The book is one of several Bible adaptations sold online aimed at Generation Z. Some have made it clear that they are using AI to rewrite the passages, but the creator of Generation Z Bible Stories told CNN that their work is not a product of AI.

The creator declined to reveal his identity to CNN or answer further questions, citing security concerns.

“Many consider my book to be extremely evil and blasphemous,” the person wrote in an email. “I have a very young daughter. I don’t want her to be hated because of me.”

The report and book, “Gen Z Bible Stories,” have caught the attention of some church leaders.

Carl Kuhl, senior pastor at Southeast Christian Church in suburban Louisville, Kentucky, watched the video of Mary’s conception and then read it aloud from the pulpit to the laughter of his congregation.

Kuhl told CNN that he found it “both brilliant and hilarious,” and the same was true for his followers.

“Our church exists to share Jesus’ message of grace to people who need hope, so they loved it,” he said.

Kuhl has not seen all of the account’s posts and cannot comment on their faithfulness to the Bible. But he believes they offer younger people who may have trouble with religion a relatable way to engage with Bible stories.

“Although it is not a literal 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 across the U.S. have faced declining membership in recent years, and a 2024 Pew Research Center survey found that 8 in 10 American adults say religion is losing influence in public life.

However, recent research has also found that the majority of U.S. teenagers are curious to learn more about Jesus.

“In this generation, we see a longing for God to awaken… 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 are always seen but rarely recognized, that he gives us one There is a mission worth killing because – we won’t be able to keep Generation Z away from the church.”

But Oklahoma pastor Marvelous Arunda isn’t convinced a Bible written in Gen-Z jargon will attract young people to Christianity. He believes that many nuances are lost when Scripture is transformed into language that is not timeless.

“The whole idea is to spread the gospel through language or communication that relates to Generation Z. And while those words have charisma, they don’t have consistency like the Bible does,” said Arunda, founder of Authority Church near Oklahoma City. “We have had the Bible for thousands of years and it still has meaning.”

Arunda cited as an example the use of the “upper G” to refer to God, which he said does not inspire the same awe as the way God is portrayed in the Bible.

The culture, geography and history described in the Bible help determine its meaning, he said. Arunda said these things are lost in the Gen Z version of the Bible.

“For example, Jesus speaks of the kingdom of heaven being like the farmer. To understand what Jesus was talking about, you have to go back to that culture. If we replace these words, we lose their meaning because there is no reference point,” he said. “I understand the intent, but it plays a role in the post-truth world where words lose their meaning.”

Studies have shown that Generation Z is the least religious generation, said Samuel Abrams, professor of politics at Sarah Lawrence College and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

One of the reasons Generation Z is skeptical of organized religion is because they grew up in a world where it is not as common, Abrams said.

“They viewed it as … something fanatical, something extreme,” he said. “But over the last five years we’ve seen an interesting uptick in interest in religion among these younger people.”

Abrams doesn’t believe reports like “Gen Z Bible Stories” will convert more young people to Christianity. But he sees such accounts as an opportunity for young people to talk about a topic that interests them.

“Meeting her on her medium and TikTok is a brilliant idea. And we’re going to see a lot more of that,” he said.

“People are now looking for connections with religious institutions and organizations. … People see the value in it, not necessarily in prayer, but in community,” he says.

Sean McDowell, an associate professor of theology at Biola University, a Christian school in California, knows all too well how difficult it is to attract young people to the church. He has written books about it, including “How the Next Generation Will Know: Preparing Young Christians for a Challenging World.”

Gen Z is considered an “open generation,” he said, citing a report from the Barna Group, which conducts studies on faiths, 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 is not relevant to their lives, McDowell said.

“Generation Z has less trust in religion and institutions than in other generations. They don’t hate religion and try to refute it. They’re just a little ambivalent about it,” he said. “It’s not particularly important to them. It’s not on their radar.”

Generation Z has grown up with social media and knows enough to understand that accounts like Gen Z Bible Stories are just for fun and aren’t the spiritual main course – they’re just an appetizer, he says.

“If it makes someone say, ‘Wait a minute, what did Jesus really say in 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, then that’s great.”

But McDowell said he doesn’t expect a Gen-Z version of the Bible to suddenly attract younger people to church.

“That (TikTok account) is just a catch and it’s fine,” he said. “But we need much more substance to help a generation spiritually.”