Bible great to read but hard to apply - survey

Nearly three quarters of Christians say the Bible challenges them to live in a way that runs counter to today's culture, a survey commissioned by Bible Society has revealed - but they still struggle to apply that challenge to their daily lives, the organisation warns.

The report, 'Taking the Pulse; Is the Bible alive and well in the Church today?', was undertaken by research company ComRes on behalf of Bible Society and other Christian organisations to give a snapshot of the way the Bible is used by the Church.

More than 3,660 churchgoers and church leaders in England and Wales were quizzed as part of the study. Five focus groups were also interviewed in depth, in one of the most extensive research projects of its kind which will be extended to Scotland later this year.

Figures show that almost all churchgoers and leaders believe the Bible is relevant and the majority of churchgoers feel it should shape their lives "a great deal".

The Bible challenged 91 per cent of church leaders and three-quarters of churchgoers to live differently, and most people felt "encouraged" when they read it.

A third of churchgoers said they read the Bible daily, and a quarter read it several times a week. Half said they were "fairly confident" in their knowledge of the Bible.

However, when it came to living out its message, the focus group studies found that churchgoers "want to learn how to apply the Bible to their daily lives".

Just over one in three churchgoers (39 per cent) said what they read in the Bible affected a decision they had made in the last week, and many think the church needs to provide more help in connecting biblical teaching to day-to-day life.

The study also revealed a level of dissatisfaction among church leaders, who regard the Bible as very relevant to their own lives, but are not able to communicate that to others.

"This overwhelmingly positive attitude to the Bible among churchgoers and church leaders shows that people accept its significance to their lives in principle," said Ann Holt, Bible Society's Executive Director of Programme.

"But the study reveals - alarmingly but perhaps not unexpectedly - that the Bible is having a limited impact on people's lives and decisions."
The extensive questionnaire showed that both churchgoers and church leaders have growing concerns about the waning influence of the Bible - and the church - in public life.

Two thirds of Christians thought the church should work towards a society that takes the Bible more seriously, and should promote it more widely.

Focus studies with church leaders indicated that they would like to be more visible in public debate. However, leaders said the church had not so far succeeded in making its views known on issues that people care about.

"At Bible Society, our aim is to show that the Bible connects with the fabric of everyday life - and we do this actively by working with those in politics, education, the media and the arts. We want to take people from just knowing of the Bible, to making the most of its message in their daily lives," said Ms Holt.

"This survey is a thorough and in-depth health check on the state of Bible use in the Church. The picture it paints is both encouraging, and a wake-up call to church leaders that will hopefully spur them on to help people live out the Bible's message."

The survey, carried out by ComRes, was commissioned by Bible Society in partnership with the Evangelical Alliance, Scripture Union, United Christian Broadcasters (UCB) and the Scottish Bible Society.

A summary version of the survey and links to Bible resources can be found on Bible Society's website, www.biblesociety.org.uk


Factbox
• Nearly half of churchgoers and two thirds of leaders claim their church has grown over the past five years.
• Three quarters of churchgoers believe the Bible is divinely inspired and a third say it's free from error.
• Old Testament 'blood and killing' shakes people's confidence in the Bible.
• More than half of churchgoers said the views of secularists like Richard Dawkins made no difference to their confidence in the Bible.
• Church leaders who are most sceptical of the Bible's authority also tend to be unhappy with the level of Bible knowledge among their congregations.
• Favourite Bible versions among church leaders are the NIV (37 per cent) and New RSV (17 per cent).
• 87 per cent of leaders say the Bible is taught regularly in their church, compared to 66 per cent of non-leaders.
• The Bible is seen to 'provide the basic framework for our relationship with God,' and 'shows us who God is, what he has done and what he is like' according to three quarters of church-going respondents.
• Only one in seven churchgoers is very confident in their Bible knowledge.