A popular TikTok account puts a Gen Z spin on Bible stories. Some religion experts give it the side eye
By Faith Karimi, CNN
(CNN) — Throughout history, Jesus has been known by many names: Messiah, Savior, Son of God, Prince of Peace.
But “divine bro” wasn’t at the top of that list — until now.
A new TikTok account is rewriting Bible scriptures in Gen Z lingo, giving the ancient word a modern twist. In this youthful version of the gospel, God is the “top G” and the gospel is the “holy tea.” Biblical verses are reframed in a loose, conversational style, full of references to vibing, chilling and rizz.
Since it launched in March, the account, Gen Z Bible Stories, has amassed nearly 400,000 followers while drawing amusement –- and some shade –- for its take on the Good Book.
One of the account’s most popular posts is a reference to Christmas. It translates the Bible passage in which the angel Gabriel tells Mary that she will bear a son named Jesus. The Gen Z version calls Mary a “pick-me girl,” a term for a woman who is trying too hard to win male attention.
“Angel Gabriel appeared to her and said ayo, you’re a real one and the Top G is feelin you, but she thought his compliment was low key sus and gave him the side eye,” the video says.
“So he said, ‘babygirl chill, God sent me to tell you you’ve passed his vibe check. And low key, he wants you to be the mother of the main character … the son of the top G.’”
Reaction to this Gen Z take on the Bible has been predictably mixed. Some Christian leaders and scholars interviewed by CNN say it could serve as a bridge between ancient wisdom and modern-day culture while inspiring more young people to read the Bible.
But others say it trivializes scripture. Some social media commenters have even called it blasphemous.
Account owner says it started off as a joke
The person behind the Gen Z Bible account told CNN they didn’t do it to draw young people to Christianity. They began with one post on TikTok and then made more when the first one proved popular.
“It’s just really not that serious,” the creator told CNN in an email. “People thought it was funny and asked for more, so I made a few more.”
The account’s creator said they wish to remain anonymous. CNN reached out to them via a link on the TikTok account that directs users to a contact form. The creator responded to CNN’s inquiry through an email provided on the form.
The TikTok account has an accompanying book – “The Gospel by Gen Z” – that features 50 Bible stories rewritten in modern slang. Its relaxed tone extends to punctuation and capitalization, with minimal periods and commas and lowercase letters at the beginning of some sentences.
The 132-page volume includes a glossary of Gen Z memes and phrases, and refers to Jesus as … yes — the divine bro. In a passage from the New King James version of the Bible, Jesus is asleep on a ship during a fierce storm when his disciples wake him and ask for help. Jesus rises, rebukes the wind and calms the sea with the words, “Peace be still!”
In the Gen Z version, the disciples are “stressin hard” and ask Jesus, “Bruh, you just gonna let the storm cook?” The divine bro responds by saying to the storm, “bro, chill,” and then “the storm said say less and stopped vibing.”
The book is one of several Bible adaptations sold online and targeting Gen Z. Some have made it clear they use AI to rewrite the passages, but the Gen Z Bible Stories’ creator told CNN their work is not a product of AI.
The creator declined to reveal their identity to CNN or answer additional questions, citing safety concerns.
“Many think my book is extremely evil and blasphemous,” the person wrote in an email. “I have a very young daughter. I don’t want her to get hated on because of me.”
One church leader has read it to his congregation
The Gen Z Bible Stories account and book have attracted the attention of some church leaders.
Carl Kuhl, executive pastor of ministries at Southeast Christian Church in suburban Louisville, Kentucky, watched the video about Mary’s conception and then read it aloud from the pulpit to laughter from his congregation.
Kuhl told CNN he thought it was “both genius and hilarious,” and so did his worshipers.
“Our church is for whatever communicates Jesus’ message of grace to people who need hope, so they loved it,” he said.
Kuhl has not viewed all the account’s posts and can’t comment on their faithfulness to the Bible. But he believes they provide a relatable way for younger people who may struggle with religion to connect with biblical stories.
