CCC 28-1

NEWS & NOTES

MOST GEN Z SAY THEY HAVE PRAYED IN THE PAST WEEK Today, Gen Z is engaging with several faith platforms and could be receptive to considering spiritual traditions to some extent, regardless of whether they identify with a particular religion or hold specific reli gious beliefs. The report also found the following statistics among all Gen Z within the last seven days: 64% state that they have prayed to God, 37% read from the Bible, 36% attended a church service, and 33% maintain they “read from a book on a topic that helps me grow in my Christian faith.” 7 SLEEP-DEPRIVED AMERICANS According to data from Apple Watches of 61,000 American adults, the average bedtime is 11:37 p.m., with an average sleep length of six hours and 40 minutes, which is short of the recommended seven to nine hours. Those who went to bed at approximately the same time each night experienced longer and better sleep, and believe that con sistency is the key. 8 YOUNG PEOPLE NOW THINK ABOUT MARRIAGE AND FAMILY DIFFERENTLY Today, instead of prioritizing marriage as the first step of adulthood, many young people would rather find a job, pay off debt, and live alone before searching for a life partner. Although they would rather establish financial well-being and a rewarding career before getting married, these goals are becoming increasingly difficult to achieve today. According to a United States Census paper, “In 1975, only 6% of 25- to 34-year-olds lived independently, held jobs, but were unmarried and without kids. By contrast, 22% had moved out, were married with children, but were not employed.” Compared to 2024, 28% of young adults lived on their own with jobs; however, the pattern of moving out, getting married, and having children is no longer considered one of the top five typical achievements. 9 BELIEF IN JESUS RISES, FUELED BY YOUNGER ADULTS According to a recent Barna Research study, “66% of all U.S. adults say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus that is still important in their life today.” Since 2021, when commitment levels were at their lowest in over three decades of Barna tracking, there has been a 12% increase. Younger generations, mainly Gen Z and Millennials, are the most significant factors of the Jesus revival. 10 MILLIONS OF AMERICAN CHRISTIANS DENY THEIR SINFULNESS The Barna Group and Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University found that although 84% of adults accept the existence of “sin,” just 14% of self-identified Christians truly hold a biblically accu rate viewpoint of sin. “Among those who affirm sin’s existence, 72% define it as ‘disobedience to God,’ yet 52% believe there are no abso lute sins, suggesting sin varies by context. Furthermore, while 52% of all adults and 66% of self-professed Christians agree that ‘everyone on Earth has sinned,’ 33% of adults claim that everyone else is guilty of sin, but that they are not.” Alarmingly, many within Christian sub groups reject their own sinfulness as follows: “26% of theologically identified born-again Christians, 40% of self-identified Christians, 34% of Protestant church attenders, and an even smaller percentage of Catholic church attenders refuse to see themselves as sinners.” 11

Today, instead of prioritizing marriage

as the first step of adulthood, many

young people would rather find a job, pay off debt, and live alone before searching for a life partner.

34 Christian Counseling Connection