A Biblically Illiterate Generation

At Vacation Bible School this week, I offered a daily prize to students.  Every day they brought their Bible, they received a candy bar.

Amazingly, by day three, almost every student proudly toted a Bible under their arm to class. 

I'm glad students brought their Bibles.  We used them a lot this week.  What's sad is it took a candy bar for them to do so.

Don't get me wrong - I understand many students use their iPhones, iPads, Kindles, etc for their Bibles.  I have a Bible on my iPhone.  However, that's not the issue.  The issue is many students simply don't know God's word.

In fact, it's not just students.  As a country, Americans are more Biblically illiterate that any time since our founding in 1776.

Don't believe me?  Look at these numbers from a recent survey:
  • More than 60 percent of Americans can't name either half of the Ten Commandments or the four Gospels of the New Testament.
  • Some 80 percent including "born again" Christians believe that "God helps those who help themselves" is a direct quote from the Bible.
  • And 31 percent believe a good person can earn his/her way into heaven.
According to a recent George Barna study, most self-proclaimed Christians don't believe that Satan or the Holy Spirit actually exist. And even though the Bible clearly teaches the sinless nature of Christ, 22 percent believe that Jesus sinned while he was on the earth.

Those statistics scare me.  I hope they scare you.  When we don't know our Bibles, we are suceptible to bad theology, erronious teaching and apostacy.  We must know our Bibles so we know what Jesus really said and taught.

That starts by spending time in his word.  Find a translation you are comfortable reading.  Currently, I'm using the New Living Translation.  I love it.  You my prefer the NIV or the King James.  All of those are acceptable.

What's unacceptable is not reading it. 

Spend some time everyday seeking Jesus through scripture.  Have a plan - don't just randomly pick a book and chapter.  Work your way through scripture.  When you do, God will open his truths to you and show you himself.

All you have to do is crack open the book and read.

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