If you want to up your Bible-reading game this year, you might want to consider a trip to Birmingham, Alabama, which has just been named the most Bible-minded city in America.
The American Bible Society (ABS) has analysed data regarding the Bible reading habits and beliefs about the Bible of over 60,000 adults across the States.
Unsurprisingly, states in the US Bible Belt are among those considered the most 'Bible-minded' – ie respondents from these cities had read the Bible in the past seven days and believed strongly in the accuracy of the book. Birmingham ranked number one, beating last year's winner, Chattanooga, Tennessee, to the top spot.
Research showed that East Coast cities were at the bottom of the list. Providence, Rhode Island and New Bedford, Massachusetts ranked joint last out of 100 cities, while New York found itself in the bottom 10 for the first time.
In all, just 27 percent of the US population was considered 'Bible-minded', according to the survey.
Managing Director of Communications at ABS, Andrew Hood, said the organisation's research provided a more in depth look at America's view on the Bible than other surveys.
"Online rankings consider only one data point – Bible search behaviour – while American Bible Society's Bible-Minded Cities survey examines both behaviour and attitudes about the Bible to harvest a more authentic survey of each city's population. This provides a more three dimensional view of a city's real Bible mindedness," he said.
"This study provides us with a great starting point to understand where people are interacting with Scripture and what their views are of the Bible. We want to help people continue to grow their engagement with the Bible.
Hood continued: "Ultimately, we want people to know that, whether they live in one of the most or least Bible-minded cities, the Bible can speak to their needs and challenges and help them make sense of life."
