One of the most serious problems facing the Church in the 21st century is the problem of Biblical illiteracy…most
professing Christians do not possess a sound and coherent understanding of the
Bible
The U.S. Christian movement may appear strong, to someone overseas,
but the foundation is crumbling largely because of a lack of engagement and
submission to the Bible
"Americans revere the Bible—but they don't read it…and have become a
nation of biblical illiterates.“ - Researchers George Gallup & Jim Castelli
A considerable number of poll respondents indicated that the Sermon on the Mount
was preached by Billy Graham.
Christians who lack biblical knowledge are the products of
churches that marginalize biblical knowledge.
Bible teaching now often accounts for only a diminishing
fraction of the local congregation's time and attention
The move to small group ministry has increased opportunities for fellowship, but many of these
groups never get beyond superficial Bible study
The centrality of biblical preaching to the formation of disciples is lost,
and Christian ignorance leads to Christian indolence and worse.
"Christians used to be known as 'people of one 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're starving ourselves to death.“ - Kenneth
Berding
"If I sound alarmist, I'm not alone. These days many of us don't even
know basic facts about the Bible.“ -Kenneth Berding
2014 "The State of the Bible" report by BarnaGroup and American Bible Society, a majority of
U.S. adults (81%) said they consider themselves highly, moderately or somewhat
knowledgeable about the Bible.
In the 2013 report showed that only 50% knew that
“John the Baptist”
was NOT one of the 12 apostles.
One Bible College student, did not know that Saul in the New
Testament was different from King Saul in the Old Testament.
Another Bible College student thought the Old Testament figure Joshua was
the son of "a nun," unaware that "Nun" was actually the name of the father and
not a member of a Catholic church
"Many Americans don't consider the Bible to be authoritative, they don't consider the Bible to place a claim
on their lives…"
“Some consider the Bible to be important generally, but are far from believing that God has communicated His will through
this book and therefore it is binding upon your actions."
The 2014 Bible survey found that although most people own a Bible, (37%) of Americans read the holy
book once a week or more.
Christians are expected to frequently read the Bible so that they learn it enough to be able to think about it
throughout the day.
"I do NOT believe that most Americans realize that their very
light (or lack of) engagement with the Bible is serious," -- Berding
Contributors to the decline in biblical literacy:
Self-reliance - (not believing that there should be any authorities
outside of themselves)
Contributors to the decline in biblical literacy:
Distractions - social networking, texting, gaming, TV & other
entertainment
Contributors to the decline in biblical literacy:
Overconfidence -- the sense that we know a lot about the Bible because
we grew up going to church
Contributors to the decline in biblical literacy:
“Being "Too Busy" -- hypnotized into believing that it is not very
important that we carve out dedicated time to read and learn the Bible
Contributors to the decline in biblical literacy:
The Church Has Been “Dumbed Down” by the Culture - challenging youth with high
standards is considered harmful to their “self-esteem.” Instead of pushing children to excel,
standards of academic achievement are lowered
The Church Has Adopted the Cultural Mandate to “Feel Good” -- “Christian faith is
not being built on the firm foundation of hard won thoughts, ideas, history, or
theology. Spirituality is being built on private emotional attachments” - Gary Burge.
Can you SHOW someone what they must do to be saved?
Can you run through the plan of salvation, verse by verse?
Are you "ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you“…That is, can
you give a book, chapter, verse?
References
1. Why Johnny Can’t Read the Bible -http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/may/25.38.html
2. Biblical Illiteracy in US at Crisis Point, Says Bible Expert http://www.christianpost.com/news/biblical-illiteracy-in-us-at-crisis-point-
says-bible-expert-121626/
3. The Scandal of Biblical Illiteracy: It's Our Problem by Albert Mohler - http://www.christianity.com/print/1270946/