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10 steps to spice up your prayer life in the new year
![](https://theendtimenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Prayer-Cell.jpg)
Happy New Year! Today, many of us are evaluating our routines, hoping to make improvements for 2025. A new year is an ideal time to take inventory of our prayer lives — both individually and corporately — which is why I want to encourage you with some ways to grow in prayer in this new year.
Before Jesus went to the cross, He spent time praying in the garden of Gethsemane with His disciples. He asked Peter, James, and John to pray with Him at a distance. After an hour, He returned to find the disciples sleeping rather than praying, so He inquired, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt 26:40-41).
Jesus’ words inspire reflection about our understanding of prayer. He highlights three helpful truths to guide our times before the throne of grace.
First, an hour of prayer is not exceptional.
Second, a disciplined prayer life is the source of spiritual strength. These disciples must not have prayed very well, if at all, because they scattered when the guards arrived.
Finally, the obstacle to a vibrant prayer life is the flesh. The spirit mentioned in Matthew 26 is most likely the human spirit, regenerated by the Holy Spirit — desiring to do right, but battling fleshly desires. Tragically, and most frustratingly, our flesh would prefer to do almost anything but pray.
When we look at these foundational truths, we see three key elements to this encouragement toward greater prayer. An hour of prayer is a reasonable expectation. Prayer will provide increased spiritual power. And when we pray, we wage war against the flesh.
This encouragement therefore involves three elements:
Pray for one hour in one or two sittings one day each week of the year.
Pick the same day and time of the week as much as possible.
Put this time on your calendar and make it a top priority.
I would also encourage you to pick a consistent prayer pattern for the other six days of the week, whether that is using some elements of the template below, using lists, or setting a fixed amount of time.
Because the flesh is weak, pick a prayer partner who has agreed to seek to grow in prayer this next year using this template. Pick someone who is the same gender and that you trust to encourage you and hold you accountable. Make sure you both ask each other on a regular basis how prayer is going and how you can pray for one another.
It also might be useful to employ a prayer journal to see how God works through your prayers in 2025.
Perhaps the question going through your minds is this: What am I going to pray about for an hour? This query arises because prayer often feels redundant. Thankfully, the Bible is full of prayer instructions, showing many ways to communicate with the Lord that fit countless situations. These ways allow us to be as systematic as a list of requests or as creative as a poem or a song.
Here’s a template to work through during your hour, and you can apply it to the other days and / or mix it up however you wish. These aspects have been developed from Dick Eastman’s book The Hour that Changes the World. I’ve modified some of the points due to theological deficiencies in some parts of the book. (Suggested time to spend in each aspect of prayer is listed in parentheses.)
The first aspect is praise (5 minutes)
Open your time by focusing on God’s attributes. He is holy, righteous, merciful, gracious, love, kind, patient, and so much more. Focus on who God is in Himself, not in relation to you personally (time for that will come later). Worship Him and praise His glory. We see many examples of this praise throughout Scripture, especially in Psalms (Psalm 135:5-7, 145:8-9, 150:1-2). This time helps focus your attention away from yourself and on God alone.
The second is waiting (2 minutes).
This area is often overlooked in prayer, yet the Bible contains numerous places where we are commanded to wait on the Lord, including several in the Psalms, where the psalmist pauses for divine intervention (Psalm 27:14, 40:1). Waiting should always characterize Christians’ general attitude before the Lord. We also should also ask for perseverance to wait for God’s intervention during and following our requests. During this time we also seek the Spirit’s guidance in our prayer time, that we might pray according to God’s will and not in the flesh.
The third aspect: confession (5 minutes).
Here, we might examine ourselves to ask God to show us if there is any wicked way in us (Ps 139:23-24). We should confess any sins we remember, sins we recognize not only in us but in God’s people corporately, and the sins of our nation, seeking God’s mercy. Parents can confess the sins of their children, following Job’s example of godly parenting. We can thank God for His forgiveness to us and to all who confess their sins to Him.
