Americans revere the Bible--but, by and large, they don't read it. And because they don't read it, we 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, 70 percent of Americans can't name even five of the Ten Commandments. "No wonder people break the Ten Commandments all the time. They don't know what they are," said George Barna, president of the firm.
The bottom line? Increasingly, America is biblically illiterate.
According to 82 percent of Americans, "God helps those who help themselves," is a Bible verse.
A Barna poll indicated that at least 12 percent of adults believe that Joan of Arc was Noah's wife.
Another survey of graduating high school seniors revealed that over 50 percent thought that Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife.
A considerable number of respondents to one poll indicated that the Sermon on the Mount was preached by Billy Graham.
We are in big trouble. As the nation's civic conversation is stripped of all biblical references and content, Americans increasingly live in a Scripture-free public space. Confusion and ignorance of the Bible's content should be assumed in post-Christian America. The larger scandal is biblical ignorance among Christians. Choose whichever statistic or survey you like, the general pattern is the same. America's Christians know less and less about the Bible. It shows.
Recovery starts at home. Parents are to be the first and most important educators of their own children, diligently teaching them the Word of God. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) God assigned parents this non-negotiable responsibility, and children must see their Christian parents as teachers and fellow students of God's Word.
What are you doing to remedy the problem?
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