Americans and The Bible: Skepticism is Growing

I started this day as I do every day.  Seated in my recliner, I read from my Bible.  During this season of Lent I am reading through Luke's Gospel.  I always read from my personal Bible, a Thompson Chain-Reference New International Version.  The Bible was a Christmas gift from my parent's over twenty years ago.  I had put the Bible on my Christmas "wish list" and specifically requested that version.  I like all the resources included in the Thompson and as a writer I find the chains helpful when working on a particular theme.  My Thompson is not the first Bible I received as a gift.  I received one at my confirmation, another when I went off to college and Barb and I received one as a wedding gift.  My guess is we probably have over three dozen Bibles in our house.  That means our family is way above average.  According to a recent survey done for the American Bible Society in partnership with The Barna Group, 88% of American households own a Bible.  Those homes typically have 4.7 Bibles.

While it was reassuring to know we would find Bibles in an overwhelming majority of American homes, I found some of the data gathered by The Barna Group disturbing.  Skepticism toward the Bible is growing.  In 2011, 10% of those polled saw the Bible as just another book containing stories and offering advice.  That number has grown to 19% in the most recent poll.  A majority of the skeptics (67%) are under the age of 48, with 28% of them being between the ages of 18-30.  While most people still view the Bible as sacred, that number is declining, falling from 86% to 79%.  57% of Americans are pro-Bible, believing that the Bible is the Word of God.  For me the most shocking statistic is that only 37% of American read the Bible at least once a week. 

For me, the daily time in God's Word is more than just a routine or discipline.  It keeps me focused on God's desires for me.  During my years as a high school counselor, I discovered that my early morning visits with God often equipped me for what was going to happen later that day.  Now, on those days when I am serving as a hospital chaplain, I find myself referencing a scripture passage from morning as I visit patients. 

We are called to be God's messengers to a broken world.  "You are the light of the world," Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 5:14.  "A city on a hill cannot be hidden," he continued.  The only way that we can make sure we are equipped and focused on that task is to begin each day in the Bible.  As Christian, when we do that we are bearing testimony to the power of that Word.  If we are going to reverse the trend when it comes to how people view God's Word, it has to begin with us.