The fourth section of our hour is Scripture praying (8 minutes).
In this section, we open our Bibles and pray God’s Word back to Him. Use the Psalms for starters. Then move on to other areas, such as praying the Lord’s prayer, the fruit of the Spirit, the Sermon on the Mount, Paul’s prayers for the churches, and so on. To pray the Scriptures is nothing more than to respond to God’s Word in prayer. Pray for yourself and others as you pray through Scripture.
The fifth is intercession (15 minutes).
Here we pray for our families, friends, neighbors, the lost, our nation and its leaders, missions and church leaders, persecuted Christians, co-workers, and others who need prayer. This is where a prayer journal comes in handy, or a list of things people have asked you to remember in prayer.
At this point, ask God to put any needs He wants you to pray for in your heart. The Spirit often works by reminding believers of things that are suddenly in our minds even though these may not be on our list. So here we want to ask the Lord through His Spirit to guide us, bring needs to mind, burden our hearts with His will, and then pray as He directs.
The sixth category is petition (5 minutes).
This one is praying for your own godly desires and needs, and it needs no further elaboration.
Seventh: thanksgiving (5 minutes).
When we come to thanksgiving, we thank God for things He has done for us or those around us. We might praise God that He is sovereign, and then in thanksgiving we thank Him for sovereignly protecting us from some unforeseen danger. We might praise God for saving sinners, and then in thanksgiving we thank Him for our salvation. We might praise God for being gracious, and then we thank Him for giving grace to overcome temptation. A journal also can come in handy here, because we can thank God for His answers.
The eighth aspect of prayer is singing (5 minutes).
When we sing to the Lord, we are praying to Him. You can sing with recorded music, a hymnal or your memory, or an instrument. You can even make up your own songs. If you are not accustomed to singing, this will not only have the benefit of adding a wonderful element to prayer, it also will help you feel a little better about singing out in church.
The ninth phase is meditation (5 minutes).
The term meditation has been co-opted by New Age idolatry and Eastern mysticism, but those are really perversions of what is a biblical concept (Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1:2, Psalm 77:6, Psalm 77:12). Biblical meditation is not the emptying of your mind, but the filling of your mind with the Word and works of God. Spend five minutes pondering, considering, remembering, and rejoicing in God’s majesty and wonderful works (Ps 145:5). This mindset should become a way of thinking throughout the day, which is achieved by spending time meditating on these things in prayer. You also will begin to memorize Scripture more as you meditate on it.
The final section returns to praise (5 minutes).
We begin and end with praise — and how can we not? When we think upon God and His works, we are naturally led to this wonderful climax of praising Him!
That takes you to a full hour of engaging with God, communicating with Him and hearing Him speak in His Word.
Will you seek to grow in your prayer life this year in a significant way? Will you commit to being intentionally prayerful all year long? Will you pick a day and time to pray for one hour each week? Will you commit to praying consistently the other six days? Will you find a prayer partner to encourage you?
The goal of this encouragement is a step toward a lifetime of dedicated, committed, powerful, Spirit-filled prayer. And the ultimate goal is to be devoted to prayer for God’s glory. Happy New Year!
Sources:Christian Post
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ട്രംപിന്റെ കുടിയേറ്റ നയം ഇന്ത്യൻ വിദ്യാർഥികളെ ബാധിക്കില്ലെന്ന് അരിസോണ സർവകലാശാല
![](https://theendtimenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Arizona-State-University.jpg)
അരിസോണ: അനധികൃത കുടിയേറ്റവുമായി ബന്ധ പ്പെട്ട് അമേ രിക്കൻ പ്രസിഡന്റ് ഡൊണാൾഡ് ട്രംപിന്റെ കുടിയേറ്റ നയം ഇന്ത്യൻ വിദ്യാർഥികളെ ബാധിക്കില്ലെന്ന് അരിസോണ സർവകലാശാല.
