What is biblical literacy? It sounds very much like a Bible school term. To put it simply, biblical literacy is being able to read the Bible and understand what you’re reading. Bible Engagement is the desire to read the Bible, on your own, outside of church. These terms didn’t mean much to me before attending the Assemblies of God’s NextGen conference earlier this year.
While I was the NextGen conference, I attended a workshop taught by a wonderful woman who shared some absolutely sobering statistics and stories, drawing from a study done by the Barna group. In 2018, there were a staggering 136 million American Christians who were disengaged with the Bible, meaning they really only opened the Bible in church. There were 50 million who could be persuaded one way or another. Only 66 million who actually read their Bible on their own outside of church more than once a week.
That number is worth repeating: in 2018, there were only 66 million that would consider themselves “biblically engaged”. Disheartening.
In 2021, there were only 64 million in the biblically engaged group. It went DOWN. Surprisingly, the biblically disengaged group also went down, from 136 million to 100 million! The middle group, the curious but intimidated, the ones who could be persuaded one way or another, that is the group that shot UP from 50 million to 95 million!
So what do we do with these staggering numbers? Hearing these statistics in that workshop ignited a passion inside of me. In my personal experience, today’s Christians are hungry for God’s word but they struggle with biblical literacy… They don’t understand what they are reading. They don’t even know where to begin!
I am a children’s pastor at my church and it shocks me how many children (and even parents) raised in a Christian home don’t know that Moses came before Jesus. They don’t know what it means to “hide your Word in my heart” (Psalm 119:11). They do not know the difference between the Old and New Testament. They do not know that there are different genres of scripture that cannot be approached all the same way. My heart breaks for them. The church today does not know how to approach scripture and understand what the Lord is doing through it. They don’t know that you can’t study the Psalms the same way you study the Gospels. They don’t know that you can’t study books of history the same way as books of prophecy. They’re being tossed in the deep end to learn how to swim.
I learned in this workshop that there are a few main reasons for this epidemic of enormous biblical illiteracy. One is their own general literacy. If someone is uncomfortable with their reading skills, the Bible is one intimidating book! Another aspect is their spiritual formation. No one ever taught them how to study the Bible. This problem goes back to the church. This is a part of our call. It goes back to Christian parents, that is a part of the job. However, parents cannot teach their children something that they themselves never learned.
If you are reading this today and you are feeling like you don’t know some of the things that I am talking about, or never learned how to approach scripture properly, don’t worry! There is hope!
The good thing about this specific problem is that it is a relatively easy fix. All it takes is a little education and more importantly, a desire to turn this ship around. Let’s look at the two main issues regarding biblical illiteracy.
General literacy, this can be tough to address. People are intimidated by the Bible sometimes due to their lack of confidence in their own reading skills. The best solution that I have found is to start by giving them an easily digestible version of scripture. Personally, I recommend NIV for teens and adults or if they really need simple, I go with the NIrV which is what I use in my kids’ church. It uses plain and easy to understand language. The other way to address this aspect is to give them a good avenue to ask for help without judgment.
Another challenging aspect is spiritual formation. This can be easier to address, but it takes more effort on our part as leaders in the church or home. We have to teach those under our care to fall in love with God’s word. We have to teach them how to understand what they are reading and not just read the Bible as a daily “chore”. How many Christians look at reading the Bible as a chore they have to do because it’s just something that Christians are supposed to do? Too many for my liking.
In my own church, to help combat this, we are implementing a biblical literacy program from toddlers to adults. The goal is to develop a love for God’s word. They need to delight in His word. It’s easier to understand something that you already love. It starts with scripture memory and then works towards scripture study! By the time they graduate high school, if they came up through the program, they should have the skills to study scripture and get something out of it.
It takes effort to get started. It’s meant to be done as a group. Whether that be a family group or a small group at church, or an at home Bible study, it’s meant to be done with support. The scriptures say, “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.” (Ecc. 4:9-10).
The best part is, you don’t have to start from scratch because others have already begun the work! You don’t have to revamp an entire ministry because these are meant to fit into what you’re already doing. I am going to share the packets that I have created for toddlers through teens. For adults I highly recommend verse mapping journals. It’s a great starting place that helps to teach how to study the Bible. If you aren’t a church leader but want to gain a greater understanding of how to read the Bible, talk to your pastor. It starts with a desire and a little effort on our part. But together, we can turn this ship around and set a generation (or more!) on fire for the Word of God, armed with the tools to understand it.
Resources:
Toddler – Teen Packets: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1FB3tL739dKbDb92Ax7oMmI7FZakOVr97?usp=sharing
Pastor Dominque Abuiso