“While not a word-for-word translation of the Bible, the Gen Z Bible can be a fun way to help the TikTok generation understand who Jesus is and who he came for,” Kuhl said.
Churches in the US have faced declining memberships in recent years, and a 2024 survey by the Pew Research Center found that 8 in 10 American adults say religion is losing influence in public life.
But recent research also has found that a majority of US teens are curious to learn more about Jesus.
“In this generation we see a longing for God being awakened … Gen Z is hungry for meaning, purpose, grace and truth,” Kuhl said. “As long as we communicate that Jesus came for broken people like me, that he offers endless second chances, that he helps you find your crew in a world where we’re always seen but rarely known, that he gives us a mission worth dying for — we won’t be able to keep Gen Z away from the Church.”
But Oklahoma pastor Marvellous Arunda is not convinced a Bible in Gen Z lingo will draw young people to Christianity. He believes a lot of nuances get lost when scripture is adapted into a language that’s not timeless.
“The whole idea is to disseminate the gospel through a language or a communication that relates to Gen Z. And while those words have a vibe, they don’t have a consistency like the Bible,” said Arunda, founder of Authority Church near Oklahoma City. “We’ve had the Bible for thousands of years and it still holds meaning.”
Arunda cited the example of using “top G” to refer to God, which he said does not carry the same reverence as the way God is portrayed in the Bible.
The culture, geography and history described in the Bible help inform its meanings, he said. Arunda said those things get lost in the Gen Z Bible version.
“For example, Jesus talks about how the kingdom of heaven is like the farmer. To understand what Jesus was talking about, one must go back to that culture. If we substitute those words, then we will lose meaning because there’s no reference point,” he said. “I understand the intention, but it plays into the post-truth world, where words lose meaning.”
Study: Gen Z is the least religious generation
Studies have shown that Gen Z is the least religious generation, said Samuel Abrams, a professor of politics at Sarah Lawrence College and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
One of the reasons Gen Z is skeptical about organized religion is because they have grown up in a world where it’s not as common, Abrams said.
“They saw it as … something fanatical, something extreme,” he said. “But in the last five years, among these younger people we are seeing an interesting uptick when it comes to an interest in religion.”
Abrams doesn’t believe accounts such as Gen Z Bible Stories will draw more young people to Christianity. But he sees such accounts as opportunities for young people to connect around a topic they’re curious about.
“Meeting them in their medium and TikTok is a brilliant idea. And it’s something that we’re going to see a lot more of,” he said.
“People are looking for connection now in religious institutions and organizations. … People see the value to it, not necessarily the prayer but the community of it,” he says.
Sean McDowell, an associate professor of theology at Biola University, a Christian school in California, knows all too well the challenges of drawing young people to the church. He’s written books about it, including “So the Next Generation Will Know: Preparing Young Christians for a Challenging World.”
Gen Z is considered the “open generation,” he said, citing a report by the Barna Group, which conducts studies on faith, cultures and other generations. Gen Zers admire Jesus and his work, but they also view him as someone who lived 2,000 years ago and isn’t relevant to their life, McDowell said.
“There’s less trust in Gen Z towards religion and institutions than other generations. They’re not walking around hating on religion, trying to disprove it. They’re just somewhat ambivalent about it,” he said. “It’s not super important to them. It’s not on the front of their radar.”
Gen Z has grown up with social media and are savvy enough to understand that accounts such as Gen Z Bible Stories are just for fun and are not the spiritual main course – they’re just an appetizer, he says.
“If it makes somebody go, ‘Wait a minute, what did Jesus really say on the Sermon on the Mount?’ (then) I’m all for it,” he said. “If that motivates people to go back and study the scriptures more, great.”
But McDowell said he does not expect a Gen Z version of the Bible to suddenly send younger people flocking to church.
“This (TikTok account) is just a hook, and it’s fine,” he said. “But we’ve got to have a lot more substance to help a generation spiritually.”
The-CNN-Wire
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