അനധികൃത കുടിയേറ്റക്കാര്ക്കെതിരെ സ്വീകരിക്കുന്ന നടപടികളില് ഇന്ത്യന് വിദ്യാര്ഥികള് വിഷമിക്കേണ്ടതില്ലെന്ന് അരിസോണ സർവകലാശാ (എ എസ് യു) പ്രസിഡന്റ് മൈക്കല് എംക്രോ വ്യക്തമാക്കി. എ എസ് യു, ജി എസ് വി ആന്റ് എമെറിറ്റസ് ഉച്ചകോടിയില് പ്രഭാഷണം നടത്തുകയായിരുന്നു അദ്ദേഹം.
ട്രംപിന്റെ നയങ്ങള് കാമ്പസുകളെ ബാധിക്കില്ലെന്നും കൃത്യമായ വിദ്യാര്ഥി വിസകളുമായി യു എസില് കഴിയുന്ന വിദ്യാര്ഥികള്ക്കെതിരെയല്ല ഈ നടപടിയെന്നും അദ്ദേഹം വ്യക്തമാക്കി.യു.എസിലെ ഏറ്റവും വലിയ പൊതു സര്വകലാശാലകളില് ഒന്നാണ്അരിസോണ . നേരിട്ട് 80,000 വിദ്യാര്ഥികളും ഓണ്ലൈനില് 65,000 പേരുമാണ് ഇവിട പഠിക്കുന്നത്. ഏകദേശം 6,600 ഇന്ത്യന് വിദ്യാര്ഥികള് ചേര്ന്നിട്ടുള്ളതിനാല് എ എസ് യുവിന്റെ അന്താരാഷ്ട്ര വിദ്യാര്ഥി സമൂഹത്തിന്റെ മുന്നിര രാജ്യമാണ് ഇന്ത്യയെന്നും ഇന്ത്യക്കാര് വളരെ കഴിവുള്ളവരാണെന്നും അദ്ദേഹം പറഞ്ഞു.
എല്ലാ രംഗത്തും കഴിവുള്ള ഇന്ത്യക്കാര് പുതിയ പരിതസ്ഥിതികളുമായി സുഗമമായി പൊരുത്തപ്പെടുന്നുവെന്നും എ എസ് യുവില് ചില ഇന്ത്യന് വിദ്യാര്ഥികള് നേതാക്കളായി മാറിയിട്ടുണ്ടെന്നും അദ്ദേഹം പറഞ്ഞു. തങ്ങളുടെ വിദ്യാര്ഥി സംഘടനയുടെ രണ്ട് പ്രസിഡന്റുമാര് ഇന്ത്യയില് നിന്നുള്ളവരാണ്. ഇന്ത്യന് വിദ്യാര്ഥികള് സാധാരണയായി ‘പുറന്തള്ളപ്പെട്ടതായി’ തോന്നുന്നില്ലെന്ന് താന് നിരീക്ഷിച്ചിട്ടുണ്ടെന്നും അവര് തിരഞ്ഞെടുപ്പില് മത്സരിക്കുകയും ക്യാമ്പസ് നേതാക്കളാകുകയും ക്യാമ്പസ് ജോലികളും ഇന്റേണ്ഷിപ്പുകളും നേടുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നതായും അദ്ദേഹം പറഞ്ഞു.
Sources:nerkazhcha
One of the world’s foremost academics, Michael M Crow has been the president of the Arizona State University (ASU) since 2002, and was a speaker at last week’s ASU+GSV & Emeritus Summit in Gurugram – India’s biggest education event that got together thought leaders and innovators to explore transformative solutions for education in a world shaped by generative AI. Known for reshaping education in the 21st century, Crow talked to FE’s Vikram Chaudhary about student employability, education under Donald Trump, and why the ASU is so popular with Indian students. Excerpts:
Will study in America be impacted under the Trump administration, and the recent illegal immigrant crackdown?
Indian students need not worry about the ongoing crackdown on illegal immigrants. Campuses will be unaffected. The crackdown is not on students who are in the US with valid student visas.
How many Indian students are currently enrolled in the ASU?
