarily positive emotions among practicing Christians and ambivalent or negative emotions among non-Christians. The most common responses from Christians are to feel encouraged and inspired. Just over one-third finds it bold (in a good way). Non-practicing Christians generally have positive reactions to seeing scripture posted on social media, though they are more moderated than practicing Christian Millennials.

The most common response among non-Christians, however, is to say it bothers them if the verses are used naively or out of context (33%). Three in 10 find it irritating. Many assume the poster is judgmental or trying to evangelize. Of all the responses, non-Christians are least likely to feel inspired or encouraged when they see such posts. Such responses indicate that, like public Bible reading, the practice is primarily an encouragement to fellow insiders but may potentially turn off non-Christians.

The Future of the Brand

Overall, practicing Christian young adults maintain a high opinion of the Scriptures’ brand and message for today’s culture. Nonpracticing Christians are less positive, but hold mostly favorable views of the Bible.

Non-Christian Millennials, however, hold ambivalent or sometimes quite negative views of the Bible—and of those who read it. For many non-Christian Millennials, the Bible’s “brand” is negative. And the depth and range of their perceptions signal difficult challenges ahead for young adults who still believe in the Bible. As Bible skepticism increases in their generation, Christian Millennials will have to face these criticisms head on and wrestle with the implications for their own beliefs.

Thankfully, when it comes to the Scriptures—more than many other areas of their faith—Millennial Christians are starting off on comparatively solid ground.

Special Report

The Bible in a Post-Christian Context

In a multiphase research project commissioned to assess the state of Christianity and religious faith in Scotland, Barna discovered several interesting trends countering the overall move toward secularization. Scotland, like most European countries, is shifting away from its historically Christian heritage toward a post-Christian, non-religious culture. And what researchers discovered there offers insights to leaders concerned with how the U.S. Christian community can continue to flourish, and to advocate for the Bible, in a post-Christian context.

Transforming Scotland: The State of Christianity, Faith and the Church in Scotland (Barna, 2015) is a Barna report produced in partnership with Transforming Scotland and the Maclellan Foundation.

While about three in 10 U.S. adults are practicing Christians, only one in 10 Scots qualifies under Barna’s definition (says his or her faith as very important and has attended a worship service in the past month). Among younger generations, the proportions are even slimmer. And yet, Scottish adults under the age of 45 (23%) are twice as likely as older adults (12%) to say “faith has transformed my life,” and less likely to say faith “has not made much of a difference” (39% vs. 48%) or “has been helpful but has not greatly transformed me” (34% vs. 43%). Since it is comparatively rare for young Scots to have been raised in church, this data indicates that young adults who have a religious faith embrace it by choice rather than by inheritance or cultural default.

Interestingly, young Scots in the general population are more likely than older adults to hold an orthodox view of the Bible (that it’s the actual or inspired word of God; 36% vs. 29% among all adults), even though they are less familiar with the Scriptures. They also express greater interest in finding out what wisdom the Bible might offer for their lives.

In addition to studying the opinions and perspectives of Scots, Barna assessed two groups of Scottish churches to identify best practices for thriving faith communities. “Baseline churches” represented the norm of church communities in Scotland, while “growing churches” demonstrated substantive, outside-the-norm growth. The goal was to identify what differences, if any, distinguished these two groups of churches by interviewing both church leaders and congregants.

Barna identified 10 characteristics of growing churches that are markedly different from baseline churches. Among these is a conscious, deliberate focus by church leaders on Bible-rich, expository preaching. Eight in 10 leaders of growing churches say it is “completely true” that their approach to teaching the Bible is expository (83%), compared to one in 12 baseline leaders (8%).

Along with a systematic approach to Bible teaching, growing church leaders (39%) are also more apt than baseline leaders (17%) to use stories and testimonies to make biblical teaching more relevant to their congregation’s lives. They also more consistently marry biblical principles to life application, according to both leaders (83%, compared to 57% baseline) and the people in their congregation (62% vs. 34% baseline). These teaching strategies seem to bear fruit: More than half of people in growing churches (55%) say “the Bible teaching I receive in my church is relevant to my life”; only one-quarter of baseline churchgoers says so (27%).

Teaching that is relevant and rich in biblical content also appears to foster positive outcomes in people’s lives. Those in growing churches (59%) are more apt than baseline members (36%) to report that “attending church has helped me understand the Bible better.” Twice as many growing church leaders (70%) as baseline leaders (33%) say “discipleship, Bible teaching and worship at our church help attenders to develop a biblical worldview.”

In what areas of their lives do congregations feel the greatest impact of their church’s Bible teaching? Most notably, two-thirds of people in growing churches say their church’s Bible teaching and engagement has helped them grow closer to God (65%), compared with fewer than half of baseline churchgoers (45%). They are also somewhat more likely to say Bible teaching has helped them be more confident about sharing their faith (34% vs. 26%).

The apparent impact of expository Bible teaching on the growth of faith communities points to the importance of a solid biblical foundation for churches in a post-Christian context. And young Scots’ interest in the Bible may signal a growing hunger for the gospel among younger generations who have had less exposure to the Church. In an ironic twist, an overall move toward a post-Christian, secularized culture may create greater interest in Christianity and offer Christians more opportunities to share their faith with a curious, receptive audience.