Jim Liebelt's Youth Culture Watch

Over Half of Gen Z Teens Feel Motivated to Learn More About Jesus

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by Barna.com.

Data from The Open Generation: United States—one of many country-focused reports created as part of The Open Generation project—show that U.S. teens are largely interested in learning more about Jesus throughout their life.

Three-Quarters of U.S. Teens Want to Learn More About Jesus
Curiosity about Jesus is widespread in the open generation. Teens in the U.S. are far more intrigued than their global peers, with 77 percent being at least somewhat motivated to keep learning about Jesus throughout their lives. A teen’s personal commitment to follow Jesus goes hand in hand with their motivation to study him—the percentage of teens who want to learn more about Jesus rises significantly among committed Christian teens. Even among teens who are non-Christians or don't know who Jesus is, however, over half is at least somewhat motivated to keep learning about him.

So where do teens turn when they desire to learn more about Jesus?

Regardless of their level of commitment to follow Jesus, U.S. teens place a significant amount of trust in religious texts and their households to learn about Jesus. Teens are more likely to report looking to these sources than to social media, the Internet, their friends or influencers.

Read the entire article at the source link below.

Source: Barna.com
https://www.barna.com/research/teens-and-jesus/

‘Digital Religion’ is Sparking a ‘Spiritual Revolution’ Among Millennials

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by StudyFinds.

Digital religion is leading to a “spiritual revolution” among many young adults, according to a new study.

Although it may sound like it, this isn’t a worship of technology and social media. Instead, researchers from the University of Waterloo say religious communities are using these tools to reach millennials who are looking to participate in organized religion — without having to attend in-person services.

“We know that more and more people are turning towards digital mediums for spirituality such as chat groups with pastors, online sermons, and religious content on social media,” says Waterloo sociology professor Sarah Wilkins-Laflamme in a university release. “We’ve found that while digital religion isn’t necessarily attracting a lot of new millennials to participate, it is making the experience of those already involved richer.”

During the early months of the pandemic, remote church services allowed many people to continue practicing their faith without having to leave the house. Although the study finds modern technology is making organized religion much more appealing to millennials who are spiritual, the vast majority are not practicing.

While previous studies have examined the role digital technology, social media, and other mediums play in religious services today, Wilkins-Laflamme says this study is the first to look at who actually participates in remote services and how it affects their faith.

The study is published in the Review of Religious Research.

Source: StudyFinds
https://www.studyfinds.org/digital-religion-millennials/

Spirituality Linked to ‘Healthier Life, Greater Longevity’

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by StudyFinds.

A high level of spirituality is associated with better health outcomes, according to research from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Scientists report that spirituality helps in reference to both serious illness and overall health. In light of their findings, the authors posit spirituality should be incorporated into various healthcare settings.

What exactly does “spirituality” mean in this research?  Per the International Consensus Conference on Spiritual Care in Health Care, spirituality is “the way individuals seek ultimate meaning, purpose, connection, value, or transcendence.” While it may encompass organized religion for many, it can also refer to many other ways of “finding ultimate meaning.”

To research this nuanced topic, study authors systematically identified and subsequently analyzed all available high-quality evidence pertaining to spirituality in connection with serious illness and health published between January 2000-April 2022.

Next, a structured, multidisciplinary group of 27 experts called a Delphi panel came together to analyze the strongest collective evidence extracted from those scientific articles.

The panel concluded that for a generally healthy person, “spiritual community participation” (attending religious services, for example) is linked to a healthier life, greater longevity, better mental health, and less substance use. Moreover, for many people, spirituality influences key outcomes across illness scenarios, such as quality of life and medical care decisions. In response to these findings, study authors believe spirituality should be more universally accounted for across health care settings.

The study was published in JAMA.

Source: StudyFinds
https://www.studyfinds.org/spirituality-healthier-life-longevity/

Belief in God in U.S. Dips to 81%, a New Low

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by Gallup.

The vast majority of U.S. adults believe in God, but the 81% who do so is down six percentage points from 2017 and is the lowest in Gallup's trend. Between 1944 and 2011, more than 90% of Americans believed in God.

