According to a recent Barna group poll, 40% of 16-29 year old Americans identify as non-Christian, 85% of them consider Christianity hypocritical, and that 52% of Christians in the same age group agree. Does Christianity have an image problem?
It’s the age group not the image of Christianity. I’ve been a volunteer in church youth work for 25 years and there is a pattern that all of us recognize. As soon as a kid got their first job or car at 16 we used to joke about not seeing them again for another 16 years. That is because their focus changes at that age to material things, responsibility at work and hanging with friends. Then they are off to college where they get inundated with liberal philosophies and new experiences that are less than Godly. After that they are starting a career, but once the family and kids get going they are right back in the pew where they started. The Bible says if you raise a child up in the Lord, there will be a period of rebellion but they always return. I’ve talked to other people in youth work and the pattern seems to be true across the board, so the poll does worry me.
