If you work in church leadership, you have heard some version of this claim: most young people leave the church after high school.
But what do the actual numbers say? Which studies are credible? And how has the data shifted over the past five decades?
This article is designed to be a one-stop resource. I have compiled every major study I can find on youth and young adults leaving the church—from Barna, Lifeway, Pew Research, Gallup, the National Study of Youth and Religion, Fuller Youth Institute, PRRI, and others. Where data conflicts, I note it. Where a statistic has been debunked or inflated, I call it out. The goal is clarity, not spin.
Bookmark this page. Share it with your team. Reference it when someone drops a statistic in a meeting, and nobody can source it.
| Organization | Study / Source | Year | Key Finding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lifeway Research | Church Dropout Study | 2007 | 70% of young adults who attended church regularly in high school dropped out for at least one year between ages 18–22. |
| Lifeway Research | Church Dropout Study (updated) | 2019 | 66% dropout rate—a slight improvement from 70% in 2007. 71% say leaving was not intentional. |
| Barna Group | You Lost Me | 2011 | 59% of young adults with a Christian background disconnected from church during their 20s. |
| Barna Group | Faith for Exiles | 2019 | Dropout rate rose to 64%. Only 10% of young Christians qualify as “resilient disciples.” |
| Pew Research | Religious Landscape Study | 2023–24 | 29% of U.S. adults are religiously unaffiliated (“nones”)—up from 16% in 2007. |
| Pew Research | Why Americans Leave Religion | 2025 | 53% of those who left religion did so by age 18. |
| Gallup | Church Membership Trend | 2020 | U.S. church membership fell below 50% for the first time ever, to 47%. |
| NSYR | Longitudinal Study | 2002–13 | Parents are the single most important influence on long-term religious outcomes. Retention drops to single digits without parental engagement. |
| Fuller Youth Institute | Sticky Faith | 2006–10 | Intergenerational worship participation is the strongest predictor of sustained faith into college. |
| PRRI | Census of American Religion | 2020–24 | 36–44% of adults under 30 are religiously unaffiliated. Young women now leaving faster than young men. |
The Statistic Everyone Gets Wrong
Before we go further, let’s address the elephant in the room. You have almost certainly heard some version of this: “86% of evangelical youth leave the church after high school and never return.”
Ed Stetzer, former executive director of Lifeway Research and now dean at Talbot School of Theology, has been blunt about this number: it is not based on rigorous research. It originated from youth pastors being asked to estimate their own dropout rates, and someone averaged those guesses. That is not a study. That is a survey of opinions.
Ryan Burge, a political scientist at Washington University’s John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics and one of the most prolific analysts of religious data in America, has been equally direct. Responding to a viral post repeating an implausible faith statistic, Burge wrote: “I look at more data about this than almost anyone on Earth. This statistic is completely implausible. Yet it gets 150 retweets.”
The real numbers are concerning enough without inflation. Inflated statistics undermine credibility and, ironically, make it harder for church leaders to respond effectively—because they are solving for a problem that does not exist in the form they imagine.
The actual data, which we will walk through study by study, points to a dropout rate somewhere between 59% and 70%, depending on how you define “dropout” and the time period measured. Many of those who leave eventually return. The situation is serious. It does not need exaggeration.
Lifeway Research: The Benchmark Studies
The Original Study (2007)
In 2007, Lifeway Research published what became the most cited statistic in youth ministry: 70% of young adults ages 18–22 who attended a Protestant church regularly in high school dropped out for at least one year. The study surveyed 1,023 young adults ages 18–30 with a margin of error of ±2.4%.
The top reasons given for leaving included moving to college (34%), church members seeming judgmental or hypocritical (32%), not feeling connected to people in the church (29%), disagreement with the church’s stance on political or social issues (25%), and work responsibilities (24%).
The Updated Study (2019)
Lifeway revisited this research in 2017 (published January 2019) with a larger sample of 2,002 Americans ages 23–30. The updated finding: 66% of teenagers who attended a Protestant church regularly for at least one year in high school stopped attending for at least one year between ages 18–22. A 4-point improvement from the 2007 figure, but still roughly two-thirds.
The age-by-age breakdown is revealing. At age 17, 69% were attending regularly. By 18, that dropped to 58%. By 19, just 40%. By 20 and beyond, about 33%.
Perhaps the most important finding: 71% of those who left said it was not an intentional decision—it just happened. They drifted. They did not storm out. The implications for church strategy are significant. Most young people are not rejecting faith; they are failing to maintain the habit.
Ben Trueblood, who led Lifeway’s student ministry division, published Within Reach alongside this data. His finding: when teens can identify three or more spiritual mentors during their high school years, they are three times more likely to stay connected to church during college.
Leaving Earlier Than Expected (2023)
In October 2023, Lifeway published research showing the dropout is starting earlier than most leaders think. Age 16 is now the “church dropout danger zone.” In the early 1990s, no more than 16% of 8th, 10th, and 12th graders said religion was unimportant to them. By 2023, roughly 30% of high school seniors and sophomores, and 25% of 8th graders, said religion has no importance.
The parental gap is especially alarming: most nonreligious children are born into religious households and lose faith while still under parental supervision—even as parents believe they are successfully passing on their values.
What Causes People to Stay or Leave (2026)
In January 2026, Lifeway published their most recent comprehensive look. Among those who stayed in their faith, the top reasons were believing the religion’s teachings (64%), spiritual needs being fulfilled (61%), and religion giving life meaning (56%). Among those who left: 46% stopped believing the teachings, 28% said their spiritual needs were not being met, and 26% were unhappy with how religion treated women.
What Brings Young Adults Back
Lifeway’s data offers some hope. Among those who dropped out, many eventually return—especially after major life transitions. The reasons for returning include simply feeling the desire to return (34%), feeling God was calling them back (28%), having children (24%), and getting married (20%). About half of young adults who leave eventually return in some capacity.
Barna Group: Mapping the Landscape of Disengagement
unChristian (2007)
David Kinnaman’s unChristian was one of the first major works to quantify how young outsiders perceive Christianity. Among 16–29 year-olds who were not Christians, only 16% had a “good impression” of Christianity. Just 3% viewed evangelicals favorably. This was not a dropout study per se, but it established the reputational foundation that later research would connect to disengagement.
You Lost Me (2011)
Barna’s landmark study, based on eight national studies and over 5,000 interviews with 18–29 year-olds, found that 59% of young adults with a Christian background disconnected from church at some point during their 20s. Some estimates ranged as high as 60–80% depending on how “active faith” was defined.