Gallup first asked this question in 1944, repeating it again in 1947 and twice each in the 1950s and 1960s. In those latter four surveys, a consistent 98% said they believed in God. When Gallup asked the question nearly five decades later, in 2011, 92% of Americans said they believed in God.

A subsequent survey in 2013 found belief in God dipping below 90% to 87%, roughly where it stood in three subsequent updates between 2014 and 2017 before this year's drop to 81%.

In the most recent poll conducted between May 2-22, 2022, 17% of U.S. adults reported they do not believe in God.

Source: Gallup
https://news.gallup.com/poll/393737/belief-god-dips-new-low.aspx

U.S. Church Membership Falls Below Majority for First Time

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on Gallup News.

Americans' membership in houses of worship continued to decline last year, dropping below 50% for the first time in Gallup's eight-decade trend. In 2020, 47% of Americans said they belonged to a church, synagogue, or mosque, down from 50% in 2018 and 70% in 1999.

U.S. church membership was 73% when Gallup first measured it in 1937 and remained near 70% for the next six decades, before beginning a steady decline around the turn of the 21^st century.

The decline in church membership is primarily a function of the increasing number of Americans who express no religious preference. Over the past two decades, the percentage of Americans who do not identify with any religion has grown from 8% in 1998-2000 to 13% in 2008-2010 and 21% over the past three years.

As would be expected, Americans without a religious preference are highly unlikely to belong to a church, synagogue, or mosque, although a small proportion -- 4% in the 2018-2020 data -- say they do. That figure is down from 10% between 1998 and 2000.

Given the nearly perfect alignment between not having a religious preference and not belonging to a church, the 13-percentage-point increase in no religious affiliation since 1998-2000 appears to account for more than half of the 20-point decline in church membership over the same time.

Church membership is strongly correlated with age, as 66% of traditionalists -- U.S. adults born before 1946 -- belong to a church, compared with 58% of baby boomers, 50% of those in Generation X, and 36% of millennials.

The decline in church membership, then, appears largely tied to population change, with those in older generations who were likely to be church members being replaced in the U.S. adult population with people in younger generations who are less likely to belong.

Among religious groups, the decline in membership is steeper among Catholics (down 18 points, from 76% to 58%) than Protestants (down nine points, from 73% to 64%).

Source: Gallup News
https://news.gallup.com/poll/341963/church-membership-falls-below-majority-first-time.aspx

Young People's Faith Doesn't Grow in a Vacuum

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on EurekAlert.

Young people who are given a religious upbringing at home by both parents have the strongest faith in God throughout their adolescence. Distancing from and wavering in faith are also less likely among them. They are also clearly different from their peers who are given a religious upbringing by one parent only, or by neither.

The findings were reported in the British Journal of Religious Education. The 10-year longitudinal study explored changes in faith in the transition to adulthood from the viewpoint of religious upbringing at home. The study participants, 14 -15-year-old adolescents confirmed in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland, were followed up until they reached the age of 25. The study especially focused on young people who were not given a religious upbringing at home: how do they differ from those who have been given a religious upbringing, could their faith become stronger in the transition to adulthood, and which factors play a role.

"In roughly half of the young people studied, their faith remained fairly stable from the age of 15 to the age of 25. However, one in three became more distant from faith, both according to their own assessment and a longitudinal analysis. One in seven felt they had become closer to God or that their faith had become stronger," says Professor of Practical Theology Kati Tervo-Niemelä from the University of Eastern Finland.

According to Professor Tervo-Niemelä, other religious influences also tend to accumulate in young people who have been given a religious upbringing at home, whereas young people who do not get a religious upbringing at home are less likely to get it elsewhere, either.

"Many of the young people studied said that they were surrounded by a non-religious atmosphere everywhere, including among friends and family."

Young people who were not given a religious upbringing at home were also more likely to become distant from faith after the confirmation period, although this period was often experienced as faith-growing.

"It is noteworthy that the developmental path of young people who were given a religious upbringing by one parent only is closer to that of young people who were not given a religious upbringing by neither of the parents, than to that of young people who have been given a religious upbringing by both parents."

The findings of the study highlight the importance of both parents as role models in a young person's religious growth.

