In their latest Poll “New Research Explores How Different Generations View and Use the Bible” Barna explores the generation differences impacting ones view of the bible. Our home group used this article for a discussion a few days ago and I thought I would post some notes I took during the discussion.
First a brief overview of the article
For the purposes of this research, the Mosaic generation refers to adults who are currently ages 18 to 25; Busters are those ages 26 to 44; Boomers are 45 to 63; and Elders are 64-plus.
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However, despite these similarities, the Barna studies show that the youngest generations are charting a new, unique course related to the Bible. Here are the types of changes being forged by young adults:
- 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 then 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.
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The president of the Barna Group pointed out that since many young people want to learn about the Bible it should be an opportunity for Christian leaders.Perhaps young people want to participate more in the process of learning, not simply attend Bible lectures or be trained in
Here are the disjointed notes from our discussion, notice the rabbit trails. Also note that our home group is made up of the buster generation 25-35
Why do these trends exist?
Different learning styles by generation
Internet and discussion versus lecturing and memorization
The church generally teaches in the older style
Independence and the questioning of authority are more prevalent in younger generations.
With increased globalization the younger generations have a wider experience and are more likely to experience being wrong which could decrease the assurance of being correct.
With more learning we realize what we knew was wrong which leads you to question everything else and it’s easier to be not sure than to take a stand.
But with all the globalization and diversity comes a desire to know more.
Well what is sacred? Is it just a different meaning of sacred from generation to generation? Does the younger generation hold most things as less “sacred” than the older generations.
Because of diversity we are taught to respect and learn about our neighbors which can lend itself to a more universalist view.
Because of the rate/speed of change the elder generation has more in common with their great grandparents than they do with their grandchildren. i.e. facebook and the telephone versus the telegraph and the telephone.
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One thing that I find encouraging looking forward is that the younger generation has a greater desire to learn more about the bible but in order to meet that desire I think the church needs to change it’s teaching style to match the younger generations learning style.
Join the discussion, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Here’s an example of new ways of instruction happening at Purdue University.
