A couple of years ago, the Associated Press and MTV teamed up to conduct an in-depth, seven-month study into young people and happiness. The study revealed some interesting results from a youth ministry perspective, to be sure. The study found that “religion and spirituality are an integral part of happiness for most American young people.” It showed a very high correlation between “happiness” (self-defined, obviously) and a strong spiritual emphasis in a teenager’s life. “80 percent of those who say spirituality is the most important thing in life say they are happy with life in general, compared with 60 percent of those who say that spirituality is not an important part of life at all.” Now, of course, this was a secular study and made no distinction between “religion and spirituality” and Christianity in particular. Nevertheless, those of us who are Christians understand the abiding joy that only comes through faith in the person and work of Christ Jesus.
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