Earlier this month Yonat Shimron's Religion News Service article "Is the Old Testament Dying?" captured my attention. Put differently: Is the First Testament losing importance for those who follow the Way of Jesus? Do Christians have far greater biblical literacy in the Christian Scriptures than in the Hebrew Scriptures? Less & Less? Shimron's article answers the initial and repackaged questions affirmatively based on a new book by Brent Strawn titled The Old Testament Is Dying: Read More …
biblical literacy
Declining Biblical Literacy (#0616)
Almost everyone agrees that Americans are not very religiously literate. While lacking basic knowledge of the world's great religions, Americans typical know more about Christianity. Last week the Barna Group reported on research it undertook for a noteworthy client: the American Bible Society. The following snapshot shows how people responded to some basic questions about Christianity: So What? John 3:16 has been among the most popular signs at American professional football Read More …
Reading the Whole Bible (#0180)
Who Reads the Bible? Considerable research has been done regarding Bible reading. Most research focuses on the percentages of people who read it and how often they engage in that behavior. In What Americans Really Believe, Rodney Stark reports that 28% of Americans (24% of women and 32% of men) read the Bible at least once a week (p.64). Very little research has been done regarding those who have read the entire Bible. Earlier this week, New Testament scholar Scot Read More …