Nearly one in two teens believe Jesus offers hope

“Teenagers seldom think ill of Jesus. The overall impression of Jesus is that he is trustworthy, generous, wise, peaceful…and the glowing list goes on. »

The Barna Group led investigation with 24 adolescents aged 870 to 13, from 17 countries. He probed them about three crucial elements of the Christian faith: Jesus, the Bible, and justice.

The group has published the first part of this research and claims that adolescents are “open to Jesus”.

“Teenagers seldom think ill of Jesus. The overall impression of Jesus is that he is trustworthy, generous, wise, peaceful…and the glowing list goes on. Among the biblical characteristics of Jesus that stand out among teenagers, the top picks point to his forgiving, compassionate nature and his reputation as a teacher and miracle worker. Neutral ideas about Jesus are more common than negativity, even among non-Christians. »

Barna reveals the positive traits that teenagers have about Jesus.

• 46% of teens surveyed believe that Jesus offers hope.
• 43% of teens surveyed believe that Jesus cares.
• 39% of teens surveyed believe that Jesus is trustworthy.
• 37% of teens surveyed believe that Jesus is generous.

Conversely, only small percentages of adolescents surveyed associate negative traits with it.

• 4% of teens surveyed think Jesus is a hypocrite.
• 6% of teens surveyed believe that Jesus is irrelevant.
• 7% of teens surveyed believe that Jesus is in judgment.
• 8% of teenagers questioned believe that Jesus is detached from the real problems of today.

“While personal commitment to following Jesus is not the norm among teens today, general curiosity about Jesus is high,” Barna Group explains.

“Among Christian teenagers, the desire to know more about Jesus is widespread and only deepens as they grow in their relationship with him. Almost all Christian teenagers who make a personal commitment to follow Jesus want to grow in their knowledge of him throughout their lives. »

MC