Knowing the Bible

by Pastor Larry Sorrells,

Rockville, Trinity UMC

George Barna is the founder of the Barna Group, a market research firm that specializes in studying religious beliefs and behaviors of Americans in modern culture. I have always found his discoveries interesting. A few years ago, he conducted a revealing survey of self-pronounced Christians and here’s what he found about their knowledge of the Bible.

• 48% could not name the four Gospels.

• 52% cannot identify more than two or three of Jesus’ disciples.

• 60% of American Christians can’t name even five of the 10 Commandments.

• When asking graduating high school “born again Christians” over 50% of them thought Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife.

• 61% of American Christians think the Sermon on the Mount was preached by Billy Graham.

• 71% of American Christians think “God helps those who help themselves” is a Bible verse.

Barna has said, “Americans revere the Bible but, by and large they don’t know what it says. And because they don’t know it, they have become a nation of Biblical illiterates.”

This is concerning. Hosea 4:6 tells us, “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.” We cannot become a people who value God but fail to be grounded in scripture.

Let us hold in our hearts the words of Paul as he spoke to Timothy, “Since childhood you have known the holy scriptures that help you to be wise in a way that leads to salvation through faith that is in Christ Jesus. Every scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for showing mistakes, for correcting, and for training character, so that the person who belongs to God can be equipped to do e verything that is good.” – 2 Timothy 3:15-17.