“The days are coming," declares the Sovereign LORD, "when
I will send a famine through the land-- not a famine of food or a thirst for
water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. Men will stagger from sea
to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but
they will not find it.” (Amos 3:11-12)
Every week, for several years, I have received questions about the scriptures
through Facebook, Quora, and emails. During
this time I find more and more people questioning the authority and inerrancy of
God’s Word. Because of this, I believe that
biblical literacy has taken a steep spiral downward, and in fact, biblical
illiteracy has reached a crisis point in America.
At one time in our history Christians used to be known as people
of the book. They memorized it, meditated on it, talked about it and taught
it to others. We don't do that anymore,
and in a very real sense we have entered into a biblical famine and we are
starving ourselves to death. So, over
the next several days I want to explore the authority and inerrancy of the
scriptures, and starting with why this discussion is important.
According to the Barna Group and American Bible Society, a majority
of U.S. adults (81 percent) said they consider themselves highly, moderately or
somewhat knowledgeable about the Bible. Yet, less than half (43 percent) were able to
name the first five books of the Bible. Does
this sound slightly pessimistic to you? People who study trends don’t think so. Wheaton College professor Timothy Larsen
comments that, “It has been demonstrated that biblical literacy has continued
to decline…Gallup polls have tracked this descent to a current record low.”
America's evangelical Christians are rightly concerned about the
secular worldview's rejection of biblical Christianity, but we ought to give
some serious attention to a problem much closer to home—biblical illiteracy in
the church. The Bible is considered the best-selling
book in the world, with over five billion copies sold. Americans revere the Bible--but, by and
large, they don't read it. And because
they don't read it, they have become a nation of biblical illiterates. How bad
is it? Researchers tell us that it's
worse than most could imagine.
Fewer than half of all adults can name the four gospels. Many Christians cannot identify more than two
or three of the disciples. According to
data from the Barna Research Group, 60 percent of Americans can't name even
five of the Ten Commandments. Eighty-two
percent of Americans believe that, "God helps those who help themselves"
is a Bible verse, and at least 12 percent of adults believe that Joan of Arc
was Noah's wife.
Secularized Americans should not be expected to be knowledgeable
about the Bible, especially since the nation's civic conversation is stripped
of all biblical references and content. Americans increasingly live in a
Scripture-free public space. The greater
disgrace is biblical ignorance among Christians. Choose whichever survey you like, the general
pattern is the same.
America's Christians know less and less about the Bible, and it
shows.
According to a LifeWay Research survey which examines how Americans
view Christian theology:
1) Fewer than half (47 percent) say the Bible is 100 percent accurate
in all it teaches.
2) Three-quarters (74 percent) disagree with the idea that even the
smallest sin deserves eternal damnation.
3) Over three-quarters (77 percent) say people must contribute their
own effort for personal salvation.
4) Half (52 percent) say good deeds help them earn a spot in heaven.
And 45 percent believe there are many ways to get there.
Christians who lack biblical knowledge are usually the products of
churches that place little value on biblical knowledge. Paul’s words to Timothy are as valuable today
as ever, “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture,
to preaching and to teaching.” (1 Timothy 4:13) Today, Bible teaching often accounts for only
a fraction of the local congregation’s time and attention. While the increasing emphasis on small group
ministry has certainly increased opportunities for fellowship, many of these
groups never get beyond superficial Bible study.
Churches must return to the centrality of biblical teaching and
preaching. Pastors and churches too
busy—or too distracted—to make biblical knowledge a central aim of ministry
will produce believers who do not know enough to be faithful disciples. Even worse, they will fail to pass down a
clear understanding of the gospel to the next generation sitting in the pews. But a bigger problem is that we do not see
the broader context of what we are reading. We read one story here, a passage somewhere
else, without understanding how all the different stories fit together into a
unified whole.
We will not believe more than we know, and we will not live higher
than our beliefs. Christian compromise
in this generation can be directly traced to biblical illiteracy in the pews
and the absence of biblical teaching in our homes. Christian parents and pastors must become
deadly serious about the problem of biblical illiteracy. A unified approach to reading the Bible is
essential if it is to have a positive impact on our lives. We don’t want to be the same people five years
from now as a result of a disjointed reading of God’s Word. Our goal is to be transformed.
God gave us His revealed Word so that we might live and work in
this world based on His design and desire in a way that glorifies Him, serves
the common good, and furthers His kingdom.
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