A Bible translation service has added Gen Z slang to its vocabulary, in a bid to connect with new churchgoers.
Breeze Translate offers live in-service translations for churches, meaning notices, sermons and prayers can be understood in real-time, regardless of someone’s native tongue.
Its Gen Z speak option now covers popular slang such as “rizz” (meaning charisma), “opps” (meaning enemies) and “aura” (meaning a person’s presence, attitude or overall appeal).
The Lord’s Prayer, translated for Gen Z, reads: “Our Realest Father, living in Peak Reality, Your name is goated, Your Kingdom pull up… Secure the bag for our daily needs… and don’t let us get caught in the opps’ traps.”
It describes church notices as “The Tea” (hot information, talk of the town), and summarises a sermon’s key points as its “core lore”.
Product developer Mike Ashelby told Premier Christian News he hopes it will resonate with young churchgoers in their “heart language”.
“Of course, Gen Z-ers understand English,” he joked, “but Gen Z are bilingual… this is the way they talk and connect with their friends.”
“I hang out with my kids and their mates, and I don't know what they're saying! It just, it just occurred to me, ‘Hey, you know, can we get some way of translating what they're saying, or translating what I'm saying into the way that they would speak?’”
“It’s the Quiet Revival,” he added. “We are seeing Gen Z in our churches. We are seeing young people exploring faith, and I thought this would be a nice way of connecting with the technology we've developed.”