“The Bible According to Gen Z” is a collection of essays from Australia on encouraging Bible engagement among young people. It includes research results and analysis, together with responses from youth leaders and case studies.
Here are some selected quotes:
“The study showed that the best way to encourage young people to read the Bible is to encourage them to participate in a Bible reading group.”
“Encouraging the sharing of ideas, opinions and questions around a passage is also vital for young people to dig into Scripture, and have a sense of ‘discovery’ and shared learning.”
“Many young people read very little, especially in the form of books… Bible reading requires a sustained effort of a kind that is ‘uncomfortable’ for many young people.”
“Individualism and post-traditionalism has meant that life is approached in a very flexible manner… Few young people develop strong habitual or structured daily activities, except in relation to the demands of school and work… The mobile phone has encouraged this unstructured approach to life. Hence, few young people develop structured habits of daily Bible reading.”
“There’s one core issue that sits at the heart of young people not ‘getting into’ the Bible. It may seem harsh – but it’s simply that there is a consistent lack of modelling of Bible engagement from leaders. If the leaders of young people are not engaging with the Bible, the clear message to those they influence is that the Bible is not important.”
“When Bible engagement is done in non-interactive, non-creative ways, it often reinforces the lack of importance and relevance of the Bible in the minds of young people.”
“Experiencing the Bible as relevant depends on the attitudes one brings to it. If young people read it simply as stories of long ago, it had little relevance. If they read it as God’s communication today, they were far more likely to experience it as relevant to life.”
“For the young people who do read the Bible, there is often a frustration with the ‘non-immediacy’ of it (the fast-food approach to the Bible).”
Available as an e-book or printed book.