Today, the ASU is one of the largest public universities in the US, with 80,000 students enrolled on campus and 65,000 online. With almost 6,600 Indian students currently enrolled, India is the top country of origin for the ASU’s international student community, and they are highly capable.
Capable in academics…
Capable in everything – they adapt to their new environments seamlessly. At the ASU, some Indian students have become leaders. Two of our student body presidents are from India. I have observed that Indian students usually don’t feel ‘left out’ – they run for elections, become campus leaders, get campus jobs, internships, etc.
And now Indian students can study the ASU’s global courses even in India.
How?
We have joined hands with several educational institutions in India, allowing students to pursue the ASU’s undergraduate and Master’s degrees in various disciplines. These institutes include Rajalakshmi Engineering College (Chennai), Anurag University (Hyderabad), Chitkara University (Punjab), and Shiv Nadar University (Greater Noida).
Indian students can study hundreds of courses at these partner institutes, utilising the ASU’s learning assets, and also get automatically admitted to the ASU, where they can pursue further studies – once they complete their course in India, they can come to the ASU for graduate training, and can also get OPT (Optional Practical Training) in the US and then come back to India. The opportunities are unlimited.
Have you also tied-up with Indian public universities?
We haven’t yet, but are looking forward to – as some of them are among the finest in the world.
Why is the ASU so popular with Indian students?
There are many reasons. The ASU is the top public university in the US for innovation (ahead of the MIT and Stanford). International students choose the ASU also because of the number of majors that we offer, the types of programmes we run, our speed of innovation, and one of the most diverse campuses in the world where everyone feels at home.
Coming to the summit that brought you to India, are India and the US the only places where the ASU+GSV & Emeritus Summit is organised?
Yes, while it started in the US in 2010, we brought it to India a few years ago. The US edition is the biggest education summit in the world, and the India edition is the biggest in the country and possibly in this part of the world, at least in terms of value-creation and quality of participants.
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സിംഗപ്പൂരിലെ കത്തോലിക്ക ദേവാലയത്തില് വൈദികന് നേരെ വീണ്ടും ആക്രമണം
![](https://theendtimenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Father-Cary-Chan.jpg)
സിംഗപ്പൂർ: ഇന്നലെ ഞായറാഴ്ച സിംഗപ്പൂരിലെ കത്തോലിക്ക ദേവാലയത്തില് വൈദികന് നേരെ വീണ്ടും ആക്രമണം. അപ്പർ തോംസൺ റോഡിലെ ചർച്ച് ഓഫ് ഹോളി സ്പിരിരിറ്റ് ദേവാലയത്തില്വെച്ചാണ് വൈദികനെ ഇരുപത്തിരണ്ടുകാരന് ആക്രമിച്ചത്. ഇടവകയിലെ നാല് റസിഡൻ്റ് വൈദികരിൽ ഒരാളായ ഫാ. കാരി ചാനെയാണ് അക്രമി ആക്രമിച്ചത്. രാവിലെ 9.30ന് കുർബാനയ്ക്ക് ശേഷമാണ് സംഭവം നടന്നതെന്ന് അൾത്താര ശുശ്രൂഷികള് പറഞ്ഞു. അതിക്രമിച്ചെത്തിയ അക്രമി വൈദികനെ മര്ദ്ദിക്കുകയായിരിന്നു.