Kinnaman identified six primary reasons young Christians leave: the church felt overprotective, judgmental, exclusive, too focused on rules around sexuality, unfriendly to doubt, and unwilling to engage with the broader culture.
He also debunked five myths: that most lose faith at high school graduation (it is gradual), that it is a natural part of growing up (Boomers were the first generation to do this at scale), that college is the primary culprit (disconnection often starts before age 16), that this generation is biblically illiterate (their beliefs are often similar to older Christians), and that they will automatically come back when they are older.
Prodigals, Nomads, and Exiles (2011–2019)
Barna developed a framework for categorizing young adults who grew up in the church. Prodigals (about 1 in 9) have left the Christian faith entirely. Nomads (about 4 in 10) still call themselves Christian but have stopped attending church. Exiles (about 2 in 10) feel caught between church culture and the broader world they want to engage. And Resilient Disciples—just 1 in 10—are those who remain actively engaged in both church and faith in a way that shapes their daily lives.
By 2019, Barna updated the dropout figure to 64%—a 5-point increase from the 2011 baseline. Kinnaman and Mark Matlock published Faith for Exiles, identifying five practices associated with resilient faith. The headline: only about 4 million 18–29 year-olds in the U.S. qualify as resilient disciples.
Gen Z Findings (2022–2025)
Barna’s Gen Z research reveals a generation more secular than any before it. 13% of Gen Z teens identify as atheist—double the 6% rate among all U.S. adults. Gen Z is the first generation Barna labels as “post-Christian.”
A striking gender shift emerged in 2023: 38% of Gen Z women ages 18–24 identify as atheist, agnostic, or having no faith, compared to 32% of men the same age. This reverses a longstanding pattern in which women were more religious than men. Contributing factors include the burden of unpaid domestic labor (church adds to the load), feeling isolated in family-centric congregations when unmarried, and the fallout from male church leader scandals.
There is an interesting paradox in the latest data: Gen Z churchgoers who remain are attending more frequently than older generations—1.9 services per month compared to 1.8 for Millennials, 1.7 for Gen X, and 1.6 for Boomers. But this likely reflects attrition: the casual attenders have simply stopped coming, leaving a smaller but more committed core.
Pew Research Center: The National Trend Line
Pew’s Religious Landscape Studies provide the broadest view of religious change in America. They survey 35,000+ adults and produce the data that most news outlets rely on. Here is the trajectory:
The Rise of the “Nones”
2007: 78.4% of Americans identified as Christian; 16% were religiously unaffiliated.
2012: One in five adults (20%) was unaffiliated. Among adults under 30, one in three (32%).
2014: 70.6% Christian; 23% unaffiliated. Pew documented a loss of about 5 million Christians in just seven years.
2023–24: 62% Christian; 29% unaffiliated. Among adults 18–24, roughly 44% identify as religious “nones.”
That is a 13-percentage-point increase in religiously unaffiliated Americans in under two decades—driven disproportionately by younger generations.
Why They Leave
Pew’s 2025 study on why Americans leave their childhood religion found that 78% of those who left believe they can be moral without religion, 64% question religious teachings, and 54% feel they do not need religion to be spiritual. Critically, 53% of those who left religion made that decision by age 18—reinforcing that the window of influence is smaller than many church leaders assume.
Possible Stabilization
The 2023–24 Religious Landscape Study offered a potentially encouraging signal: the rate of decline may be slowing. Christian identification dropped 8 points between 2007 and 2014 but only 9 points across the next decade. Whether this represents a plateau or a temporary pause remains to be seen.
Other Major Studies and Data Sources
The National Study of Youth and Religion (2002–2013)
This is the gold standard for longitudinal data on adolescent faith. Directed by Christian Smith at the University of Notre Dame, the NSYR followed the same group of young people across four waves over more than a decade, starting when respondents were 13–17 years old and concluding when they were 23–28.
Key findings from Soul Searching (2005) and Souls in Transition (2009): 84% of teenagers identified as religious, 75% claimed to be Christian, and 35% attended weekly services. But Smith documented that the operative faith of most American teenagers was not orthodox Christianity—it was what he called “Morealistic Therapeutic Deism,” a vague belief that God wants people to be good and happy. This watered-down theology, Smith argued, is poorly equipped to survive the transition to adulthood.
The single strongest predictor of long-term religious outcomes: parents. Not youth group. Not summer camp. Not the charisma of the youth pastor. Multiple studies confirm that parental religiosity is far and away the most significant variable. Vern Bengtson’s longitudinal research found that when both parents model and discuss faith actively, the vast majority of children maintain religious involvement into adulthood. When neither parent is active, the retention rate drops to single digits—Lifeway data suggests as low as 6%.
Gallup: The Membership Collapse
Gallup’s data provides the broadest historical view of institutional religious commitment. Church membership in the United States was remarkably stable from the 1940s through the late 1990s, hovering between 68% and 73%. Then the bottom began to fall out:
2000: ~70% membership. 2010: 61%. 2020: 47%—the first time in Gallup’s 80+ years of tracking that membership fell below 50%.
The generational breakdown is stark: 66% of Traditionalists are church members, compared to 58% of Boomers, 50% of Gen X, and just 36% of Millennials. Among adults ages 18–29, 61% seldom or never attend services.
PRRI: The Gender Shift
The Public Religion Research Institute’s American Values Atlas (40,000+ interviews annually) has tracked a notable trend: the religious gender gap among young adults is inverting. Historically, women were more religious than men. That is changing fast.
Among women ages 18–29: weekly church attendance dropped from 29% in 2016 to 19% in 2024. Daily prayer dropped from 53% to 38%. Unaffiliated identification rose from 29% in 2013 to 40% in 2024.
Among men ages 18–29: attendance actually held relatively stable (16% in 2016 vs. 18% in 2024). The exodus is disproportionately female—a reversal with major implications for churches historically sustained by women’s participation.
Fuller Youth Institute: Sticky Faith (2006–2010)
Kara Powell and Chap Clark’s “Sticky Faith” research at Fuller Theological Seminary followed roughly 500 high school seniors from youth groups into college. Their central finding: intergenerational worship participation—not isolated youth programs—is the strongest predictor of sustained faith. Students who regularly worshiped alongside adults in all-church settings showed significantly more durable faith than those whose church experience was confined to age-segregated youth ministry.
Additional factors included service and justice activities, small group participation, student leadership roles, and retreat experiences. But intergenerational connection was the standout. Only 1 in 7 high school seniors felt prepared for the faith challenges of college.
