A View Of The Future

Are teenagers interested in the Bible? Janet Parshall will share some very interesting information in this week’s commentary.

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Episode Transcript

S1 (00:02):
In a world where teenagers are too often viewed as
the purveyors of bad behavior, there's some good news on
how many teens see Jesus.

S2 (00:09):
Here to unpack present day issues from a biblical perspective
is Janet Parshall.

S1 (00:16):
A study from the Barna Group was done in partnership
with multiple Christian organizations. To answer the question, how did
today's teens think about Jesus, the Bible, and justice? The
study garnered responses from nearly 25,000 teens ages 13 to 17,
in 26 countries, speaking 17 different languages to answer that question.
In the first part of the study, Barna reports, data

(00:38):
show it's rare the teens think poorly of Jesus. Most
teenagers around the world have a positive perception of him.
About half of all teens across faith groups described Jesus
as loving and believe. He offers hope to and cares
about people. The global impression of Jesus is that he
is trustworthy, generous, wise, peaceful, and the glowing list goes on.

(00:58):
In the second part of the study, Barna wanted to
see how teens globally related to Scripture and how, or
if they applied it to their lives. Groups were divided
into three categories Bible engaged, Bible open, and Bible Unengaged.
In the engaged category, over 80% said the Bible helped
them live a meaningful life, help them understand their purpose
in life, and taught them how to live wisely in

(01:19):
society today. The third part of the study showed that
teens desire to be a force for good in their homes, communities,
and the world. Many teens believe the Bible calls them
to justice. According to the study, justice motivated teens are
motivated by the Bible not only to do good work,
but to grow in their faith and relationship to Jesus
far more than their Christian peers. Justice motivated Christian teens

(01:40):
say the Bible motivates them to stand up against the
wrongdoings of others, promote fairness and justice, make a positive
impact on others lives, and take care of people who
need help. The findings from Barna should serve as an
encouragement to the church on many levels. First, what a
difference being in the word makes those teens who were
Bible engaged who spent time in his word several times

(02:01):
a week, had the clearest picture of who Jesus is. Secondly,
those teens who immersed themselves in the Bible find real
meaning and purpose in living and develop a keen sense
of how to engage the world wisely. Lastly, the study
showed that teens who know who Jesus is and how
to apply his word to their lives are the same
teens who desire to engage the world around them to

(02:21):
become ambassadors for Christ. Paul's gracious counsel to his young pupil, Timothy,
rings loudly as we take heart from this study. Do
not let anyone look down on you because you are young.
But set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct,
in love, in faith, and in purity. I think these
teens are setting a wonderful example for believers. And should
the Lord tarry, the church will be in good hands.

(02:44):
Those are my thoughts. I'm Janet Parshall.

S2 (02:46):
For more information or to connect with us, go to.
In the market with Janet Parshall.