Barna recently released their fascinating insights from one of the largest studies they have ever done on a single generation: Millennials.
The study surveys Millenials on their view of the Bible, and results show that practicing Christians in this age range hold the Bible in very high regard:
*Information in infographic from study on Millennials conducted by Barna Group in partnership with American Bible Society and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.
I surveyed our own OneHope staffers who fall into the Millennial age range to see what they had to say about God’s Word:
Describe the Bible in one word:
“Authoritative”
-Hisho Uga
“Life”
-Calea Bakke
“SUPERAWESOME!!!”
-Machel Idhiambo
“Truth”
-Alessandra Thomas
“Holy”
-Jennifer Megan Brown
“Uncompromising”
-Maria Trejo
“Powerful”
-Joyce Blount
“Anchor”
-Annalee Thompson
“Inexhaustible”
-Liam Savage
Next, we wanted to know what is different about OneHope Millennials because of their faith. We asked, they answered:
“I have hope.”
-Chelsea Hite
“I have peace in the midst of hard circumstances, I am no longer depressed and bitter, but have become more loving, forgiving & patient. I do not desire the same things I used to, but as I get closer to God, my will and desire for my life has become whatever He wants it to be. Because I love Him, I desire to be obedient to Him, to serve Him with all my heart, to love others and to encourage them to seek Him more. I used to be afraid of everything, especially getting closer to God because I thought that would bring more trials and Satan would attack me more. I am no longer living in fear and now recognize that the power of God is greater in me than the power that’s in the world and Satan has no hold on me. God’s perfect love is driving out all fear. Also, I have a boldness that I’ve never had before.”
-Kristen Palestis
“My worldview is different. Everything runs through the filters of what I believe, what the Bible says about it, prayer, counsel etc. Every decision counts for the kingdom.”
-Katie Ryan
“I have no fear about life or the afterlife because I know He watches over me always. “
-Will Thomas
“The only thing that makes me different is that God lives in me and I have a relationship with Him. I am guided by his spirit and I don’t strive to be or seem perfect, I strive to let God be God in my life and show people the realness of Christ.”
-Marielly Ramirez
The Pew survey revealed that more than 3 of 4 Millennials (78%) believe in miracles. Nearly every respondent to our survey had at least one miracle to share—some were hard-pressed to limit their response to just one! Here are a few that stood out to me:
“When I was a toddler, I was involved in a car accident in which my car seat failed and I was ejected from the car through the rear windshield. My brother found me laying in the road, and when the paramedics arrived they would not let my mother ride in the ambulance with me as they did not think I would survive the traumatic head injury. Many people prayed for me, even Billy Graham. After being put into a drug-induced coma to stop the seizures, the doctors told my parents that if I survived, I would be a vegetable. After I started to recover, they then said I would never be able to eat on my own or go to school. Each step of the way I continued to beat the odds and continued to improved. Today I enjoy eating (some might say a little too much!) and have an MBA. I am a miracle and I know God has an extraordinary purpose for my life.”
-Drew Blount
“There is an 84-year-old Japanese lady who is not yet a believer who used to take care of me when I was a child. She had been troubled with heart palpitations for years, so my wife and I prayed for her. A few days later, she told me that it was completely gone. She couldn’t stop talking about how complete the healing was. I explained to her that it was not us, but God that healed her.”
-Hisho Uga
“I saw a man with a broken leg healed in El Salvador after he asked a group I was with to pray for him. He started jumping around and then walked away.”
-Chelsea Hite
What’s the most challenging thing about your faith journey?
“I think the most challenging part of my faith journey is how to share it with my extended family that isn’t saved in a way that separates the religion from the relationship with Christ. Most of them do believe that Christ came to take their sins and save them, but they don’t know what that means for them personally and how He longs for a relationship with us not just routines.”
-Alessandra Thomas
“When I was in a public high school with very few Christians and I had to field many challenging questions about my beliefs. “
-Will Thomas
“When God is silent, and His Church disappoints and misrepresents the character of God.”
-Diandra Bree Hoskins
“Seasons of difficulty and confusion are very hard. But for me, the most stretching and challenging part of my faith has been the ‘plateaus’—the seasons of the same thing over and over in the day to day where I may feel ‘stuck’ or ‘not growing.’ Persevering through those times has definitely deepened my faith.”
-Calea Bakke
By 2015, 75% of the world’s employees will be made up of young people.[1]
This staggering statistic ought to wake up the Church. With the unsettling statistics about teens who don’t have a sticky faith, and young people whose apathy projects that they are, at best, “almost Christian,” we are taking the numbers and research seriously. At OneHope, we are committed to investing in this Millennial generation because they are packed with potential. Speaking destiny into their lives and giving them a chance to be involved in DOING today will ensure that we are training up strong Christian leaders for tomorrow.
Next we’ll see what our Millennials have to say about the world’s perception of their generation of faith.
You might also like:
- Is God’s Word Enough?
- What if our kids’ first Bible is an app?
- God’s Not Dead
- Is the Bible gaining popularity or losing ground?
- Listen if you want to hear the miracles
[1]http://business.financialpost.com/2014/03/19/how-the-millennial-generation-will-change-the-world-of-work/