A group of Christian evangelical agencies have warned that although young people may have well rehearsed arguments outlining Christian responses to social and ethical issues, few appear to have a solid understanding of who Jesus was and why He died.
"The future of the church could be under threat unless biblical illiteracy among young people is not urgently addressed", a group of Christian evangelical agencies have warned.
The Rt Rev Graham Cray, Bishop of Maidstone, warns that: "Young people, both inside and outside the church, are substantially ignorant about the Christian story and the main framework of Christian beliefs."
To address this issue, the Evangelical Alliance has launched essential.
Targeted towards an audience that gets easily turned off by theology, essential aims to support youth workers as they help young people explore the simplicity and complexity of Christian faith in a fresh, dynamic, life-changing way.
Phil Green, Project Director for the essential project, said: "Today's young people will become the church leaders of tomorrow, but how effective will they be? To ensure the future of the church is built on strong foundations, it is essential that these young people have a firm grasp on biblical truth.
"When we spoke to young people, they told us they wanted answers to difficult questions like 'Does it matter what religion I follow?' 'What happens when we die?' 'Does sin matter?' 'What does the Bible say about the Jewish nation?' 'Predestination?' 'How will the world end?' and so on.
"Our vision is to see young people engaging with biblical truth. We want young people to know what Christians believe and why they believe it - so they remain strong in the faith and can defend it to other people. We want to help them apply the unchanging truth of the Bible to the constantly changing world they live in.
"We want young people to know what Jesus taught and that these teachings are still relevant in today's society; as it's been said, 'before you can live Christianity, you need to know Christianity'."
The essential project is spearheaded by the Evangelical Alliance, working alongside Capital Youthworks, CPAS, CWR, Damaris Trust, GroundLevel, Ignite, Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, Scripture Union, Wesley Owen and Youth for Christ.
Bishop Cray comments: "I am delighted to commend 'essential' as a highly significant new contribution to youth ministry. Essential, with its focus on young people's actual questions, is a vital additional resource as we face this challenge."