General Social Survey (1972–Present)
The GSS, conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago, has tracked religious identity since 1972 and provides the longest continuous data set available. In the 1970s, fewer than 10% of Americans identified as religiously unaffiliated. By 2018, that figure was nearly 24%. Among Gen Z respondents, roughly 40% report no religion—a figure that has remained consistent from 2018 through 2024, suggesting Gen Z arrived highly secular and has stayed that way.
Ryan Burge: The Data Analyst’s Perspective
Ryan Burge, a political scientist and prolific analyst of religious data, has published several books on American religious trends including The Nones (2021), The Great Dechurching (2023), and The Vanishing Church (2026). His key contributions to this conversation:
The “nones” rose from 5% in 1972 to over 40% among Gen Z. Most nones are “made, not grown”—the majority grew up religious but left between ages 15 and 25. The “none” population breaks down roughly as 20% atheist, 20% agnostic, and 60% “nothing in particular.”
Burge has been a consistent voice against sensationalized claims of either collapse or revival. In response to suggestions of a Gen Z religious resurgence, he has pointed out the basic math: moving national church attendance up just 3 points would require roughly 10–12 million additional people attending—a near impossibility given there are only about 350,000 houses of worship in the country. He advocates precision over panic.
Contested (and some debunked) Statistics
The “86% Never Return” Claim
As noted above, this figure is not from a peer-reviewed study. It originated from informal surveying of youth pastors’ estimates. The actual data from Lifeway and Barna suggests a dropout rate of 59–70%, with a meaningful percentage eventually returning. Ed Stetzer has been one of the most vocal critics of this inflated number.
Derik Idol’s Dissertation (2022)
Derik Wade Idol, now Executive Director of the Center for Youth Ministries at Liberty University, published a quantitative dissertation in 2022 titled “An Assessment of Dropout Rates of Former Student Ministry Participants in Self-Identified Evangelical Churches with 500–2000 in Weekly Attendance.”
His finding was dramatically different from the national studies: a 95.4% retention rate among 502 former youth ministry participants across 17 evangelical churches, with 74.3% reporting moderate to high current church involvement.
This study warrants caution. While it covered 17 churches, there are significant methodological considerations. The sample was drawn exclusively from evangelical churches with 500–2000 weekly attenders—a subset that likely has stronger programming, more staff, and higher baseline engagement than the average congregation. . And with 502 respondents across 17 churches, the sample is a fraction of the thousands surveyed by Lifeway or Barna.
This does not mean the data is worthless. On the contrary, it's a great counterpoint to most of the other studies you'll see. It may accurately reflect retention among deeply engaged youth in well-resourced churches. But it should not be used to counter national trends. The populations are different.
The Gen Z Revival Narrative
In 2024–2025, several headlines suggested a Gen Z religious revival, often citing Barna data showing increased attendance frequency among young churchgoers. The data is real but requires context: the frequency among those who remain has increased, but the total number attending has not. As less-committed attenders leave, the average frequency of those who stay naturally rises. Burge and Pew have both cautioned that there is no clear evidence of a nationwide resurgence. Lifeway’s January 2026 analysis noted some encouraging signals among younger Gen Z (born 2003–2007), who show slightly higher religious identification than older Gen Z—but the data is preliminary.
What the Data Tells Us: Patterns Across the Studies
When you lay these studies side by side, several patterns emerge consistently across organizations, methodologies, and decades.
1. The dropout is real—but it is a drift, not a revolt.
Roughly two-thirds of young people who attend church in high school will disengage for at least a year during early adulthood. But 71% of them say it was not a deliberate decision. They did not reject God. They stopped showing up. The distinction matters for how churches respond.
2. The window closes earlier than most leaders think.
Lifeway’s 2023 data and Pew’s 2025 findings both point to mid-adolescence—not college—as the critical period. By age 16, the divergence between those who will stay and those who will leave is already visible. And 53% of those who leave religion do so before 18.
3. Parents are the primary variable.
The NSYR’s longitudinal data is unambiguous: parental faith is the single strongest predictor of whether a young person retains their faith. Youth programs, camps, and charismatic leaders all play secondary roles. When parents actively model and discuss faith, the vast majority of children maintain it. When neither parent is engaged, retention drops to single digits.
4. Relationships and integration trump programming.
Fuller’s Sticky Faith research, Lifeway’s mentor data, and Barna’s resilience framework all converge on the same point: young people who are embedded in intergenerational relationships and integrated into the life of the whole church—not siloed in a separate youth wing—are significantly more likely to maintain faith. Three or more spiritual mentors triples the likelihood of staying connected.
5. The gender dynamic is shifting.
For decades, women were the more religious gender. That is reversing among young adults. PRRI’s data shows young women’s church attendance dropping 10 points in eight years, while young men’s held steady. Barna documents a similar pattern. Churches that have historically depended on women’s engagement need to reckon with this shift.
6. The “nones” are not necessarily atheists.
Burge’s work shows that 60% of the religiously unaffiliated are not atheists or agnostics—they are “nothing in particular.” Many retain vague spiritual beliefs. They have not concluded that God does not exist; they have concluded that church is not where they need to be. That is a different problem requiring a different solution.
7. Some do come back.
Lifeway’s data suggests roughly half of those who leave eventually return, often after marriage, having children, or experiencing a personal crisis. Barna’s “nomad” category—Christians who identify with the faith but do not attend—represents about 40% of disengaged young adults. They are not lost. They are disconnected.