Source: EurekAlert!
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-03/uoef-ypf032620.php

Almost Half of Practicing Christian Millennials Say Evangelism Is Wrong

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on Barna.com.

Sharing one’s faith—evangelizing—is a core practice among many religions. For Christians, it’s viewed as a mandate from Jesus himself before he departed earth: commanding his disciples to “spread the good news.” Yet, today, a number of factors are curbing many Christians’ enthusiasm for faith-sharing, including the decline of religion in America, a spreading apathy toward spiritual matters and a growing cultural suspicion of people of faith.

It is against this backdrop that Barna is releasing Reviving Evangelism, a new report based on research commissioned by Alpha USA. This study looks at the faith-sharing experiences and expectations of Christians and non-Christians alike. Among the major findings in this report is the revelation that Christian Millennials feel especially conflicted about evangelism—and, in fact, almost half believe it is wrong to share their faith.

Almost all practicing Christians believe that part of their faith means being a witness about Jesus (ranging from 95% to 97% among all generational groups), and that the best thing that could ever happen to someone is for them to know Jesus (94% to 97%). Millennials in particular feel equipped to share their faith with others. For instance, almost three-quarters say they know how to respond when someone raises questions about faith (73%), and that they are gifted at sharing their faith with other people (73%). This is higher than any other generational group: Gen X (66%), Boomers (59%) and Elders (56%).

Despite this, many Millennials are unsure about the actual practice of evangelism. Almost half of Millennials (47%) agree at least somewhat that it is wrong to share one’s personal beliefs with someone of a different faith in hopes that they will one day share the same faith. This is compared to a little over one-quarter of Gen X (27%), and one in five Boomers (19%) and Elders (20%). (Though Gen Z teens were not included in this study, their thoroughly post-Christian posture will likely amplify this stance toward evangelism.)

Younger Christians tend to be more personallyaware of the cultural temperature around spiritual conversations. Among practicing Christians, Millennials report an average (median) of four close friends or family members who practice a faith other than Christianity; most of their Boomer parents and grandparents, by comparison, have just one. Sharing the gospel today is made harder than at any time in recent memory by an overall cultural resistance to conversations that highlight people’s differences.

Read the entire free research sample by clicking the source link below.

Source: Barna.com
https://www.barna.com/research/millennials-oppose-evangelism/

Teen Churchgoers Often Stop Attending as Young Adults

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on HealthDay.

Two-thirds of American Christian teenagers who regularly attend worship at a Protestant congregation for at least a year quit going for at least a year when they become young adults.

According to a report by LifeWay Research titled “Most Teenagers Drop Out of Church as Young Adults,” 66 percent of young adults who attended a Protestant church regularly for at least a year as a teenager dropped out for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22.

The major reasons respondents gave included “moving to college” (34 percent), “church members seeming judgmental or hypocritical” (32 percent), “no longer feeling connected to people in their church” (29 percent), disagreement with their “church’s stance on political or social issues” (25 percent), and employment obligations (24 percent).

The report drew from data collected from a survey done Sept. 15 – Oct. 13 of last year of 2,002 respondents who attended Protestant churches, with a sampling error of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points.

The 2017 numbers were a slight improvement compared to 2007, when 70 percent of respondents reported leaving for at least a year between ages 18 and 22.

Alex McFarland, national talk show host and author who has hosted dozens of “Truth for a New Generation” apologetics conferences, told The Christian Post that he believed the LifeWay study was “accurate” and attributed the numbers ultimately to “issues of worldview.”

“If they are taught the biblical worldview and the responsibility of every Christian to be a steward of their life and their influence and be a part of a church, really all of those things could ultimately be dealt with,” said McFarland, who encouraged “teaching a more cohesive, consistently proclaimed biblical worldview.”

Regarding the 25 percent of respondents who reported leaving over their church’s views on social and political issues, McFarland told CP that this should not lead a church to “abdicate its roll to be a voice for righteousness within the culture.”

Source: The Christian Post
https://www.christianpost.com/news/teens-who-attend-church-often-stop-going-as-young-adults-lifeway-study-finds.html

Teens with Religious or Spiritual Upbringing May Be Protected from 'Big 3' Risks

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on Today.com.

