Thursday, February 6, 2020

Biblical Illiteracy in America


“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.

Would love to hear your opinion on this.  Next time we will be discussing The Authority of the Bible.




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