With US youth losing religion, evangelicals struggle to spread ‘good news’

[guno]

American adults under 30 increasingly identify with no religion whatsoever, but some teenagers on the edge of this demographic are enthusiastically embracing faith. As the fraction of unaffiliated, agnostic, and atheist surpasses one-third of young people, proselytizing denominations are trying to win over the so-called “nones.”

'Great evangelical recession'
Some evangelical leaders suggest the movement is in decline, after it delivered a major political victory with the re-election of President George W. Bush in 2004, and then saw two subsequent national defeats at the ballot box.

In a New York Times op-ed, John S. Dickerson, senior pastor of Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Arizona, summarized the state of evangelism just after Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election: “This former juggernaut is coasting, at best, if not stalled or in reverse.”


With US youth losing religion evangelicals struggle to spread lsquo good news rsquo Al Jazeera America

 

[Rikurzhen]

Youth are always less religious than their parents, however as soon as youth become parents themselves the religiosity tends to increase and so too does fundamentalism.

In a related manner, the old line liberal churches are dying and the newer, more scripturally conservative churches are growing.

 

[Rikurzhen]

Youth are always less religious than their parents, however as soon as youth become parents themselves the religiosity tends to increase and so too does fundamentalism.

In a related manner, the old line liberal churches are dying and the newer, more scripturally conservative churches are growing.

 

[PostmodernProph]

American adults under 30 increasingly identify with no religion whatsoever, but some teenagers on the edge of this demographic are enthusiastically embracing faith. As the fraction of unaffiliated, agnostic, and atheist surpasses one-third of young people, proselytizing denominations are trying to win over the so-called “nones.”

strange post....from the link you provided, it says that those polled who were unaffiliated, agnostic, or atheist was just under twenty percent.......that is not "surpasses one-third"......in addition the article says of the unaffiliated that "Two-thirds of them say they believe in God (68%)".......

I think perhaps your celebration is premature.....

 

[Taz]

American adults under 30 increasingly identify with no religion whatsoever, but some teenagers on the edge of this demographic are enthusiastically embracing faith. As the fraction of unaffiliated, agnostic, and atheist surpasses one-third of young people, proselytizing denominations are trying to win over the so-called “nones.”

strange post....from the link you provided, it says that those polled who were unaffiliated, agnostic, or atheist was just under twenty percent.......that is not "surpasses one-third"......in addition the article says of the unaffiliated that "Two-thirds of them say they believe in God (68%)".......

I think perhaps your celebration is premature.....

It should probably have stated that most Americans don't think that the bible stories are factual. Kinda like you P(i)MP.

 

[Delta4Embassy]

American adults under 30 increasingly identify with no religion whatsoever, but some teenagers on the edge of this demographic are enthusiastically embracing faith. As the fraction of unaffiliated, agnostic, and atheist surpasses one-third of young people, proselytizing denominations are trying to win over the so-called “nones.”

'Great evangelical recession'
Some evangelical leaders suggest the movement is in decline, after it delivered a major political victory with the re-election of President George W. Bush in 2004, and then saw two subsequent national defeats at the ballot box.

In a New York Times op-ed, John S. Dickerson, senior pastor of Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Arizona, summarized the state of evangelism just after Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election: “This former juggernaut is coasting, at best, if not stalled or in reverse.”


With US youth losing religion evangelicals struggle to spread lsquo good news rsquo Al Jazeera America

As the internet makes access to enlightenment easier, religions face the problem of having their mythology and deceptions more easily uncovered. Keep telling people how great and powerful your god(s) are, eventually they're gonna notice the whole culture doesn't all agree on the one reliigous denomination they're a part of, and they're gonna wonder why.

I recall being a kid and thinking the whole world was Jewish. Was raised with 'this is the truth.' So naturally a hcild assumes everyone likes truth so naturally everyone's Jewish. Once a kid's old enough to get online and start digging though they realize what they'd been raised to believe is just one con among many others.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Youth abandon fanaticism of fundamentalism.

That is why the evangelicals, fundamentalists, and Pentecostals have been in a long decline. It will only get worse.

The internet is the Jewish, Islamic, and Christian fundamentalist's worst night mare.

 

[PostmodernProph]

American adults under 30 increasingly identify with no religion whatsoever, but some teenagers on the edge of this demographic are enthusiastically embracing faith. As the fraction of unaffiliated, agnostic, and atheist surpasses one-third of young people, proselytizing denominations are trying to win over the so-called “nones.”

strange post....from the link you provided, it says that those polled who were unaffiliated, agnostic, or atheist was just under twenty percent.......that is not "surpasses one-third"......in addition the article says of the unaffiliated that "Two-thirds of them say they believe in God (68%)".......

I think perhaps your celebration is premature.....

It should probably have stated that most Americans don't think that the bible stories are factual. Kinda like you P(i)MP.

I see you have decided to start trolling with insulting names......I'm sure that will spread your reputation as a lucid debater......

 

[Avatar4321]

American adults under 30 increasingly identify with no religion whatsoever, but some teenagers on the edge of this demographic are enthusiastically embracing faith. As the fraction of unaffiliated, agnostic, and atheist surpasses one-third of young people, proselytizing denominations are trying to win over the so-called “nones.”

strange post....from the link you provided, it says that those polled who were unaffiliated, agnostic, or atheist was just under twenty percent.......that is not "surpasses one-third"......in addition the article says of the unaffiliated that "Two-thirds of them say they believe in God (68%)".......

I think perhaps your celebration is premature.....