പ്രതിയെ കീഴ്പ്പെടുത്തിയ സുരക്ഷ ഉദ്യോഗസ്ഥര് സംഭവമറിഞ്ഞ ഉടനെയെത്തിയ പോലീസിന് കൈമാറി. ഇയാളുടെ പക്കൽ നിന്ന് ആയുധങ്ങളൊന്നും കണ്ടെത്തിയില്ല. അതേസമയം വൈദികന് പരിക്കുകളൊന്നും സംഭവിച്ചിട്ടില്ല. പ്രതിയെ അറസ്റ്റ് ചെയ്തിട്ടുണ്ടെന്നും കൂടുതൽ വിലയിരുത്തലിനായി ഇൻസ്റ്റിറ്റ്യൂട്ട് ഓഫ് മെൻ്റൽ ഹെൽത്ത് (ഐഎംഎച്ച്) ലേക്ക് റഫർ ചെയ്യുമെന്നും പോലീസ് പ്രസ്താവനയിൽ അറിയിച്ചു. ആക്രമണത്തിന് പിന്നില് എന്തെങ്കിലും കാരണമുണ്ടോയെന്ന് പോലീസ് പരിശോധിച്ചു വരികയാണ്. അന്വേഷണം തുടരുന്നതിനാൽ ഊഹാപോഹങ്ങൾ ഒഴിവാക്കണമെന്നു സഭാനേതൃത്വം പൊതുജനങ്ങളോട് അഭ്യർത്ഥിച്ചു.
മുഖത്ത് നേരിയ വീക്കം മാത്രമാണ് ഉള്ളതെന്നും വൈദികന്റെ ആരോഗ്യ നില പൂര്ണ്ണ തൃപ്തികരമാണെന്നും ആർച്ച് ബിഷപ്പിന്റെ കമ്മ്യൂണിക്കേഷൻസ് ഓഫീസ് വ്യക്തമാക്കി. ഇന്നലെ 11.30നു നടന്ന വിശുദ്ധ ബലിയില് ഫാ. കാരി കാര്മ്മികത്വം വഹിച്ചു. കഴിഞ്ഞ വര്ഷം നവംബറില് വിശുദ്ധ കുർബാന അര്പ്പിക്കുന്നതിനിടെ ബുക്കിറ്റ് തിമയിലെ സെൻ്റ് ജോസഫ് പള്ളി ഇടവക വികാരിയായ ഫാ. ക്രിസ്റ്റഫർ ലീ എന്ന വൈദികനു നേരെ കത്തിയാക്രമണം നടന്നിരിന്നു. രണ്ടു മാസം പിന്നിട്ടപ്പോഴാണ് മറ്റൊരു വൈദികന് നേരെ രാജ്യത്തു ആക്രമണം അരങ്ങേറിയിരിക്കുന്നത്.
കടപ്പാട് :പ്രവാചക ശബ്ദം
A 22-year-old man has been arrested after he allegedly assaulted a priest at a Roman Catholic church on the morning of Feb 9.
In a statement on Facebook on the same day, the police said they had received a call for assistance at the Church of the Holy Spirit at around 10.30am.
The church is located in Upper Thomson.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that a 22-year-old Singaporean Chinese man allegedly assaulted a priest at the church after church service, during dispersal,” said the police.
Based on the preliminary investigations, the man is a regular churchgoer, said the police, adding that he was detained immediately by church security personnel.
Police said no weapon was found on the man, and he was handed over to police officers who responded to the call for assistance.
The priest did not sustain any visible injuries, and the police have arrested the man for an offence of public nuisance. The suspect will be referred to the Institute of Mental Health for further assessment, said the police.
“We would like to remind the public to refrain from speculation as investigations are ongoing,” they said.
The public is advised to cooperate with security personnel at places of worship, as they are there to ensure a safe environment for all, the police added.
Priest is ‘safe and well’
A statement issued on the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore’s website said the priest, whom it did not name, was hit by the 22-year-old after the 9.30am mass.
“The priest has been attended to by medics, and apart from some slight swelling on his face, is safe and well,” said the archdiocese, adding that further updates will be provided when more information is made available.
“We ask for everyone to remain calm, avoid speculation and to pray for the priest and the person involved in the incident.”
The archdiocese declined to respond to further queries from The Straits Times, but media reports said the priest involved in the incident was Father Cary Chan, 60. He is the church’s assistant parish priest.
Speaking to Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao at about 5pm, Father Chan said the suspect, who is visually impaired and has special needs, became agitated about a bag he had left in a seat.
After the suspect retrieved the bag, he allegedly punched the head of the priest, who was about to ask him to leave the premises.
