91-Year-Old Receives NOBTS Diploma, Gen Z Changed Through Scripture & 54th Dove Award Nominations

Her last seminary class came in 1957. She was just three weeks from graduation. That’s when Mary Glenn Ingouf went into labor. She delivered a healthy baby but life moved her in a different direction and she never finished her coursework at New Orleans Seminary.

She’s 91 now and on August 4 th , her doorbell rang. She answered it to find Jamie Dew, the president of New Orleans Seminary with a diploma in his hand. Dew believed after serving 29 on the mission field in Indonesia and 10 years in the home offices of the International Mission Board, Ingouf had earned those credits she needed.

With family members gathered around, Dew drew from 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 to “charge” the graduating class of one.
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Most Gen Z adults say their lives have been transformed through Scripture despite their three- year decline in Bible engagement, the American Bible Society (ABS) said in the latest chapter of the 2023 State of the Bible.
 
The oldest Zoomers were toddlers when the world was abuzz with turn-of-the-century Y2K projections, and many still live with their parents. Some Zoomers are as young as 11, too young even to be included in the ABS study limited to ages 18 and above.

— 44 percent of Zoomers are “extremely curious” about Jesus, but the interest is higher among the youngest adult Zoomers.
 
— 56 percent of Zoomers ages 18-21 said they are curious about Jesus or the Bible, but only 34 percent of Zoomers ages 22-26 said the same.
 
— Curiosity has sharply declined since 2022, when 77 percent of all Gen Z adults reported curiosity in Scripture.
 
Scripture engagement among Gen Z adults registers at 10 percent, down from 12 percent in 2022 and 14 percent in 2021. Despite low Scripture engagement:
 
— 49 percent of Zoomers ages 18-21 say the Bible’s message has transformed their lives, and 52 percent of those 22-26 say so.
 
— 58 percent of Zoomers identify as Christian, including Catholic, Protestant and “other” Christian traditions, ABS said.
 
–34 percent identify as agnostic, atheist or having no religion.
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Nominations for the 54 th  annual Gospel Music Association Dove Awards were highlighted by Brandon Lake’s 11 nods, which include Artist of the Year, and multiple nominations for Worship Recorded Song of the Year.

Lake, a three-time Dove Award winner, received nominations for his single “Gratitude (Radio Version),” as well as “Honey In The Rock” along with Brooke Ligertwood, and for a feature credit on “Fear Is Not My Future (Radio Version)” by Maverick City Music.

Other songs nominated in the category include “Holy Forever” by Chris Tomlin and “This Is Our God” by Phil Wickham. Lake won the award in 2021 along with Elevation Worship for their song “Graves Into Gardens.”