It should probably have stated that most Americans don't think that the bible stories are factual. Kinda like you P(i)MP.

they would have to actually read those bible stories before they could make an educated determination on whether they are true or not. Most have never read them.

it's sad that we are blessed beyond all previous generations. For thousands of years the scriptures were not in the hands of the people. Many men made the ultimate sacrifice just so we could have the bible in our own language. Now we can not only read them for ourselves, we can literally download the scriptures onto our phones for absolutely no cost and carry them around er we go.

but despite this blessing we are some of the most biblically illiterate people since the invention if the printing press.

it truly is sad. But perhaps the rising generation will change that. Oh that we would actually learn things for ourselves instead of outsourcing our thinking

 

[Taz]

American adults under 30 increasingly identify with no religion whatsoever, but some teenagers on the edge of this demographic are enthusiastically embracing faith. As the fraction of unaffiliated, agnostic, and atheist surpasses one-third of young people, proselytizing denominations are trying to win over the so-called “nones.”

strange post....from the link you provided, it says that those polled who were unaffiliated, agnostic, or atheist was just under twenty percent.......that is not "surpasses one-third"......in addition the article says of the unaffiliated that "Two-thirds of them say they believe in God (68%)".......

I think perhaps your celebration is premature.....

It should probably have stated that most Americans don't think that the bible stories are factual. Kinda like you P(i)MP.

they would have to actually read those bible stories before they could make an educated determination on whether they are true or not. Most have never read them.

it's sad that we are blessed beyond all previous generations. For thousands of years the scriptures were not in the hands of the people. Many men made the ultimate sacrifice just so we could have the bible in our own language. Now we can not only read them for ourselves, we can literally download the scriptures onto our phones for absolutely no cost and carry them around er we go.

but despite this blessing we are some of the most biblically illiterate people since the invention if the printing press.

it truly is sad. But perhaps the rising generation will change that. Oh that we would actually learn things for ourselves instead of outsourcing our thinking

So how did Noah get kangaroos from Australia and back again?

 

[PostmodernProph]

So how did Noah get kangaroos from Australia and back again?

well that works.....if you can't answer the question you can always fall back on your stupidity.....

 

[Hollie]

So how did Noah get kangaroos from Australia and back again?

well that works.....if you can't answer the question you can always fall back on your stupidity.....

.....so what happened to all the dinosaurs on the Ark?.............

 

[Taz]

So how did Noah get kangaroos from Australia and back again?

well that works.....if you can't answer the question you can always fall back on your stupidity.....

Says the P(i)MP who couldn't answer the question.

 

[PostmodernProph]

So how did Noah get kangaroos from Australia and back again?

well that works.....if you can't answer the question you can always fall back on your stupidity.....

.....so what happened to all the dinosaurs on the Ark?.............

there weren't any dinosaurs on the ark....

 

[PostmodernProph]

So how did Noah get kangaroos from Australia and back again?

well that works.....if you can't answer the question you can always fall back on your stupidity.....

Says the P(i)MP who couldn't answer the question.

I've answered all YOUR questions.......now, why was your take light last night.....you been giving freebies to the johns?.....

 

[Taz]

So how did Noah get kangaroos from Australia and back again?

well that works.....if you can't answer the question you can always fall back on your stupidity.....

Says the P(i)MP who couldn't answer the question.

I've answered all YOUR questions.......now, why was your take light last night.....you been giving freebies to the johns?.....

So you admit that your a pimp?

 

[Taz]

So how did Noah get kangaroos from Australia and back again?

well that works.....if you can't answer the question you can always fall back on your stupidity.....

.....so what happened to all the dinosaurs on the Ark?.............

there weren't any dinosaurs on the ark....

So where did the dino fossils come from?

 

[The Irish Ram]

So how did Noah get kangaroos from Australia and back again?

Let's ask science:

Scientific American of April 1968 reports: “After years of debate many lines of evidence now favor the idea that the present continents were once assembled into two great land masses.” It also states: “There is also strong evidence for a juncture between Australia and India.” Even after these land masses separated, for a time there were probably land bridges that connected different areas, such as a bridge between Siberia and Alaska, and no doubt one between Asia and Australia. The string of islands and shallow seas stretching from Malaya and embracing Indonesia and New Guinea could have comprised a wide land bridge where the crossing to Australia was made.

 

[Taz]

So how did Noah get kangaroos from Australia and back again?

Let's ask science:

Scientific American of April 1968 reports: “After years of debate many lines of evidence now favor the idea that the present continents were once assembled into two great land masses.” It also states: “There is also strong evidence for a juncture between Australia and India.” Even after these land masses separated, for a time there were probably land bridges that connected different areas, such as a bridge between Siberia and Alaska, and no doubt one between Asia and Australia. The string of islands and shallow seas stretching from Malaya and embracing Indonesia and New Guinea could have comprised a wide land bridge where the crossing to Australia was made.

So your saying that Noah existed during the time when the continents where together? That's when dinosaurs lived. So the flood killed all the dinosaurs? And Noah lived during the dinosaur age? Did he know Fred Flinstone?

 

[M.D. Rawlings]

Youth abandon fanaticism of fundamentalism.

That is why the evangelicals, fundamentalists, and Pentecostals have been in a long decline. It will only get worse.

The internet is the Jewish, Islamic, and Christian fundamentalist's worst night mare.

Jake, you're projecting your own psychology. Bible-believing Christians don't view the world as an us versus them game, or in terms of numbers or club membership. There's just God's truth and what folks do with it. God is in control Good is victorious over evil. All will be revealed. That's the beginning and the end of it. The vast majority of humanity do not choose God. It has always been that way and will always be that way. The Internet is irrelevant . . . except for the fact that more people than ever before in human history have actually been exposed to biblical Christianity. You have it backwards.