As we near the end of the year, it’s hard to miss all the lists popping up online about significant events. One list that really caught my attention was Barna’s “12 Most Significant Religious Findings from 2006 Surveys.” Of all the data points he highlights, there’s one I found particularly striking:
Three out of every four teenagers have engaged in at least one type of psychic or witchcraft-related activity. Among the most common of those endeavors are using a Ouija board, reading books about witchcraft or Wicca, playing games involving sorcery or witchcraft, having a “professional” do a palm reading or having their fortune told. Conversely, during the past year fewer than three out of every ten churched teenagers had received any teaching from their church about elements of the supernatural.
It’s that last sentence that really stands out to me. When there’s such a massive gap between what teens are exploring in culture and what’s being addressed in church, is it any surprise that many kids are finding Christianity unspiritual?
Barna’s stats reflect something we can’t ignore: teenagers are deeply interested in the supernatural, but most churches aren’t talking about it. And when there’s this kind of silence, it’s no wonder that kids turn to other sources.
What strikes me most is how easily Barna throws around terms like “Wicca” and “Satanism” as if they’re interchangeable. This is a common problem, but it shows a lack of real engagement with the nuances of these belief systems. Wicca, for example, is a nature-based religion that’s completely different from Satanism. Lumping them together doesn’t help the conversation; it just reinforces misunderstandings and deepens the divide between the church and those it’s trying to reach.
What I think we need—and what I’ve been exploring in my own journey—is a more thoughtful, critical approach to engaging with these cultural trends. There’s a real opportunity here for churches to step up and offer something deeper and more spiritually compelling. Rather than reacting with fear or condemnation, we could explore how to teach about the supernatural from a Christian perspective in a way that resonates with the spiritual hunger so many young people clearly have.
It’s easy to dismiss things like Ouija boards or astrology as fads, but for many teenagers, these experiences are their first real taste of the spiritual world. If the church isn’t talking about the supernatural at all, then we’re missing an opportunity to show that Christianity has its own rich and powerful traditions of spiritual engagement. The Christian faith is packed with supernatural and spiritual elements, yet these aren’t often discussed in many churches, especially with young people.
Churches need to step up. We talk a lot about being culturally relevant, but are we engaging with the deeper spiritual questions that culture is raising? Barna’s findings make it clear that teenagers are looking for spiritual experiences. What if the church was a place where those questions could be explored—safely, critically, and authentically—within the context of worshipping Jesus?
For me, that’s the challenge and the opportunity. It’s about more than just reacting to the statistics; it’s about learning how to connect with the spiritual needs of the next generation in a way that honors both their curiosity and the depth of the Christian faith.
Curious Christian 
Leave a comment