Biblical illiteracy and its implications May 18, 2007
Posted by reformedville in : culture, Government, Media , trackbackThis month our reformation groups topic was biblical illiteracy and it’s implications and ramifications on the church. Our groups leader is friends with Dr. Kroll (Back to the Bible) and was sharing information Dr. Kroll had compiled over the years on the biblical literacy of Christians and their reasons for not reading the Bible.
In our roundtable discussions, I was positing that this lack of literacy is a main factor in spiritual abuse today, and also that we have come full circle back to the time of the reformation generally in ‘the broad church’ today, relying on what the preacher says and teaches. Very similar to the times of the reformation when the congregant didn’t have the Bible.
In many situations, I truly believe that this lack of literacy plays to the advantage of many pastors today, as they are able to create such a divide between their knowledge they retain and the congregants lethargy and lack of passion, it creates a safe situation of being above challenge. I am not sure if it is intentionally abusive as much as a self defense mechanism, but in the end it plays out to the detriment of the congregation and opens the door for abuse among the trusting.
Interesting enough when I came home and was reading some more on this subject, I found some good comparisons as it relates to Catholics today.I found this article that should be a further eyeopener, if not an embarrassment to protestant overseers.
The Catholic Church does not persecute those who read the Bible anymore; on the contrary, they want people to read it. The two most recent Popes have made declarations that, if Martin Luther were alive and were to hear them, he would die of a heart attack.Last year, in an encounter in Rome to celebrate the 40 years of the Dei Verbum, Pope Benedict XVI dedicated most of his message to promoting the reading of the Bible. He said:
“The assiduous reading of the Holy Scriptures, accompanied by prayer, allows an intimate dialog that, through reading, one can hear God speaking and, through prayer, we may respond with a confident openness of heart. If this practice is promoted with efficacy, I am convinced that a new spiritual spring would be produced within the Church. We can never forget that the Word of God is a lamp for our steps and a light for our ways. Only he who listens to the Word can become an annoucer of it.”
In spite of the growth of the Bible’s distribution, there still remains a weak religious culture. This was revealed through a recent investigation that took place during three years in France, Spain, and Italy. Professor Diotallevi, a sociologist and director of the investigation, explained that in the 40 years following the Vatican II Counsel, the Bible “entered massively in the families of many Christians, in houses where it did not use to be. It is a shame that in many cases in remains shut, more like a sacred object than a Sacred Book.”
The investigation concluded that, among these groups:
- 55% of people in France read the Bible
- 52% of people in Spain read the Bible
- 42% of people in Italy read the Bible
Among the people interviewed, the homily appears to be the main tool to make the Bible known.
The knowledge of Biblical facts continues to be very partial, the study said. There were some trick questions in the interviews, among which was: Which of the saints had authored a gospel?
- 32% responded Peter
- 49% responded Paul, bringing to light a confusion between evangelist, apostle, and author of an epistle
The low index of reading now worries the Catholic Church. The president of the Catholic Bible Federation, Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia, remarked that only 3% of faithful Catholics read the Bible daily.
In the United States, the level of ignorance and lack of Bible reading is also troubling. According to a survey from Barna Research:
- 90% of households have a Bible
- 80% of those who have a Bible use it very little
- 66% “rarely/never” read the Bible
- 39% read the Bible to nourish their faith
- Less than 20% of those who have a Bible would read the whole book
- 23% of Catholics in the USA read the Bible during the week
- 65% believe that the Bible has answers for most of their problems
- 4% believe that the Scriptures can make their families stronger
- 76% believe that the Bible helps them feel closer to God
The Catholic Church is, as the Pope said, “entering into a new spring with the Bible”. However, in many Protestant Churches the study of the Bible occupies a secondary role. Celebration and worship (also important elements in ecclesiological life) sometimes take more time from the life of the Church than the exhaustive study of the Word of God.
When theological nonsenses occur among the evangelical people (something very common in our times) one realizes that this is the result of a Biblical illiteracy. Although we have defeated the illiteracy that impeded us from reading the Bible, we now confront a Biblical illiteracy that is an obstacle for correctly studying it and living it out.
Do you see biblical illiteracy affecting any part of your churches life and what corrective actions, if any, do you think we should be taking to remedy this today?
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