One of the greatest crises facing the church in our nation these days is a growing lack of biblical literacy. Many stumble over simple, basic facts. For example, one survey found that 25% of professing evangelical Christians thought that the Golden Rule is one of the Ten Commandments. 13% of evangelicals agreed that “Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God.”
Ligonier research has determined that the most consistent trend in their surveys since 2014 is a growing agreement with the statement, “The Bible, like all sacred writings, contains helpful accounts of ancient myths but is not literally true.” Their research found that 53% of Americans agreed.
Not surprising, therefore, is the research result which found that 56% of evangelical Christians agreed that “A mature human accepts different truth views to be just as valid as their own views.”
What lies behind these realities is a failure to take studying the Word of God seriously. Most Americans have other burning interests that dwarf their motivation for engaging with Scripture. Moreover, many churches are failing to adequately prepare people for dealing with the abysmal spiritual ignorance that plagues our current society. Not counting the theological decay in mainline denominations, only 51% of “evangelical” pastors maintain a consistent biblical worldview. If they are weak in their own understanding and application of Scripture, it is not surprising that their parishioners are likewise biblically inept and vulnerable.
Scripture warns of the consequences of failing to take the Word of God seriously. Jesus’ classic parable about the man who built his house upon a rock, in contrast to the one who build his on sand, vividly illustrates the difference that a sound understanding and application of biblical truth makes. Storms will strike us all, but only those whose allegiance is to the inspired and infallible Word of God will adequately weather those storms to the glory of God.
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