Researchers, Drs. Jerry and Cristie Jo Johnston, are Executive Producing a quickpaced film via trans continental, staccato interviews documenting the shocking rise and revealing the seismic shift of the non-religious demographic known as the NONES, the fastest-growing sociological trend unique to America.
Download the PDF and read about this project…
The late pollster George Gallup Jr., once remarked, “Americans revere the Bible – but, by and large, they don’t read it. And because they don’t read it, they have become a nation of biblical illiterates.”
Gary Burge, PhD, professor of New Testament at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL, asserts that biblical illiteracy is at a crisis level not just in our culture in general but in America’s churches. “If it is true that biblical illiteracy is commonplace in secular culture at large, there is ample evidence that points to similar trends in our churches.”
Gary Burge, PhD, professor of New Testament at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL, asserts that biblical illiteracy is at a crisis level not just in our culture in general but in America’s churches. “If it is true that biblical illiteracy is commonplace in secular culture at large, there is ample evidence that points to similar trends in our churches.”
Like Burge, George Lindbeck, the famous Yale theologian, has commented on the decreasing knowledge of Scripture from a professor’s perspective: “When I first arrived at Yale, even those who came from nonreligious backgrounds knew the Bible better than most of those now that come form churchgoing families.”
Author and theologian David Wells has the same view. “I have watched with growing disbelief as the evangelical church has cheerfully plunged into astounding theological illiteracy.”
A scientific survey called PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) tested the knowledge of people in thirty-two industrialized countries. The results of the study show an “insidious biblical illiteracy” even in Christian circles, says Volker Gaeckle, dean of students at Albrecht Center in Tuebingen. “Christian should heed PISA warning that text comprehension is a problem.” One hundred and fifty freshmen in a Christian college were selected because they were active members of evangelical churches and because they grew up going to church. They were given a test about their biblical knowledge. The answers to the questions in the test were shocking!