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Move over, ‘Harry Potter.’ Teens flock to the Bible.

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Reuters
  • By the Monitor's Editorial Board

American educators are scratching their heads over how to get screen-seduced students to read books (the paper kind). According to the latest “national report card,” reading scores for children are at an all-time low. Yet one trend belies this aversion to the printed page: Last year saw an unexpected surge in Bible sales, particularly among young people.

Sales of all religious books rose some 18% through October 2024, according to book tracker Circana BookScan. Yet Bible sales were up a popping 22%. Compare that with only a 1% rise for all book sales.

Among members of Generation Z, including college students, “You have a generation that wants to find things that feel more solid,” Amy Simpson, publisher of Tyndale House Publishers’ Bible division, told The Wall Street Journal.

The new popularity of Scripture and Bible-related materials indicates “a hunger for something eternal and stable,” Doug Lockhart, a senior vice president of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, told Publisher’s Weekly.

One explanation comes from a new survey by the Christian research group Barna: Some 52% of American teens – Christian or not – say they are “very motivated” to learn about Jesus. Barna attributes this to an “openness and curiosity about spiritual matters.”

Other possible reasons: On TikTok, YouTube, and podcasts, personal accounts of faith are popular, as is the hit TV series “The Chosen,” based on the Gospels.

The Bible has long dominated bestseller lists. Its appeal is perennial, always there with universal messages that meet the needs of the times. According to a 2023 survey by the American Bible Society, more than half of Americans wish they read the Bible more. Given the big bump in Bible sales, it is the children who are leading them to act on that wish.

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