Young American men are leading a resurgence in Bible reading, with a notable increase in weekly engagement, even as a significant portion wrestles with fully trusting the text.



There’s been an interesting shift that has taken place with regard to Americans and reading the Bible, especially in regard to young American Men. The overall number of adults who are reading the Bible on a weekly basis has increased to 42 percent, which is a 12-point jump from 2024. Yet in 2024, that number was at a 15-year low, according to Barna.

In the past, women have always been more consistent with reading the Bible, so the results of this poll were considered an unexpected surprise. Barna found that 54 percent of Gen Z men and 57 percent of Millennial men are reading the Bible weekly. As for the women, 46 percent of Gen Z women and 43 percent of Millennial women read it weekly.

‘Engagement Outpacing Conviction,’ says Barna CEO
The downside, though, is that people don’t necessarily believe that the Bible is completely accurate. Barna found that just 44 percent “strongly affirm the Bible’s accuracy.”

“Engagement is outpacing conviction,” Barna Group CEO David Kinnaman said. “People are opening the Bible more often, but they’re still wrestling with what they believe about it. That gap between reading and trusting is worth paying attention to.”

Kinnaman suggests that pastors and others in ministry need to, “…celebrate the increase of Bible readers in our society. Then we must commit to help these readers encounter God through the text and integrate what they read into everyday life. That’s where transformation happens.”

Preference for Electronic Platforms
Gen Z and Millennials tend toward electronic platforms and video content for their Bible reading and supplemental materials, according to Desert News. American Bible Society explored the way that Christian media is having an impact on Gen Z and Millennials. As one example of the way technology may be contributing to a renewed interest in the Bible and Christianity, it noted that the production team for The Chosen estimates that the series has been watched by over 280 million unique viewers around the world, and a third of them were not religious.

Gen Z and Millennials are, “…really very hungry for spiritual truth,” Harvest Fellowship Greg Laurie notes, adding that, “This is the iPhone generation, the generation that is drowning in entertainment and starving for real meaning.”

Raymond Chang, executive director of the TENx10 Collaboration connected to Fuller Seminary in California, told Desert News that, “People are looking for more certainty and clarity in a confusing and complex world. They’re inundated with messaging and opinions from every angle, especially on social media. They don’t know what’s true and not true.”

Struggling to find Identity
Many young men, in particular, are struggling with identity and what healthy masculinity is supposed to look like, most likely because of the shortage (or in some instances, absence of) male role models.

A National Research Group poll picked up by Straight Arrow News found that, “47 percent of men between 13 and 30 are looking to entertainment and celebrity male role models. The same report found that 43 percent of young men don’t know what it means to be a man in modern society.”

One of the ways this is getting sorted out is that many are reading the Word for themselves rather than letting various media platforms or talking heads tell them what it says. A couple of good, free websites that have the Bible in an electronic format are Bible Gateway.com and BibleHub.com. For those who like to listen to the Bible, BibleStudyTools.com is a good resource and offers several versions for free. An interesting audio Bible resource on YouTube that includes the reading of the entire New Testament can be found here. For those who are interested in buying a good study bible, a great place to check out the options is ChristianBooks.com.

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