FROM BARNA RESEARCH
Posted on 04/17/2019 8:59:10 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Being on the "wrong" side of the generation gap (older side) is a completely different experience than being on the "right" side (younger side). The older I get, the more curmudgeonly I feel. At times, though, my age, knowledge, and experience underline my differences with younger generations to the point where I must affirm that my side is the right side. Barna's recent report about the state of evangelism among practicing Christians highlights that there are times when the older generations need to hold the line against the folly of younger generations. The report reveals the staggering fact that nearly half of millennials who are practicing Christians believe that evangelism is wrong.
The study bears out that 94-97 percent of all practicing Christians believe "that the best thing that could ever happen to someone is for them to know Jesus." (Why that's not a solid 100 percent is beyond me, but that's a head-scratcher for another day.) However, despite this belief, Barna also discovered that "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.)
To open their article, Barna correctly asserts, "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.'"
(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...
This makes no sense. Many people calling themselves Christians must believe that it is just a social club and no better than a Muslim social club or any other religion. I guess I’ve met those types of Christians. They tend not to own bibles or go to church.
Practicing Christians identify as Christian, agree strongly that faith is very important in their lives and have attended church within the past month.
All others are U.S. adults who are not practicing Christians under the definition above. These fall into two main groups:
Millennials were born 1984 to 1998 (ages 20 to 34).
Gen X were born 1965 to 1983 (ages 35 to 53).
Boomers were born 1946 to 1964 (ages 54 to 72).
Elders were born before 1946 (age 73+).
About Barna Group
Barna Group is a private, non-partisan, for-profit organization under the umbrella of the Issachar Companies. Located in Ventura, California, Barna Group has been conducting and analyzing primary research to understand cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors since 1984.
It occurred to me on a mission trip to the Honduras Nicaraguan border while a soldier was pointing a full auto Sig at me in the back of a pick up that we really don’t share the gospel with the folks right over our back fence as often as we should.
Nearly half of millennial Christians aren’t.
I dont think its wrong. I think sometimes its tedious, depending on the situation. I am not a millennial.
I will say that much of this type of stuff is cultural dependent on your location in the country. I the deep south, where I have family, I fully expect to be asked where I attend church. I can see where someone not “prepared” for that, would be off-put.
In New England, where I live, the only reason you were asked which “parish” you were in, is if you were trying to pin down common acquaintances—it had nothing to do with religion. If I started “preaching” up here I would get a negative reaction.
I have many evangelical friends. I enjoy reading their inspirational posts on facebook. They stopped trying to convert this heathen a long time ago.
No offense but Barna Group is sure not part of the answer
Evangelism = preaching the Gospel, which is what Christians are commanded to do and support. So any millennial who claims it’s wrong to do what Jesus commanded in this vein is no Christian.
When Russian communists began persecuting the church in 1920, the average church of 300 dwindled to 15. The same will happen here.
Funny coincidence. I got saved while in the Army while in Honduras in about 1984. Comayagua Honduras that is. I was with a signal corps unit on a 3 month TDY. A captain shared the gospel with several of us.
Christians who disdain evangelism are plainly ignorant or disobedient of the last command given to His followers by Jesus before His ascension into Heaven:”Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19,20)
And yet the Church is thriving today in Russia.
My Catholic Church is thriving, and I dare say many more are thriving. It will be interesting to get the figures of those who came into full Communion with the Catholic Church at the Easter vigil.
Yes, it’s a long Mass, but it is well-worth attending!
There was an article about witnessing to non-church attending individuals. They broke out the people into about 30% regularly attend church, 35% are Christians who don’t regularly attend church or Christian group, and 35% are not Christian or atheist.
The article’s point was different approaches were needed to approach the two 35% groups. I am not sure the 35% who are Christian need to be evangelized to. They know the information but chose not to act on it. There are enough Bibles and other resources for the other 35% to figure out who Jesus is. I wonder what percent know of Jesus but have just chosen something else. In Biblical times, very few people could read and very few books were available. Face to face contact was all they had. The second 35% have fewer excuses than older times. I know enough about Muslim, Hindu religions, etc. to know they are false. Too many people today don’t want to read and contemplate, they want to be entertained
With as corrupt as people are now days, it seems like it should be more obvious who are Christians and non-Christians. The fact there isn’t indicates a problem. I suspect very soon that the price of being a Christian in the US is going to get a lot more expensive in order to separate the wheat from the chaff. I pray I am willing to pay the price.
Not surprising when you consider what the pukes in the pulpit are spewing out in “TV churches”.
98% of the trash they show of them on TBN (The Blasphemy Network) is evidence of this.
Translated it
Just imagine holding the cure for cancer and declining to share it with those suffering from that terminal disease. That would be so selfish as to be unthinkable. So how then could a Christian not want to share the cure for eternal separate from God? Perhaps these millennial “Christians” do not understand what Christianity is truly about.
What does going to church have to do with being a Christian?
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