The Bible

When Barna Research Group completed a study for the Tyndale House Publishers, they discovered the following. More than 90 percent of American households contain a Bible and better than three out of four have two or more copies. 80 percent of Americans said the Bible is the most influential book in world history. Unfortunately, much of this respect for God’s Word is superficial. Barely one-third of adults read the Bible in a typical week and just one in five will read every page of Scripture in the course of their lifetime. Additionally, the most popular strategy for choosing a passage to read is simply flipping through the pages until spotting something that sounds intriguing, relevant, or interesting. This method of random selection is used by nearly half of all adults who read the Bible. These findings may explain why 56 percent of Americans think the Bible teaches that taking care of one’s family is the most important task of life (See Deut 6:5 and Matt 22:37), 72 percent believe that people are blessed by God so they can enjoy life as much as possible (see Gen 12:1-3), 42 percent claim the Bible says Jesus sinned while on earth (See Heb 4:15), and four out of ten people think “all individuals will experience the same outcome after death, regardless of their religious beliefs.” In America, the Bible seems to be widely respected, but not seriously studied.

From McHenry’s Stories for the Soul – Raymond McHenry, Hendrickson Publishers, 2001, Peabody, MA, Page 25.