The Biblical Challenge from (and for) Millennials
23
May
2010
by R. Lamar Vest (President of the American Bible Society; former Presiding Bishop of the Church of God)
More than two thirds of 18- to 29-year-olds in America have a serious gap in their education. They have little knowledge of a work that has informed generations of literature, government, philosophy, and social behavior. And, more importantly, they are divorced from a message that has brought comfort, inspiration, and hope to millions.
The Bible has yet to beat the perception of being a dusty old rule book among millennials largely because to substantiate relevance and garner interest, the text first must be read. According to LifeWay Research, 67 percent of “millennials” don’t read the Bible or other sacred texts. This certainly would account for the results of a 2009 poll conducted by our organization that found that more Americans mistakenly attributed a scripture passage on poverty to President Obama, Oprah, or Angelina Jolie than to the Bible. Only 13 percent correctly identified the passage as being from Scripture.
While these statistics are not surprising for those of us who have followed trends in Bible readership, it is never the less disheartening.
But a further decline in Bible readership is far from inevitable.