There's a Bible Famine in the Land

I am concerned that too many American Christians are disengaged from the Bible.

According to a 2019 Barna study, only 5% of the U.S. citizens surveyed actually engaged with the Bible in a way that it impacted their decision-making. And about 50% are disengaged. And according to a recent 2020 survey conducted by Barna and the American Bible Society, even fewer are engaging with Scripture due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

They may have knowledge of Bible stories and characters. But little understanding of their historical and philosophical significance. It's as if they've divorced their religious beliefs from reality. For many Christians biblical values, spiritual truths, and godly perspectives have little affect on the real world of "facts." Those religious ideas might be something to engage in on the weekends, during quiet times, or when feeling a little sad. But many of these Christians cannot comprehend how these ideas influence their politics, work life, relationships, entertainment choices, and everyday life.

Nancy Pearcy, in her book Total Truth says this very thing:

"Have you and I made faith a matter of the heart, while letting our minds be shaped by an Enlightenment perspective? Far too often the answer is yes, writes Phillip Johnson: 'Even conservative Christians have so privatized their faith that they do not regard it as a source of knowledge but as merely theological reflection' on topics given by secular academia.'" (Pearcey, 2004, p. 118-119) 

"Today the fact/value dichotomy has become part of the familiar landscape of the American mind. " (Pearcey, 2004, p. 107)

I am also concerned that fewer Christians are getting good biblical expository teaching. 

Many don't know what it's like to dig into Scripture and incorporate its teachings into their daily lives. Maybe they will feel better after an entertaining sermon, or maybe they will get some rudimentary action steps by their pastor or Bible teacher. But they hardly learn what a passage means in its context, nor how to effectively apply it individually.

Sadly, many Christians even develop the habit of confusing guilty feelings with biblical conviction. They assume they are getting good teaching based on how bad or guilty they feel after a lesson. But they find it hard to pinpoint what to do about it. Granted, sometimes feeling guilty might be an appropriate response, but it isn't the gauge of good biblical teaching. In fact, there are times when guilty feelings are inappropriate — like when it's over something God says is good.

One big problem is that many preachers and teachers fail to use the Bible well themselves or don't use it at all. There are some who do this out of tradition and habit, and some who do this because they don' t know any better. And worse, there are some who do this purposely to control the thinking of immature believers. (Ephesians 4:11-14; Colossians 2:4-8)

These problems can lead to:

• Bad or heretical teaching. People come away learning things that are either erroneous, not true, or misleading. They end up teaching people to approach the Bible in a flawed manner, or not at all.
  
• Confidence in poor or sloppy ideas. People are sometimes given affirmation in aberrant theology. Sometimes they are influenced to believe things that are not true or healthy. And they become dogmatic about it.
  
• Immaturity and complacency. People are taught to approach Scriptures by disregarding what the author intends to be understood. Instead, they are taught to use Scripture to confirm what their group already believes. As a result, people will find it hard to learn anything new.

I want something better for God's people, and for myself. But we have to really want it. Do you?