{"id":2055,"date":"2010-02-02T08:00:22","date_gmt":"2010-02-02T12:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mintools.com\/blog\/?p=2055"},"modified":"2025-05-22T15:48:18","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T19:48:18","slug":"young-people-bible","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mintools.com\/blog\/young-people-bible.htm","title":{"rendered":"Young People’s Perception of the Bible"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\"PerceptionI read a Barna report about how young people today take a different approach to the Bible than previous generations and I have to admit that as I look at the overall landscape, I do see it.\u00a0 Of course, not all young people hold these perspectives but enough do that it should raise some questions.<\/p>\n

The report is not saying that young people do not value the Bible or that they never read it.\u00a0 Rather, it refers to the perceptions of young people toward the Bible, which would, in turn, affect the way they approach Bible study.\u00a0 The report notes the following changes in young people from older generations.\u00a0 For descriptions of the following perceptions, go to the\u00a0Barna Report<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. less sacred<\/li>\n
  2. less accurate<\/li>\n
  3. more universalism<\/li>\n
  4. skepticism of origins<\/li>\n
  5. less engagement<\/li>\n
  6. Bible appetite<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    How Did People’s Perception of the Bible Change in These Ways?<\/h2>\n

    The first question we might ask ourselves is, “How did it get this way?”\u00a0 Once we figure that out, answers to how to change the tide will become more evident.<\/p>\n

    Surely it did not get this way overnight.\u00a0 And, change will not come by throwing on a few bandaids.\u00a0 The seeds were undoubtedly planted over the course of time and the roots go deep.\u00a0 If that is true, it means change must begin with the older generations as obviously we have been the ones who planted the seeds.\u00a0 What have we done, or not done, that led young people to view the Bible in these ways?<\/p>\n

    We must also factor in the influence of the world with all of its relativistic and universal thinking.\u00a0 In light of Romans 12:1-2<\/span>, any change of perspective is going to be a transformation “by the renewing of the<\/em> mind.”\u00a0 What must that look like in discipleship efforts with young people?<\/p>\n

    We can be encouraged by the last point on Barna’s list.\u00a0 Young people do have an appetite for the Bible, an “interest in gaining additional Bible knowledge” that scores higher than other generations.\u00a0 That’s encouraging.\u00a0 That gives hope that the tide can change.\u00a0 But it also brings us back to those of us in older generations.\u00a0 If we don’t have as much of an appetite for the Word, perhaps then we haven’t been modeling an approach to the Bible that communicates its worth and sufficiency.\u00a0 Have we forsaken our first love?\u00a0 If so, let’s be reminded of Jesus’ words to the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:5<\/span> —<\/p>\n

    Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.<\/p>\n

    More: Youth Ministry Resources<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I read a Barna report about how young people today take a different approach to the Bible than previous generations and I have to admit that as I look at the overall landscape, I do see it. . . . Continue reading Young People’s Perception of the Bible<\/span>→<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[56,28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-edification-from-word","category-youth-ministry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\t\t