{"id":32683,"date":"2022-09-10T16:19:08","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:19:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/americans-value-the-bible-but-few-read-it\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T16:19:08","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:19:08","slug":"americans-value-the-bible-but-few-read-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/americans-value-the-bible-but-few-read-it\/","title":{"rendered":"Americans Value the Bible, But Few Read It"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Carol Pipes<\/p>\n

Americans overwhelmingly (77 percent) believe morals and values are declining in the U.S. The most-cited cause for the decline is a lack of Bible reading. A survey by the American Bible Society found that the Bible remains a highly valued, influential force in America. However, studies show few actually read the Bible.<\/p>\n

The American Bible Society discovered a significant disconnect in belief versus behavior among Americans. While 66 percent of those surveyed agreed that the Bible contains everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life, 57 percent admitted they read it fewer than five times per year. Almost two-thirds (61percent) of Americans say they wish they read the Bible more often.<\/p>\n

Millions of Americans say the Bible can help them address life\u2019s twists, turns and troubles, according to the American Bible Society study. This is particularly true of Mosaics (ages 18-28), who are more likely than average to show interest in the Bible\u2019s wisdom on certain topics. Researchers admit this is a notable trend since Mosaics read the Bible less often and with less interest than older generations. Mosaics said they were interested in discovering the Bible\u2019s wisdom on parenting and dealing with family conflict.<\/p>\n

\u201cGod\u2019s Word, inspired by the Holy Spirit thousands of years ago, speaks to us today with startling immediacy,\u201d says Ed Stetzer, president of Lifeway Research. \u201cThe Bible is always relevant, in every second of every century. It\u2019s interesting to note that even those who don\u2019t often read the Bible realize it contains wisdom for life.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Lifeway Research study found that a disconnect between belief and behavior exists among American Protestant churchgoers as well. While the majority of churchgoers desire to honor Christ with their lives and even profess to think on biblical truths, the Lifeway Research study found few actually engage in personal reading and study of the Scriptures.<\/p>\n

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The survey found 90 percent of churchgoers agree \u201cI desire to please and honor Jesus in all I do,\u201d and 59 percent agree with the statement: \u201cThroughout the day I find myself thinking about biblical truths.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, when asked how often they personally (not as part of a church worship service) read the Bible, a similar number respond \u201cEvery Day\u201d (19 percent) as respond \u201cRarely\/Never\u201d (18 percent). A quarter of those surveyed indicate they read the Bible a few times a week. Fourteen percent say they read the Bible once a week and another 22 percent say they read the Bible at least once a month.<\/p>\n

\u201cBible engagement has an impact in just about every area of spiritual growth,\u201d said Stetzer. \u201cYou can follow Christ and see Christianity as your source of truth, but if that truth does not permeate your thoughts, aspirations and actions, you are not fully engaging the truth.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs Christian leaders, we have the opportunity to not only challenge believers to engage God\u2019s Word every day, but to show non-believers how the Bible speaks to all of life\u2019s issues and help them apply it to their life.\u201d<\/p>\n

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What Do Pastors Believe About the End Times? What Do Pastors Believe About the Book of Revelation? 3 Strategies for Cultivating a Biblically Literate Church 3 Ways to Reach Non-Religious People in Your Community <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Carol Pipes Americans overwhelmingly (77 percent) believe morals and values are declining in the U.S. The most-cited cause for the decline is a lack of Bible reading. A survey by the American Bible Society found that the Bible remains a highly valued, influential force in America. However, studies show few actually read the Bible. … Continue reading “Americans Value the Bible, But Few Read It”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32683\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}