Teens raised in a religious or spiritual environment may be less likely to develop substance abuse, depression and risky sexual behaviors, a new study suggests.

Researchers who followed young people for more than a decade found that participation in weekly religious services or daily prayer or meditation was associated with a wide range of positive outcomes, according to the study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

“The effects of religious upbringing, including both service attendance or prayer or meditation, are profoundly positive in protecting against substance abuse and depression, as well as contributing to higher levels of happiness and volunteering,” said study coauthor Tyler VanderWeele, the John L. Loeb and Frances Lehman Loeb Professor of Epidemiology at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University.

Prayer and meditation had a bigger impact than service attendance, VanderWeele noted. “That suggests prayer and meditation may play an important role in the life of an adolescent who is trying to make sense of the world,” he added.

The results are in line with the findings of a study published last month, which found that kids had a lower risk of suicide if religion or spirituality was important to their parents.

The kids who signed on for the study are the children of men and women who took part in the Nurse’s Health Study.

The researchers found that compared to others, teens who attended religious services regularly were:

• 12 percent less likely to suffer from depression
• 33 percent less likely to use illicit drugs
• 18 percent more likely to report high levels of happiness
• 87 percent more likely to have high levels of forgiveness

Teens who prayed or meditated frequently were:

• 30 percent less likely to start having sex at a young age
• 40 percent less likely to have an STD
• 38 percent more likely to volunteer in their community
• 47 percent more likely to have a sense of mission and purpose

The new findings were not surprising to Dr. Gail Saltz, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the New York Presbyterian Hospital. “Multiple studies have shown that people who are involved with their faith find it comforting, which therefore helps with their mental health and wellbeing,” Saltz said.

Source: Today.com
https://www.today.com/health/religious-or-spiritual-upbringing-may-protect-teens-t137350

Parents' Religious Beliefs May Affect Kids' Suicide Risk

*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on HealthDay.

Teens, especially girls, whose parents are religious may be less likely to die by suicide, no matter how they feel about religion themselves, new research suggests.

The lower suicide risk among those raised in a religious home is independent of other common risk factors, including whether parents suffered from depression, showed suicidal behavior or divorced, the Columbia University researchers said.

The study, however, does not prove that a religious upbringing prevents suicide, only that there is an association between the two.

"We know that spiritual beliefs and practices tend to help people feel a greater sense of connection, of hope and meaning in their lives," said Melinda Moore, chairwoman of the clinical division of the American Association of Suicidology. She is also an assistant professor of psychology at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Ky.

In addition, spiritual communities can help people who are in crisis by giving them hope and meaning, she said. And while clergy aren't trained mental health professionals, they can refer people to appropriate care.

Moore, who had no role in the study, said some religions stigmatize suicide, but helping people who are at risk should be part of the caring these communities offer. Any community that is compassionate and caring is going to be protective, she said.

It's not that religious people don't have suicidal thoughts or take their own lives -- after all, even ministers sometimes die by suicide, she said. Rather, a spiritual group may provide a valuable sense of belonging and support to those who are suffering from thoughts of self-harm.

"We know what places people at risk for suicide -- it's a sense of not feeling connected to a community and feeling like you're a burden and your life doesn't matter," Moore said, noting faith communities counter that. "They provide connection, making them feel they belong, that they're not a burden and that their life is important -- that's very protective."

But, she added, "they may need more than prayer and fellowship. They may need mental health care."

About 12 percent of American teens say they have had suicidal thoughts. And suicide is the leading cause of death among 15- to 19-year-old girls.

For the study, Priya Wickramaratne and colleagues examined data from a three-generation study at New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University. The data, spanning 30 years, included 214 children from 112 families.

Most belonged to Christian denominations and some families lived in areas with limited church choices. All were white.

Among teens who thought religion was important, researchers found a lower risk for suicide among girls but not boys. Researchers saw the same association with church attendance.

When parent and child views were weighed together, however, researchers found a lower risk for suicide among young people whose parents considered religion important.

The report was published online in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

Source: HealthDay
https://consumer.healthday.com/public-health-information-30/religion-health-news-577/parents-religious-beliefs-may-affect-kids-suicide-risk-study-736578.html