Timeline of Major Studies
| Year | Study | Key Data Point |
|---|---|---|
| 1972+ | General Social Survey | Begins tracking religious affiliation; <10% unaffiliated through the 1970s–80s. |
| 2002 | NSYR Wave 1 | Longitudinal study of 3,370 teens begins. 84% identify as religious. Parents identified as primary influence. |
| 2005 | Soul Searching (Smith) | Documents “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism” as dominant teen theology. |
| 2006 | Sticky Faith begins | Fuller Youth Institute starts tracking ~500 youth group seniors into college. |
| 2007 | Lifeway Dropout Study | 70% of regular church-attending teens drop out between 18–22. |
| 2007 | Pew Religious Landscape | 78.4% Christian; 16% unaffiliated nationally. |
| 2007 | unChristian (Kinnaman) | Only 16% of young non-Christians have positive view of Christianity. |
| 2009 | Souls in Transition (Smith) | NSYR Wave 3 data; documents faith erosion in emerging adulthood. |
| 2010 | Sticky Faith published | Intergenerational worship identified as strongest retention factor. |
| 2011 | You Lost Me (Barna) | 59% of young adults with Christian background disconnect from church in their 20s. |
| 2012 | Pew “Nones” on the Rise | 20% unaffiliated nationally; 32% among adults under 30. |
| 2013 | NSYR Wave 4 | Final wave; respondents ages 23–28. Confirms parental influence as primary factor. |
| 2014 | Pew Religious Landscape | 70.6% Christian; 23% unaffiliated. ~5 million Christians lost in 7 years. |
| 2019 | Lifeway Updated Study | 66% dropout rate (improved from 70%). 71% say leaving was unintentional. |
| 2019 | Faith for Exiles (Barna) | Dropout rises to 64%. Only 10% are “resilient disciples.” |
| 2020 | Gallup: Membership <50% | Church membership falls to 47%—first time below majority in 80+ years. |
| 2020 | PRRI Census of Religion | 36% of adults under 30 religiously unaffiliated. |
| 2021 | The Nones (Burge) | Documents rise from 5% (1972) to 40%+ among Gen Z. |
| 2022 | Idol Dissertation | 95.4% retention among 502 youth ministry alumni in 17 evangelical churches. |
| 2023 | Barna: Gen Z Atheism | 13% of Gen Z teens identify as atheist—double the rate among all adults. |
| 2023 | Lifeway: Age 16 Danger Zone | ~30% of HS seniors say religion is unimportant. Dropout starts earlier. |
| 2023 | Barna: Gen Z Women | 38% of Gen Z women 18–24 identify as atheist, agnostic, or no faith. |
| 2024 | Pew: 2023–24 RLS | 62% Christian; 29% unaffiliated. Decline may be stabilizing. |
| 2024 | PRRI: Gender Shift | Young women's weekly attendance drops from 29% to 19% (2016–2024). |
| 2025 | Pew: Why They Leave | 53% left religion by age 18. 78% say morality does not require religion. |
| 2026 | Lifeway: Stay vs. Leave | 46% who left stopped believing the teachings. 64% who stayed cite belief. |
Sources and Further Reading
Lifeway Research
“Reasons 18- to 22-Year-Olds Drop Out of Church” (2007)
“Most Teenagers Drop Out of Church When They Become Young Adults” (2019)
“The Next Generation Is Leaving the Faith Earlier Than You Realize” (2023)
“What Causes Some to Stay With Their Faith While Others Leave?” (2026)
Barna Group
“Six Reasons Young Christians Leave Church” (2011)
“Five Myths About Young Adult Church Dropouts” (2011)
“Church Dropouts Have Risen to 64%” (2019)
“Atheism Doubles Among Generation Z” (2023)
“Gen Z Women Struggling in Faith” (2023)
Pew Research Center
Religious Landscape Study (2023–24)
“Why Americans Leave Their Childhood Religion” (2025)
Other Sources
National Study of Youth and Religion (Notre Dame)
Fuller Youth Institute: Sticky Faith Research
Gallup: U.S. Church Membership Falls Below Majority (2021)
PRRI Census of American Religion (2020)
I’m my opinion, the reasons cited for the problem of young adults leaving the church are surface reasons. I believe the underlying reality is that these young adults have you ever had a significant relationship with God. They have been taught a Christian belief system but lack the personal relationship. If someone truly knows the love of God, that will never change based on The Superficial reasons given in this study such as the conflict between what the church teaches and what science teaches. I believe the reason that young adults leave the church is that the way we parent them misrepresents God to them. We present a God that relates to us based on our Behavior rather than a God who is concerned about our heart motives.
I absolutely agree! We need to teach this generation about a life-changing relationship with Jesus and the true word of God, not just rules and religion.
In reading these comments, I feel your readership is missing the signals from this generational exodus from the church.
If you pull up the actual study from lifeway, you can see plenty of data, but reading into it, it’s weighted to diminish the actual CORE reasons young adults leave. In nearly every category, more than 25% of respondents put “none of these” options as their answer. That’s means a quarter of the data is basically missing, bc these students didn’t have a representative answer to choose from.
It should still have the option, but a quarter of your participants (from a grand total of 1300…) having a “mystery reason” doesn’t exactly scream “excellent study”.
In light of the legitimate concerns from Millennials and GenZ around failures in the “Big C” Church with accountability and stewardship, it makes more sense to me to blame leadership failures than “biblical literacy”. These students are often aware of the biblical history (especially around the validity and formation of key scriptures) in a way their parents never even thought to consider.
This is the most tech savvy generation ever, maybe we don’t just chalk it up to “I moved to college and stopped attending” instead of the Real reasons their leaving and having no reservations.
Very statistically astute observation. The comments on this seem to be weighted towards the shallow end of the “reasons” pool and ignoring what are, at the centre, very painful realities of the existential failure of ancient religion to deliver on the joy promised.
Religion never satisfies, only knowing Christ personally, who is God come in the flesh so we could know what He is like, then died for our sins, resurrected and became the Life-Giving Spirit, being poured out over the whole earth to become the life supply for our spirit! He loves us with such a sacrificial life and infuses us to live the same life as He, loving with a pure love. Free New Testament at BiblesforAmerica.org with excellent study notes that emphasize Christ as the Life Giving Spirit for our spirit! My mom and dad prayed that their kids would not be 2nd generation Christians in name only, but have a genuine love for the Person of the Lord Jesus Himself. We all do and have married Christian spouses and our kids are believing in Him, too. I am a 5th generation living Christian on one side, starting in Sweden and a 3rd generation on the other side. We have pastors and a missionary in our family. We are descendants of the Mayflower Christians who paid such a big price to come to this land to set up a shining city on a hill, the New Jerusalem, to give light to all around, even the whole earth! I pray you and yours can touch His riches! Just call Lord Jesus! He is near each one, in our mouth and in our heart, like the air. We just have to turn and talk to Him! Every blessing in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus to you and yours!!♥️♥️♥️
Yup they never seem to ask any of us who’ve left. For me 34m who grew up heavily indoctrinated in the Christian cult, it’s not because I didn’t understand the biblical stories, it’s the parts I understood that forced me to leave or abandon all intellectual honesty. The church destroyed my family and barley a word in the Bible is true so what’s left? Why would I care? Christian’s can understand why people leave Scientology, Islam or any of the other cults but they will never look in the mirror. Very happy this awful cult is dying across all denominations
“it’s the parts I understood that forced me to leave or abandon all intellectual honesty.”
Amazing statement. Well said.
Would you be willing to share the parts you understood?
I disagree Christianity is dying; what is happening is a move of God that cannot be perceived with bare eyes but only with spiritual eyes and understanding.