“He hit me hard on my head, causing my spectacles to fall off. It was a hard blow and caught me by surprise,” said Father Chan, adding that the suspect probably did not realise whom he had hit.
Despite being punched, Father Chan continued to lead a mass at 11.30am.
Church staff who spoke to Chinese-language daily Shin Min Daily News said they did not expect the suspect to attack the priest, as the suspect was usually humble and polite.
“He would ask people in the elevator which floor they wanted to go to, and help others by telling them where to take the MRT,” said one staff member, who declined to be named.
One parishioner, who wanted to be known only as Ms Lee, said she has seen the man in church before. He would occasionally yell during mass, but most of the congregation had grown used to it, she said.
In November 2024, a priest was stabbed by a knife-wielding man while he was conducting evening mass at St Joseph’s Church in Upper Bukit Timah. The assailant, 37-year-old Basnayake Keith Spencer, was later charged with one count of using a knife to voluntarily cause grievous hurt to the Reverend Christopher Lee, 57.
According to court documents, the priest was stabbed in the mouth, leaving him with an 8cm laceration on his tongue, a 3cm cut on his upper left lip and a 4cm cut on the corner of his mouth.
Members of the congregation had disarmed Basnayake before police officers arrived at the scene to arrest him.
us news
അമേരിക്കയിലെ കൗമാരക്കാരിൽ പകുതിയിലധികം പേരും യേശുവിനെ കൂടുതൽ അറിയാൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നവരാണെന്ന് സര്വ്വേ ഫലം
![](https://theendtimenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Christian-teens-prayer.jpg)
വാഷിംഗ്ടണ് ഡിസി: അമേരിക്കൻ കൗമാരക്കാരിൽ പകുതിയിലധികം പേരും യേശുവിനെക്കുറിച്ച് കൂടുതൽ അറിയാൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നവരാണെന്ന് പുതിയ സര്വ്വേ ഫലം. ക്രൈസ്തവ വിശ്വാസത്തിന്റെ കേന്ദ്രബിന്ദുവായ യേശുവിനെ കുറിച്ച് കൂടുതല് അറിയുവാന് 75% ത്തിലധികം കൗമാരക്കാരും തത്പരരാണെന്നാണ് ബർന റിസർച്ച് അടുത്തിടെ നടത്തിയ സര്വ്വേ ഫലത്തില് ചൂണ്ടിക്കാട്ടുന്നത്. 77% കൗമാരക്കാരും യേശുവിനെ കുറിച്ച് കൂടുതല് പഠിക്കാൻ പ്രേരണയുള്ളവരാണെന്നും 52% വിഷയത്തില് വളരെ പ്രചോദിതരാണെന്നും 25% ഇടത്തരത്തില് പ്രചോദനമുള്ളവരാണെന്നും സര്വ്വേ ഫലത്തില് പറയുന്നു.
മുൻ തലമുറകളിൽ നിന്ന് വ്യത്യസ്തമായി കൗമാരക്കാർ യേശുവിൽ താൽപ്പര്യം പ്രകടിപ്പിക്കുമ്പോൾ, അവർ വിശ്വാസത്തെ സമീപിച്ചേക്കാമെന്നും സര്വ്വേ സൂചിപ്പിക്കുന്നുണ്ട്. വിശ്വാസപരമായ വിഷയങ്ങളില് ബുദ്ധിമുട്ടുള്ള ചോദ്യങ്ങളെ സത്യസന്ധമായി അഭിമുഖീകരിക്കാൻ സഭാനേതൃത്വം തയ്യാറാകണമെന്നും യേശുവും ബൈബിളും നാം ഇന്ന് ജീവിക്കുന്ന ലോകവുമായി എങ്ങനെ ബന്ധപ്പെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നുവെന്ന് കൗമാരക്കാരെ പറഞ്ഞു മനസിലാക്കേണ്ടത് അനിവാര്യമാണെന്നും സംഘടന ചൂണ്ടിക്കാട്ടി.
