NASHVILLE, Tenn. (ABP) — Two thirds of Americans born between 1980 and 1991 identify themselves as Christians, but most do not regularly pray, read the Bible or attend church, according to findings of a new LifeWay Research study.
Thom Rainer, president of LifeWay Christian Resources who is using the research for an upcoming book, estimated that no more than 15 percent of the 80 million young adults known as "Millennials" have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
In an interview with USA Today, Rainer said on the current trajectory thousands of churches will close in America each year, placing denominations and other thriving ministries in jeopardy.
On a more positive note, Rainer noted in his blog that the relatively small number of Millennials who are Christians are more likely to embrace a radical gospel commitment than believers in previous generations.
"Millennial Christians will not settle for business as usual in our churches," Rainer said. "They will not be content with going through the motions, programs without a purpose and spectator Christianity."
Rainer said Millennial Christians take their faith seriously and are serious about taking the gospel to the nations and to their communities.
"In the midst of all the bad news, there is good news," Rainer said, "radical commitment from radical Christians."
"If a few Christians turned the world upside down in the first century, we have no reason to doubt that a few million can do it again in the 21st century," he said.
According to the survey, 31 percent of Millennials pray at least once a day, while 20 percent never pray. Sixty-seven percent said they rarely or never read the Bible, Torah, Koran or other sacred writings, and 8 percent said they read the Bible every day.
One in four attends religious worship once a week or more, but two out of three rarely or never attend a house of worship. Fewer than half believe the Bible is the written Word of God and is totally accurate in all it teaches.
Four in 10 Millennials say the devil, or Satan, is not a real being but rather a symbol of evil. Half believe Jesus Christ was human and committed sins while on Earth.
Seven out of 10 Millennials believe heaven is a real place and not just a concept, but they are split 50/50 on whether believing in Jesus is the only way to get there. Six in 10 believe in a literal hell, while the most popular belief about life after death — held by 31 percent — is that "no one really knows what will happen after we die."
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Bob Allen is senior writer for Associated Baptist Press.