The millenials are killing the Bible.
If the current decline of readers continues throughout the coming generations, the themes and messages of this historical book are doomed to be lost and forgotten.
Cassandra Herndon, a freshman marketing student and member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority agrees that there has been a decrease of millennials reading the Bible.
“There’s so much else going on in lives now that many can’t find time to read the Bible,” she said.
This is the case with many millennials. Young people use the excuse of being too busy to read this previously cherished text.
Herndon does not affiliate herself with any particular religion and has never read the Bible herself. She said that in order for the Bible to be a more attractive read, “They [religious affiliates] should promote it as a fun read more than a boring, old read.”
Many non-practicing millennials are feeling pushed away from the Bible. Today’s progressive politics involving gay rights, feminism, abstinence, and abortion (just to name a few) clash with many views expressed in the Bible.
A main contributor to the lack of involvement by millennials may also be the use of “churchy phrases” according to a Faith Street article from November of 2013, by Addie Zierman titled “5 churchy phrases that are scaring off millennials.”
According to Zierman,these types of phrases include “The Bible clearly says…;” “God will never give you more than you can handle;” “God is in control or has a plan;” and associations such as “believers” and “nonbelievers.”
These uncomfortable phrases are discussed further by Davianne Vanderpool, a sophomore communications student from Green River. She defines herself as a Christian and is a member on the leadership team of the RSO: The Navigators.
“I think people are looking for answers, which is what the Bible has,” said Vanderpool. “However, they are looking for comfortable answers. It’s not always comfortable to just believe in something, which is what Christianity is.”
While on-campus groups such as Baptist Collegiate Ministries (BCM), Catholics on Campus and Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) are providing outlets to encourage Bible-reading in millennials, the bottom line is, it just isn’t working.
Vanderpool also argued that “reading the Bible and studying the Bible are two different things. You can read something and not know what it is saying and Bible-readers are definitely more abundant than Bible-studiers.”
This perspective begs the question: are religions stressing the wrong issues?
It is more important to encourage understanding of faith and the Bible, rather than the simple act of attempting to read the context without further investment.
Even epic Bible-related movies such as “Passion of the Christ” and the newly released, “Noah” do not seem to be increasing Bible usage.
While film as a medium appeals to the younger generation, the glamorization of the Bible often strays from Bible themes, and rarely wins over churches.
The superficiality is the problem here, similar to reading the Bible without understanding.
At the end of the day, someone is going to have to figure out how to connect the Bible to millennials, or it is doomed to become obsolete.