2022 ഒക്ടോബറിൽ ഇവാഞ്ചലിക്കൽ പോളിംഗ് ഓർഗനൈസേഷൻ രണ്ടായിരത്തോളം യു.എസിലെ മുതിർന്ന പൌരന്മാരില് നടത്തിയ മറ്റൊരു സർവേയിൽ 77% പേരും വിശ്വാസം ശക്തമായി പ്രകടിപ്പിച്ചിരിന്നു. 74% പേർ ആത്മീയമായി വളരാൻ ആഗ്രഹിക്കുന്നുവെന്നും അഭിപ്രായപ്പെട്ടു. 2018-ൽ പ്രസിദ്ധീകരിച്ച പ്യൂ റിസർച്ച് ഡാറ്റയ്ക്ക് സമാനമാണ് ഈ കണ്ടെത്തലുകൾ. 80% അമേരിക്കക്കാരും തങ്ങൾ ദൈവത്തിൽ വിശ്വസിക്കുന്നുവെന്ന് സര്വ്വേയില് വെളിപ്പെടുത്തിയിരിന്നു.
കടപ്പാട് :പ്രവാചക ശബ്ദം
Although religious affiliation and church attendance are on the decline, more than half of American teenagers say they’re “very motivated” to know more about Jesus, and just over 75% say they’re at least “somewhat motivated” to learn about the centerpiece of Christianity, according to Barna Research.
Citing data from Barna’s Gen Z Vol. 3 research, which also highlights an openness and curiosity about spiritual matters among teenagers and young adults, researchers noted that the findings represent an opportunity for Christian leaders to engage them.
“This generation tends to believe there’s something out there more powerful than them. Still, many remain hesitant to embrace religion or churchgoing,” researchers said. “Church leaders should recognize that teens’ openness to learning about Jesus represents a significant opportunity for meaningful engagement.”
The data show that 77% of teens are at least motivated to learn about Jesus, with 52% being “very motivated” and 25% saying they are “somewhat motivated.” Less than 20% of teenagers said they were unmotivated to learn about Jesus, while 7% said they were unsure.
“While teens express interest in Jesus, they may approach faith differently than previous generations. Furthermore, authenticity and relevance are key. Be prepared to address difficult questions honestly and demonstrate how Jesus and the Bible relate to the world we live in today,” Barna advised church leaders.
Another survey of 2,000 U.S. adults conducted in October 2022 by the Evangelical polling organization showed that 77% of respondents expressed belief in a higher power, and 74% said they want to grow spiritually.
The findings are similar to Pew Research data published in 2018, which showed that although 80% of Americans say they believe in God, only a slim majority of the nation’s approximately 327 million people were found to believe in God as described in the Bible.
Barna CEO David Kinnaman said at the time that this finding, too, was hopeful news for Christian leaders.
“Though religious affiliation and church attendance continue to decline, spiritual openness and curiosity are on the rise. Across every generation, in fact, we see an unprecedented desire to grow spiritually, a belief in a spiritual/supernatural dimension and a belief in God or a higher power,” Kinnaman noted.
The Barna CEO said one of the most inspiring features of this openness for him is based on findings from The Open Generation study, which show that “young people may be fueling this rise in spiritual hunger.”
“Overwhelmingly, Christian teens today say that Jesus still matters to them; 76% say ‘Jesus speaks to me in a way that is relevant to my life,'” Kinnaman said. “In a culture that has generally downgraded the reputation of Christians and relegated Sunday worship and other church-related activities to the sidelines of society, teens remain refreshingly open to Jesus as an influence in their lives.”
Kinnaman also highlighted that while teenagers are open to Christian witness, they’re also open to other faiths.
“They are open to different faiths, including Christianity, and they’re open to friends, causes and ideas,” Kinnaman said. “Though parents, educators and others who mentor young people have a tall task to provide wise guidance to emerging adults, today’s teens are confronting the church with something that I think we haven’t seen before — a kind of blank slate; a chance to imagine a different future.”
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