The Bible: Love it! Live it?

|PIC1|"Overall, church leaders across all denominations are impressively positive towards the Bible. Non-leaders are positive but noticeably less so ..."

The opening lines of the report, Taking the Pulse: Is the Bible alive and well in the Church today? set the scene for one of the most extensive pieces of research ever carried out by Bible Society (1). Over 3,500 leaders and churchgoers in England and Wales spoke out on the relationship between the church and its own sacred text - the Bible.

Two key findings quickly emerged. After all those years, the church is still pretty much in love with the Bible - but living together seems to be getting harder. Many a Christian struggles to bridge the gap between life in 21st century Britain and the beliefs and values, teachings, sermons, stories, poems and visions that were penned a few millennia ago and half a world away.

"'If church leaders could put the Bible into everyday context, it would be so much easier to understand!" Quotes likes this one coming from those surveyed highlight the challenge that the person in the pew is putting to their pastor, preacher or youth group leader.

The survey focussed on four core questions about Christians and their Bible: do they read it? Do they know it? Do they trust it? And do they live it?

ComRes found that the church leaders' 'impressively positive' attitude was reflected, for example, in their dedication to regular Bible reading. Among churchgoers, on the other hand, statistics were more sobering. Only one in three habitually picks up the book and less than 15 per cent feel truly confident in their Bible knowledge.

The problem with this is that, as long as people live off a few pet passages and comforting verses, they run the risk of missing the big picture - the drama of Scripture that opens with creation, ends at the gates of the New Jerusalem, and throws light on God's journey with his people between those two poles.

Even among those who do read their Bible, less than half say that it actually makes a difference to their day-to-day decisions. Reading, knowing and applying Scripture all hang together. In each of these areas, the survey revealed an obvious need among congregations and implies a call to leaders to think harder about meeting it.

There are various factors that can knock a Christian's confidence in the Bible as a book that has something to say today. Not only are we surrounded by a dominant culture that has quietly abandoned biblical standards, but we are also being put through the mill persistently by a vociferous minority of militant secularists.

When ComRes asked people whether they felt that smart atheists like Richard Dawkins were undermining their trust in the Bible, 40 per cent of churchgoers and 25 per cent of leaders admitted that this was the case.

The question is: who will engage with the secularist challenge on a level that does not go over the heads of the average church member but encourages them to get involved in the debate and stand up for their beliefs?

Unsurprisingly perhaps, the researchers found both church leaders and churchgoers to be keenly aware of the fact that making the Bible heard in the public square should be high on the church's agenda - should, not is.

The survey highlights the challenge for Christians to move from loving to living; to read, know, and engage with the Word in a way that will make the culture listen.

About Bible Society
Bible Society exists to make the Bible heard. We aim to show how the Bible connects with life. We make Scripture available where there are none. We work with the Church to help it live out God's story. We do this because Bible poverty is real. And fighting it matters

Taking the Pulse: Is the Bible alive and well in the Church today? Is a new report reflecting the views of Christians in pews and pulpits across England and Wales.

The comprehensive and authoritative survey reflects the comments of well over 3,000 church leaders and members. The summary report can be downloaded and read at www.biblesociety.org.uk

(1) The survey project was co-sponsored by the Scottish Bible Society, the Evangelical Alliance, Scripture Union and United Christian Broadcasters