State Of The Bible In America

A new report from the American Bible Society and Barna Group found that most Americans believe that the Bible contains everything a person needs to know in order to live a meaningful life.

The report, which considers six years of annual research from American Bible Society's State of the Bible survey, indicates that two-thirds of Americans believe this - and that the Bible is the actual or inspired Word of God.

A recent CBN News report noted that 'The Bible in America' was compiled from a series of telephone and online interviews with U.S. adults from 2011 to 2016 with a total of 12,187 interviews nationwide.

Other key findings were as follows:

" 80% of Americans view the Bible as sacred literature;

" 64 % believe the Bible has more influence on humanity than any other text;

" 62 % of Americans express a desire to read the Bible more often;

" 29 % of African-Americans are considered Bible engaged, the most of any race;

" 86 % of practicing Catholics and 72 % of Hispanic-Americans have a high regard for Scripture;

" 44% percent of Americans read the Bible at least once a month;

" Most Americans, 64%, believe the Bible has more influence on humanity than any other text.

Yet in spite of this positive perception of the Bible, the percentage of Americans who view the Bible as a book of teachings written by the inspirations of mere men has risen from 10% to 22% over the past six years. 

In this same period, the percentage of Americans who view the Bible as sacred literature has dropped, 86% to 80% and the percentage of Americans who say the Bible is not a sufficient guide for meaningful living has risen from, 23% to 33%. 

So while the majority of Americans hold the Bible in high regard, Bible skeptics are also on the rise.

These include openly anti-Christian groups. According to a recent rawstory.com article by David Ferguson, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R) issued a proclamation earlier this year calling on Iowans to participate in a statewide Bible reading marathon from June 30th to July 3rd that will be held in front of all 99 courthouses in the state simultaneously.

The Des Moines Register reported that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Iowa, the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) and the group Iowa Atheists and Freethinkers have roundly condemned the action as a high-handed attempt to establish Christianity as the official religion of the state government. 

The plan, they say, is a direct violation of the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitutions First Amendment.

To counter such trends, the American Bible Society (ABS) is taking certain strategic actions. Among them is leveraging modern technology and social media, work that has resulted in the development of a Bible-based online game for teens and ownership of a new, top-level domain extension.bible

Yet clearly there is still much work left to be done across the board to popularize the Bible. According to the survey, nearly half (46%) of all Americans think that the Bible has too little influence in U.S. society. 

For example, about half of Americans believe that politics would be more civil if politicians read the Bible on a regular basis (51%) and that American politicians would be more effective if they read regularly (53%).

In a separate report published by Charisma News.com, Andrew Hood, director of communications for American Bible Society said: "As American Bible Society celebrates its 200th anniversary, we are spending much more time looking ahead than revisiting the past&The Bible in America research provides valuable insights into how people are interacting with the Bibleand why they are not.

American Bible Society has a 10-year goal of seeing 100 million people in the U.S. regularly engaging with Scripture," said Hood. "Our hope is that as more Americans recognize the value of reading the Bible and make time to engage with God's Word, they will begin to see the transformation it can bring in their lives."

Two key markers reveal how skepticism has risen and gained a stronger cultural foothold in America. As stated above, these include declines in the following metrics:

" American adults who believe the Bible is sacred literature (86 % in 2011 declined to 80 % in 2016);

" Those who say the Bible is sufficient as a guide for meaningful living (77 % in 2011 declined to 67 % in 2016).

Millennials, in particular, are driving these declines as the age group with the most respondents saying there were no books they considered sacred. 62% of non-Christian Millennials have never read the Bible, while 30% of them said the Bible is a useful book of moral teachings.

The percentage of American adults as a whole considered Bible-friendly has declined (from 45% in 2011 to 37% in 2016)  a source of concern for the American Bible Society and all Bible lovers and adherents.

"Looking at modern-day America, we see a country moving awayfor decades nowfrom the foundational, Biblical values so cherished by those who came before us," said Roy Peterson, president and CEO of American Bible Society. 

"As we work together to address the skepticism of our day, now is our time to renew hope in the promises of God's Word, to open the healing words of Scripture as people are battling extreme violence, poverty, and oppression."