It looks like you went down the path of Atheism and neve looked back! So sad, but it’s not uncommon. That’s why it’s called “faith”. This is especially true of miracles, including the Resurrection. All movements have “intellectual dishonesty”, including the Climate Change movement and “woekism”. Is core Christianity a “cult”? No. If you compare Christianity to Scientology and Islam, you’ve already given up any faith in Christ or God. Most college kids drift away from Christianity and move away from the church because of liberal (arts) indoctrination. Most professors are not Christians and tend to be secular humanists.
Kale when you witness the actual miracles of God by following him and having faith, you don’t want to leave him. However, even when he was performing miracles in his life some people discredited him. It’s sad.
My son is experiencing a good example of this. He is going through confirmation class through our church, and one of the criteria is to remember the exact order of all 39 Old Testament books (and all 27 New Testament) AND the proper spelling. He will “lose” points for misspelling books such as Ecclesiastes and Habakkuk. How does this make him a better Christian? Shouldn’t the focus instead be of the meanings and truths in books such as Ecclesiastes and Habakkuk?
I think it is harvest time. In the seed that’s been planted in the religion that people has put their faith in. Truth has been established in the work of personal relationships.
The Question is: have the transformation taken place in your life. Have you been born again? The cry is bigger than data reveals. Our youth is looking for answers about life. Only to get push to the side with perspective views. The bullet is: what order or you under?
Love is lead in stages. Spirit life come with Power! Religion is a seed that has died to our youth. But spiritually they-are staving to know what truth really is. Throwing a rock and hidden your hand will not work for this generation!
That’s why I left the Catholic Church. Too many rules, most of which were made up by the early Catholic Church. It’s no different than the legalistic scribes and Pharisees back in Jesus’ day. Instead of living by grace (true Christianity), the Catholic Church lives “by the law”, just like Jews from the Exodus on. Then you have all of the idols in church, the saints that people pray to, and “confession” with a priest. None of that is actually Biblical. Also, nowhere in the Bible is Mary exalted to saint or goddess status.
You can’t teach the young people with words, sermons, retreats, slick programming, and so on. The teaching you can do is with how you live your life, and how you practice your faith. Words are merely gusts of wind if you don’t live your life the way you speak.
Exactly my thoughts! Society is getting tougher and tougher and influence is strong, kids and parents aren’t talking about deep Bible theology and answering hard questions that atheists ask and if you don’t even know the answers why would you believe? We need to raise soldiers these days and dove deep into the word and talk about this with our kids or they will fall away
I’m currently a kids director at my church and I will say that we are. It is refreshing to hear people concerned about things that are heavy on my heart. Hard questions and deep biblical theology pivotal!
As someone who left Christianity at 18 the biggest thing that made me leave was my own family trying to force me to become more apart of the church and would sign me up for things without asking me beforehand even though I was an adult. The other reason is my mother up until I was 12 never took me to church nor spoke about God or Jesus at home, when I started going to church I thought it was kind of weird and uncomfortable, I never believed God spoke to me, I didn’t believe he gave me signs, and I don’t believe he loves humans because if he did he wouldn’t let children and babies be abused, murdered, and raped. So I already had an extreme disconnect from the church I was going to, plus all of the Christian people you here from online and in public are such psychopathic hateful people, meaning they are going against their God because they have no right to say who deserves to go to heaven and who doesn’t only their God dies. I am pagan now and follow the Greek and Norse gods and goddesses, my family knows and they still love me, that’s something else I don’t like Christian people for, is how many “loving Christian” families throw out their kids for either not having the same beliefs or throw out their kids for doing something that goes against their beliefs which is bullshit, any good parent who says they love their children would never do that because love is not conditional so only worthless scummy human beings throw out their kids.
” I am pagan now and follow the Greek and Norse gods and goddesses”. So, in essence, you follow Satan and demons. There are NO other gods. They are lifeless idols that were made up by mankind. Yes, there are “hateful and judgmental” Christians. Yet there are also “hateful and judgmental” atheists and “woke” people, including anti Trump and Musk zealots and people who were “masked minions” during COVID. They shamed and judged anyone who didn’t agree with them concerning COVID mandates, masking, and jabbing. I’m sure that included Pagans.
Jesus is the only prophet who literally died and rose from the dead. You can reply “that is nonsense”. But if it didn’t actually happen, why would 11 out of 12 Apostles, dozens of disciples, and countless thousands of followers die for a man who was a “farce”, “con artist”, or “false messiah”? Of course most Jewish people don’t recognize Jesus as “The Messiah”, but a mere prophet at best. Yet with that said, can Buddha save you? How about Vishnu? Or Mohammed?
Maybe you believe that the “Marvel Universe” can save your soul? I’m not being “judgmental”, but rather asking relevant questions. If you’re a “practicing Pagan”, you do believe in something. But Jesus was clear about the path to eternal life and salvation. Jesus emphasized that salvation comes through faith in Him and a relationship with God the Father. He stated that those who believe in Him will have eternal life, and that He is the way, the truth, and the life. He also stressed the importance of confessing His name and acknowledging Him as the only one who can save. We can’t “save ourselves” through following the Law, doing good deeds, or simply being “a good person”. Paganism is a form of animism, which compels followers to worship the creation, rather than the Creator. Mankind started with one God in the Garden of Eden, went polytheistic over time with manmade “gods”, went back to monotheism with Noah, and now we’re back to polytheism. Satan or Lucifer is not “judgmental” and doesn’t force people to sin or do bad things. That’s why it’s called “free will”. I wonder why Satan doesn’t “judge” anyone?
It’s called “FREE WILL” and that’s the reason why we have evil in the world. If we didn’t have “free will”, we would be like robots. Sure, God could prevent child abuse, trafficking, rape, and murder. He could also prevent other crimes and sins in general. But if he did, we would all be “under his thumb” and wouldn’t have the ability to choose. You can’t “love” someone, including Jesus and God, if you’re forced to do it.
The problem with society since the Hippie movement is that “love and grace” have been the focus to the exclusion of “boundaries”. What did John the Baptist and Jesus say in the Bible? “Repent and sin no more”. Jesus was not judgmental. Yet with that said, God will judge everyone some day. You won’t have access to a lawyer and God won’t care about your excuses. That’s why Jesus came to earth in the flesh to die for our sins. Jesus doesn’t force you to believe in Him.
All families have “friction”. If Christians are “scummy” for not tolerating godless behavior, what about “progressive” families who won’t tolerate “MAGA” relatives at family get togethers? Both Atheism and wokeism are in fact types of “religions”, just not organized like a church. Atheists, Agnostics, Druids, Pagans, Secular Humanists, etcetera can be judgmental too. It’s not just Christians or people who attend a Christian denomination. It’s called “the human condition”.
