What Do Today’s Teens Think About Jesus?

Who is Jesus?

“Jesus Saves” is a Question Mark for Christian Teens Fewer than half of Christian teens (39 percent) express strong confidence that Jesus is the only way to heaven, writes Nappa in The Jesus Survey. In fact, 61 percent of Christian students are either unsure or unwilling to commit to an exclusive belief that “Jesus Saves.” What’s more, fully 13 percent of Christians in our youth groups say they believe strongly that Jesus is NOT the only way to heaven. So how does one get to an eternal reward? According to 1/3 of our Christian teens (33 percent), “Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, and other great religious leaders all have equal standing in leading people to heaven.”

Who is Jesus?

Christian Teens are Not Gullible The last few years have seen a number of pseudo-intellectual “Christ Conspiracies” and atheist propaganda efforts raise to prominence in national media. Many Christian parents worry their kids will be duped by all that misinformation. Well, here’s some good news from The Jesus Survey: Christian teenagers are smarter than we think. Fact is, most Christian teens simply roll their eyes at, and ignore, Christ-hoax theories in the media. For instance, these kids are near-unanimous (92 percent) in their rejection of Da Vinci Code fictions. Additionally, 92 percent reject the idea that Jesus’ death was somehow a hoax, and 95 percent scoff at the idea that Jesus was just a myth.

Who is Jesus?

The Bible is Very Important To Kids’s Faith “Teens who believe the Bible is trustworthy are most likely to report full confidence in core Christian beliefs,” reports Nappa in The Jesus Survey, “and also to experience a more active, personal relationship with Jesus Christ himself. For instance: Within the group of Christian teenagers who strongly believe “Jesus is the only way to heaven,” virtually all (99 percent) also believe the Bible to be trustworthy. Additionally, roughly four out of five (82 percent) Bible-believers strongly claim that the Holy Spirit is active in their lives, and 83 percent confidently claim indisputable proof that Christ has answered their prayers.

Who is Jesus?

Few Christian Teenagers Read the Bible The numbers here speak for themselves: Nearly three-fourths of Christian teens (73 percent) say that daily Bible study is an important activity for followers of Christ. Despite that majority belief, barely one of out twenty of Christian teens (5 percent) report that they actually do study the Bible daily. About two-thirds of Christian teens (67 percent) report that they seldom or never study the Bible. Fully one-fourth of the Christian kids in our youth groups (26 percent) reject the idea that followers of Christ should read the Bible daily. More than 800 teenagers participated in the survey. All teens self-identified as “Christian” and were active in a church youth group. Overall, the survey sample represented 16 Christian denominations in 24 different states.

Who is Jesus?

Right Belief Translates into Real Experience Teens identified as “Confident Christians” believe: 1) the Bible is trustworthy; 2) Jesus is God; 3) Jesus lived, died, and returned to life; and 4) Jesus is the only way to heaven. The result? Eighty-six percent (nearly nine out of 10) of these kids claim proof-positive certainty that “the Holy Spirit of Jesus is present and active in my life today.” Barely half (52 percent) of their youth-group peers make the same claim. Nearly all (94 percent) “Confident Christian” teens say unequivocally that, “Jesus has answered my prayers” – something only 55 percent their Christian peers have experienced. This data suggests that orthodox belief translates into real experience.