Fewer than one-third of Protestant teens read Bible on own each week_82304

Posted: 8/20/04

Fewer than one-third of Protestant
teens read Bible on own each week

WASHINGTON (RNS)–Two-thirds of U.S. Protestant teens say they read the Bible alone less than once a week or not at all, according to a recent survey by the National Study of Youth and Religion.

Just 32 percent of Protestant teens report that they personally read the Bible alone once a week or more often, the report said.

Southern Baptist teens were third among other Protestant groups, with 39 percent indicating they read the Bible alone once a week or more. Teens within the Church of God in Christ were first at 48 percent, while Assemblies of God teens were second at 44 percent.

“Most religious traditions teach that faith and spiritual maturity do not happen automatically but that these must be intentionally cultivated and practiced,” said Christian Smith, principal investigator of the study.

“Just as becoming good at sports or playing a musical instrument requires constant practice, living well a life of faith also requires practice–that is what most religious traditions have always taught. But these findings suggest that only a minority of U.S. teens are getting much practice at faith in the form of Scripture reading.”

Smith, associate chair of sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said a reason for the pattern may be that many Protestant adults fail to read the Bible regularly.

“It could be that most Protestant adults are not very good role models for their teenagers when it comes to basic, personal religious practices like reading the Bible,” he said.

Southern Baptist teenagers did lead the pack when asked whether they attend church services regularly. Just under half, 48 percent, said they did.

The study, funded by Lilly Endowment, Inc., was based on random-digit-dial telephone interviews with more than 3,350 teens along with one of their parents. The full report may be viewed at www.youthandreligion.org.