It isn’t a relationship when only one party actually exists. That’s called a delusion.
“It isn’t a relationship when only one party actually exists. That’s called a delusion.” So you’re saying that God does not exist? Yet if you “believe” in the “Big Bang” theory, you have “faith” that “something”, or for that matter “everything”, came from “nothing”. Same thing if you believe in the theory of evolution, despite all of the missing “links”. All people have “faith” in something, whether “religion” or “science”. People have “faith” that they will wake up in the morning, too!
The biblical verse that says “the fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God'” is found in Psalm 14:1. This verse is also repeated in Psalm 53:1.
I suspect the cause is urbanization and social media. Young adults are leaving religion, leaving their families, not starting new families or having children, and leaving their friends and not making new friends. This is not just happening among Christians in the US, but also among Muslims across the Middle East, and among the most populated countries in the world, such as India, China, and Brazil.
Moving from the countryside to the big city means more opportunity, a more successful future, and more money. People are selling their souls without realizing it.
Oh for heavens sake (literally), pretty much everyone has it completely wrong. Young people are turning away from your church because evangelicals are now synonymous with the Republican Party/Trump/anti-vax/insurrection. Christians have become just one more special interest group among many, scrambling for benefits at the expense of others rather than seeking the welfare of the whole. Their crass, obsessive political ambitions and far right ideology have utterly destroyed their credibility as a valid spiritual community, and until they can rescue their faith from their worst leaders, the corruption of their religious tradition by politics shames all those who participate in it.
Roger, that is a very culturally narrow perspective that would only explain the reason young people are leaving churches in the United States. When we put politics aside, (which in my opinion may be the best thing to do permanently with the state of politics today). There are lots of reasons young adults leave the church. Those stated in the other comments and in the article identify several reasons.
I think your comment paints with an awfully big brush foregoing the nuance of the many different Christian denominations and church families in this country and around the world. Unfortunately, that perspective paints the Christian church in a very negative light.
I wonder what the reaction would be if a Christian were to use the same reasoning for Buddhism, Islam, or any number of Eastern Religions in the world. I anticipate, and know from seeing comments by Christians who have done so, the reaction is “bigot” “Islamophobe” etc… Ironic how we apply different rules to people of different faiths without trying to first really learn about those faith groups and the details of their different worship and social practices.
Unfortunately, you are 100% correct that there are far too many Christians who do these things, but I hardly find it reasonable to step on the other side of the line and do exactly the same thing to Christians as a whole.
Came back on to support this perspective, these other people don’t get much farther than their echo-chamber
RogerM: your commentary reveals much about your position ideologically, politically, and spiritually. You seem to have a preconceived notion about the Christian faith without having experienced the truth of that comes from a relationship with your creator. The majority of evangelical Christians identify with the Republican party not because they are Trump loving anti-vaxers (Trump is pro vax) but because they understand that collectivism does not work either spiritually or socially. We are each responsible for our own outcomes, both in this life and the next. The Christian faith commands that we care for those in need, but that is also a decision that must be made on an individual level, not dictated by some bureaucrat. And what benefits are those Christians scrambling for that are not clearly laid out in the constitution of the United States. You might want to give that a read.
Could not have said it better you’re on the money
I agree with Roger here. When young people see the church and the Republican party as synonymous, it’s a huge problem. The church should not identify with anyone political party. Especially now that former Republican President Trump is being charged under the Espionage Act and is being legally investigated in six other ways on top of that. Richard Rohr said it best, “The evangelical support of Trump will be an indictment against its validity as a Christian movement for generations to come.” Then there’s the challenge of QAnon. Around 27 percent of evangelicals believe in QAnon conspiracy theories just as much as they believe in Jesus. Prominent SBC leaders such as Ed Stetzer and Russell Moore have discussed the QAnon problem. Yes, many megachurches are doing well because they cannibalize and bleed off members from smaller evangelical churches, which are closing by the sack-full. This process is similar to what Wal-Mart has done to drive mom and pop stores out of business. Megachurches grow because they have resources and are well equipped to meet the needs of consumers in the Christian market. Abundant free child care and cut-rate cappuccinos are attractive amenities. Overall, though, church membership is a product in search of a demand.
My, My, Ann L…As a senior pastor of an evangelical church for 25 years, I have never heard of QAnon. Neither has anyone that I know in my community, nor in my entire tri-state area of churches, and we are within a short drive from the nation’s Capitol. It is interesting to me that the only ones who seem to know anything about QAnon at all are those on the Left. Please illuminate the rest of us. The fact is, the efforts of Leftists are undermining the Church, not the Right.
JC, check out this article from Axios which quotes Russell Moore, now of Christianity today and prior to that a leading voice in the Southern Baptist Convention. He talks about what a serious problem QAnon has been in the SBC, and he’s no bleeding heart liberal. He’s one of your own.
https://www.axios.com/2021/05/31/qanon-churches-popular-religion-conspiracy-theory
I agree wholeheartedly.
“Young people are turning away from your church because evangelicals are now synonymous with the Republican Party/Trump/anti-vax/insurrection.”
The problem is that Democrats in general and “progressives” in specific do not espouse Godly values. Even though there are a lot of hypocritical Republicans and “RINOs”, the GOP more closely aligns with Christianity than all too often woke Democrats. Maybe that a BIG reason why millions of registered Democrats voted for Trump in 2024, along with a lot of Libertarians and Independents, too. Do you think Harris, AOC, and Bernie care about “Godly values” or have any respect whatsoever for the Almighty? Tampon Tim didn’t help DNC.
Ironically enough, the “anti-vax” crowded germinated from liberal enclaves like San Francisco and San Monica “back in the day” and is hardly a modern phenomena. The genesis of that movement came from the Hippies, not Christian conservatives. They were the same people who were behind the environmental movement and Earth Day. “Pro vax” people are often “anti choice”, despite being “pro choice” with abortion!
Insurrection? Really? You still believe the mainstream media propaganda? There was no “coup” or “coup” attempt in DC on J6. Yet the BLM “mostly peaceful protests” of 2020 somehow were not actual riots? In hindsight, Jesus was executed via crucifixion because he was labeled an “insurrectionist” by the Jewish religious establishment. The irony is that most Jews wanted Jesus to overthrow the Roman government.
It’s pretty obvious that if you care about Christian values, you were going to vote for Trump, not Harris.
Trump and his family were registered Democrats when Hillary ran against Obama in 2008. Until he ran for president, Donald Trump was a media darling and the gossip magazines could not get enough of him in NY.
BTW: This is the definition of an “insurrection”, which certainly does NOT fall in line with what happened J6.
