What Do Teenagers Believe About Jesus’ Death and Resurrection? By Billy Hallowell for Faith Wire
The belief that Jesus died for the sins of humanity and rose from the grave is central to the Gospel message. But how many teenagers today believe in these Scriptural centerpieces?
According to the Barna Group, a research firm that explores Christian trends, nearly half of teenagers (47%) in 26 nations across the globe believe Jesus was crucified, as detailed throughout the Gospels.
But the research is a bit more discouraging when it comes to those who believe Christ rose again. Just 33% of teenagers believe Jesus overcame death, Barna reported.
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And even more disturbing is the fact that, among those who identify as Christians, just 50% believe Christ was resurrected. That finding seems to open a gaping area of need to disciple young people within Christian churches and communities to help them better understand the label to which they cling.
As CBN’s Faithwire previously reported, these statistics, published in Barna’s “How Teens Around the World Relate to Jesus” report, offer insight into teens’ hearts and minds. Despite the majority seemingly rejecting the resurrection, most teens between the ages of 13 and 17 had favorable views of Christ.
The survey took into account teenage perspectives in 26 different countries, finding most see Him as generous, wise, peaceful, and trustworthy, among other descriptors.
“Data show it’s rare that teens think poorly of Jesus, reads a report from the Barna Group. “Most teenagers around the world have a positive perception of Him. About half of all teens across faith groups describe Jesus as ‘loving’ (49%) and believe He offers hope to (46%) and cares about people (43%).”
Read more about the results here and get the full report from Barna here.
As Faithwire has extensively reported, surveys continue to spark concern about the state of faith in America. The Pew Research Center recently found a stunning decrease in Christianity and a notable rise in the “nones” (atheists, agnostics, or those who embrace “nothing in particular”).
