Younger Americans are spiritual, but few are actively engaged with spiritual disciplines such as weekly church attendance, Bible study and prayer, according to a new study by LifeWay Research. The study, which surveyed Americans born between 1980 and 1991—referred to as the “Millennial” generation—found that while two-thirds of Millennials identify themselves as Christians, most have different spiritual habits than older generations.

More than two-thirds of Millennials—65 percent—say they rarely or never pray with others. Some 31 percent pray by themselves at least once a day, but 20 percent never pray at all.

About 34 percent of the younger generation does read the Bible or other sacred texts at least once a month. Even more—67 percent—say they never or rarely read the Bible or other sacred texts. Of those that do read regularly, 21 percent do so at least once a week and 8 percent do so regularly.

QUOTE: "There is a lot of evil on the Internet, things that should not be there. When they seek, what are they going to find? If Christians aren't there to help people find Jesus, what will they find? If that scares you a little bit, it probably should." —Michele Diedrich, communications director of Global Media Outreach, speaking at a webinar last week in honor of Internet Evangelism Day. Global Media Outreach, an arm of Campus Crusade for Christ, focuses on sharing the gospel online. Last year they reported some 10 million decisions for Christ. [toledoblade.com, 4/24/10]

Half of protestant pastors agree with Franklin Graham’s view that Islam is an “evil” religion, according to a new LifeWay Research survey. Most pastors have a negative view of the religion overall.

The study proposed a variety of questions about the differences between Christianity and Islam and then offered negative and positive descriptors. According to Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research, pastors “consistently chose the negative descriptions.”

In the headlining question, pastors were asked to describe which is more accurate: Graham’s widely reported comment that Islam is “a very evil and a very wicked religion,” or former President George W. Bush’s remark that “the Muslim faith is based upon peace and love and compassion.” Some 47 percent agreed with Graham’s statement, and 12 percent agreed with both.

QUOTE: Focus on the Family "will weigh in on the big social issues before us and provide an opinion, but in all of that I want to express respect for everyone, for all human beings. It's not about being highly confrontational. It's about results." —Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family, in an interview with AOL News. The article looked at the difference between Daly’s style and that of his more confrontational predecessor, James Dobson, who recently left the mega-ministry. Daly hates being viewed as “unlike Dobson,” but he does bring a softer style, that appeals to a younger generation. Focus’ recent Tim Tebow ad, which brought record numbers to the ministry’s website, was used as an example of the less provocative approach. [aolnews.com, 4/25/10]