“An insurrection is a violent uprising or rebellion against a government or authority. It’s typically characterized by organized and armed resistance, distinguishing it from a simple riot or disturbance. Insurrections aim to overthrow the existing government or change the political order.”
As a former youth pastor and as 26 years as a senior pastor, a large majority of teen girls get hurt and even disillusioned by the actions of “Christian” teen girls who have a problem with jealousy and gossip. You heard me right!! Looks, personality, public appearance and personal opinions from others have run more young people, girls in general, than anything else. More and more we have gotten away from Sunday School and true teaching of what the Word of God says, instead more of what the world puts out in our children and young people. We have lost 2 generations due to this!!
As a young adult myself, I have had many opportunities to talk with, and by God’s grace, to try to encourage a large number of young people in their walk with the Lord. As God has given me these opportunities, I have found, as I had deep discussions with them, that some of their biggest struggles in Christianity come from a feeling of hopelessness. By that I mean they are discouraged because they lack a close connection with Jesus. As Sean Nebblett put it, “Until the gospel has become the reason you are alive, you have not yet begun to live.” They are literally dying inside because what they think is Christianity, and what they think is knowing the Lord is all fake and empty because it lacks a true connection with our loving Heavenly Father. Why is it that they struggle so much to connect with the Savior? Because the Devil is alive and well. He has thrown His best energies in to destroying them through the environment in which they have been raised. The attractions of the world have been blared in there faces through school and media and music for their entire lives. The attraction is real! They know it is not right, but when they think of the Christianity that they know, they see it as lifeless and are not at all attracted. I believe that the only sure way to change this is, firstly, to encourage and show them who our Heavenly Father truly is – His unending love for them, and His beautiful plans for their lives. “The last message of mercy to be given to the world is a revelation of His character of love.” I can personally say that I have found that the study of God’s character and love is infinite. Secondly, parents, don’t exposed your children to the world. Young peoples biggest struggles in life come from living exposed to secularism. As a church we must not lower our standards to attract them to Christ but to hold high the promise of life that God wants to give them. Emotion and excitement in our churches through rousing music and emotional speakers may bring the youth into our church but it won’t connect them to Jesus, because it will not truly portray to them what true Christianity is. We must connect with their mind not their emotion because that is how the Holy Spirit works. “It is by beholding that we become changed”
Sad to see a lot of people leaving the church. Specially the youth. Our church here in TX, https://lhhouston.church/ surprisingly has reversed the trend and new members turn up almost each service! it’s amazing! I think they should try to learn from the great pastor that runs and steers the ministry.
This has been so insightful. My gratitude to our youth for expressing, their disconnect and frustrations with the organized church, from their hearts. So here’s my observation, after reading each comment, they bring me to conclude that many of our struggles are symptomatic of a much deeper cause. I believe these frustrations are fundamentally a cause or outcome of ultimate authority. Authority of God’s infallible word or man’s fallible word.
Two studies, Barna Group and US Today “found that nearly 75 percent of Christian young people fall away from the faith and leave the church after high school.” Their survey implied ‘intellectual skepticism’ as the reason. Our youth today spend an average of 30 hours per week in school where they are taught man’s theories as unquestionable truth e.g., the story of evolution and its foundation of millions and billions of years. Then at home another 30 hours playing video games, social media and TV. Now contrast that with 50 minutes in class at church. So, ones mind is being indoctrinated in worldly views while briefly God’s reality. In my opinion this is the main justification today for rejecting God’s word, specifically doubting creation as recorded in Genesis. Our youth are not being taught apologetics that can give them intelligent answers that defends against secular attacks. Our churches are failing to provide sciencific answers in support of God’s word that expose the myths of evolution and its foundation of millions and billions of years. What’s confusing is many of our pastors, churches, even Christian colleges have compromised God’s infallible word by replacing it with man’s presuppositions.
Our Christian youth need answers not just moral and spiritual but science that confirms scripture so they can stand strong and give an intelligent reason for their belief. Church wake up.
They need to know what they believe and why they believe what they do. And how to defend their faith so they can stand boldly with a joy of confidence unashamed uncompromising.
The battle for truth is foundational, either an eye witness infallible God and his word, the very agent of Creation or fallible man who wasn’t there.
I’ve seen this information in a study that said that the 25% of young people between 18-29 who ARE still connected with Christ did the following in their families…..1-ate dinner 5 to 7 nights a week as a family, 2-served WITH their families in a ministry, 3-were entrusted with responsibility in ministry at an early age, 4-had one spiritual experience in the home during the week, and 5-had at least one faith-focused adult in their lives, other than their parents.
Did any of you who walked away from Christ have ALL 5 of these throughout your growing up?
I’m in full-time college ministry, and I’m here to say with absolute metaphysical certitude, the overwhelming majority of people who profess a Christian faith at any age ARE NOT CHRISTIANS. That sounds harsh, that sounds judgmental, nevertheless, it’s the truth. If I ask 10 professing Christians to tell me why they’re going to heaven or how I can get to heaven, I’m at a less than 10% response rate with answers that are satisfactory. Nearly without exception when a person is asked, “If you were to die today and God were to ask you, “Why should I let you into heaven?”, what would you say?” The answers are some variation of “I’m a good person. I try to do what’s right for other people. I occasionally go to church/read/pray, so hopefully that’s enough. I’ll have to see when I get there. I’m not perfect, but I hope my good outweighs the bad.”
Folks, it’s not judgmental to expect someone who says they’re going to heaven to be able to clearly tell you why they’re going. If a person hasn’t grabbed ahold of the basic components of the Gospel, they simply are not saved. If a formerly professing Christian youth “falls away”, it’s highly likely they were never born again in the first place. Time and again I’m working with believing college kids who share the same conversion story:
“I was raised in a Christian home. I was a good kid for the most part. I thought I was a Christian, but in jr high and high school I started doing my own thing and living pretty wild. It wasn’t until some time in college when I truly bowed the knee, became broken over my sin, and placed my full faith and trust in the person and finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ who died on my behalf and rose again.”
If that same kid does not come to that same crisis point and they completely abandon any pursuit of Christ, that’s not someone who walked away from a saving faith, that’s simply someone who stopped bothering to wear any Christian veneer.
It may be more accurate to say that kids who appear to be on a faith journey towards genuine saving repentance frequently abandon that journey once they exit high school and the parent’s direct influence.
Between the ages of 15-22, I deeply loved Jesus, deeply loved people, and deeply distrusted the Church.
