As for the reasons behind the plummeting beliefs, Anderson points to the pervasive presence of media and social media, especially among young people. “These disturbing trends are, yes, due to pastors not consistently teaching biblical theory,” he says. “But they can also be attributed to young Christians who are not paying attention.” Members of today’s tech-savvy generation, he adds, “are focused—nearly exclusively, it seems—on their phones, social media, and other content they deem more compelling.”
Probe Ministries, founded in 1973, plans to release additional data about how “American young adults react to the doctrine of Jesus Christ, believe that Jesus is the only path to heaven, and have a classic view of tolerance.” The organization’s website urges Christians and pastors to “be in prayer about what you can do in your sphere of influence to stem the trends” emerging from the survey.