I was “sheltered from the world” but had a violent father, “brought up in the church” that knew what he was and didn’t care, required to “forgive and forget,” “show mercy,” “never question GOD!” and “obey your father in everything, and God will bless your obedience.” I walked away from the church because of the gaslighting, spiritual abuse, arrogance and disdain I saw in the leaders. They handpicked verses about obedience, submission, the dangers of anger, a root of bitterness, leaving one’s sacrifice at the altar and hurrying to be reconciled to anyone who has anything against you, etc. I’m all for mercy, compassion and kindness – but also for justice, repentance and natural consequences.
In Jesus’s ministry on Earth, he called for justice for the oppressed. The Church has abandoned that call. That’s why our youth are abandoning the Church.
I’m in a church community again now. I still deeply love Jesus, still deeply love people, and still deeply distrust the Church. I found justice outside the Church and am trying to bring some in. Time will tell how *that* pans out.
In the Barna study, nearly 25% of those that left the church called it “ant-science.” As a born-again Christian and geologist, I see their point. Barna stated that over 50% of Christian youth are heading into a science or technology field, yet we continue to discount science within the Church. Say what you may about a “literal” reading of Genesis and how modern science contradicts the Bible, but this is the main point why 25% of our youth leave the Church and forsake God. As someone who has been involved in Science Apologetics, you need to listen to parents dismay because their child rejects God because they were raised to believe in a 6,000 year old Earth and the Evolution is a lie of Satan, but when presented with evidence to the contrary, must reject Christ. I have stories to tell how science can affirm one’s faith in Scripture and hold onto their trust in Christ.
Virtually no young person becomes a Christian through reason and research. If not born into the faith, they convert because a preacher calls them to believe and repent – without offering a shred of evidence for what is being claimed. Most do not go on to examine their faith for some time – they’re too busy singing worship songs and listening to sermons. Those who do take the time to examine their belief with an open mind usually find out that it has no substance, that the scriptures they depend on are just the notions and superstitions of men. None of it stands up to scrutiny – if Christianity made any sense there would be no need for the abundance of apologists trying to defend the indefensible. Thank goodness lots of young people do leave the church and escape this superstitious nonsense. The world will be a better place for it.
So people are basically “born good” and have no reason for a “redeemer” or messiah. Some of the greatest philosophers and theologians used “reason and research” for their faith, including Sir Isaac Newton.
Defend “evolution” without making excuses for your “missing links” or the Big Bang theory where “everything came from nothing”. That too sounds “absurd” if Christianity is “ridiculous”. You sound like John Lennon.
“Superstition” is not confined to “Christianity”, is it? If I had your attitude about life, I would be a criminal as long as I could get away with that behavior. Why not? If there is no God, then there is no eternal judgement.
And if everybody had that attitude, what kind of society or “civilization” would we have? Where do “ethics” come from? On what was our laws based? Pure “reason”? If you remove morality, you end up with anarchy.
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
there is none who does good.
Psalm 14:1
Many people are leaving Christianity because they no longer believe in the reality of the supernatural.
Imagine exploring a primitive forest in a third world country. You come across the village of a small group of indigenous people. They tell you about their customs including stories about their god, the gum tree in the center of the village. They ask you if you believe in the gum tree god. You politely respond that you do not. The villagers shake their heads and look at you with pity.
“You do not believe in the gum tree god because you lack sufficient knowledge, “ they inform you.
Silly, right? You don’t need to know anything about the gum tree god to know this belief is nonsense.
Ditto for Christian superstitions. When a Christian apologist, pastor, or theologian tells you that you do not possess sufficient knowledge to understand the complexities of Christian doctrine and teachings, such as the Trinity, the Incarnation, or the Indwelling of the Holy Ghost, your response should be the same:
“I do not need to know the complexities of Christian superstitions before labeling them as nonsense.”
Jesus was not a fan of hypocrites, either. That included the Jewish high priests, scribes (lawyers), and Pharisees. But in reality, all humans are hypocrites to some degree or other. Most of us would have joined with the crowd back in the day, demanding that Jesus be crucified. The biggest critic of Judaism was Jesus!
In Matthew 23, Jesus pronounces seven “woes” or curses on the Scribes and Pharisees, highlighting their hypocrisy and lack of genuine faith. These woes expose their flawed practices and beliefs, condemning them for their outward appearance of righteousness while concealing a corrupt interior.
Here are the seven woes:
1. Hypocrites:
They shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces and don’t enter themselves.
2. Making converts to hell:
They travel across the sea and land to make a single convert, and when he becomes a convert, they make him twice as much a child of hell as themselves.
3. Blind guides:
They make oaths by the gold of the temple, but not by the temple itself.
4. Neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness:
They tithe on mint, dill, and cumin, but neglect the more important matters of the law.
5. Dirty inside:
They clean the outside of their cups and plates but are full of greed and self-indulgence inside.
6. White-washed tombs:
They are like whitewashed tombs, outwardly beautiful but inwardly full of hypocrisy.
7. Murderers of prophets’ descendants:
They build tombs for the prophets and decorate their graves, but they are in the same line of those who murdered the prophets.
Some of the biggest sceptics and critics of Judaism and Christianity ended up converts in their quest to discredit those faiths and prove that “God doesn’t exist”. If you’re truly an “open-minded” Atheist or Agnostic, read at least one of these books and prove them wrong.
“Evidence for the Resurrection” by Sean McDowell and Josh McDowell
“The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus” by Lee Strobel
“The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus” by Gary R. Habermas and Michael Licona
I am a french christian and pagan
You say that teenagers are far less christian now.
There are of course many reasons but :
Troubled Teen industry
Religious Reform schools
Christian boot camps
…
Very often teenagers go there because christian parents send them to those places
Very offen those places are driven by christian leader or are in christian environment
A teenager aware of that can’t be christian and some of them are.
Regards
There are multiple reasons: Some large part of which is that there are legitimate parts of “the Church” which should be critiqued by intellectual youth: I wrote a friendly critique myself 30 years ago in my book The Flock free online: (www.reasoningbygrace.org). But an honest study won’t lead to atheism. That is a hard sell in college: Which leverages anthropology, philosophy, evolution and sex against young minds. There are good answers for all these if God’s Spirit holds the heart. I suspect evolution and a juvenile teaching about the nature of God in Christ are at the top of the list. I will leave Creation.com, Answers In Genesis etc. to the first of those. The second is the subject of my book God is One: An intellectually satisfying biblical presentation of God, equipping young Christians to know and love the God of the Bible https://www.amazon.com/God-One-Examining-Fullness-Christ/dp/B0CRQDDVNY/ref=monarch_sidesheet_title