Did you hear the one about little Johnny’s Sunday school teacher talking to the boy’s father, a deacon? The teacher good-naturedly approached the dad in the church parking lot. “You’ll never believe what happened in Sunday school,” he began. “I asked the class who was responsible for breaking down the walls of Jericho, and right away Johnny spoke up, ‘I don’t know, but it wasn’t me!’ ”
Jim White |
Upon recalling the statement, the teacher laughed as though he had not heard it previously. Johnny’s dad looked troubled. “Well,” he said, “Johnny has always been a good boy and if he says he didn’t do it, I tend to believe him. But if you will turn in a bill to the property and grounds committee I think we could pay to have it repaired.”
Ask any school teacher who is a Christian, and chances are you will be told that contemporary students know far less about biblical references, characters and stories than previous generations of young scholars. In a public school setting, of course, the Bible is not a part of the curriculum. But classes in art, literature and even history are replete with references to the Bible.
It is a cultural concern that high school students have no knowledge of Adam and Eve, Noah or Moses. Even Hollywood alludes to these characters. Oh, the names might be changed to Evan or something, but to be a well-informed American citizen requires some acquaintance with the Bible motifs. It is obviously of even greater concern that they are lacking in their knowledge of Jesus.
It is somewhat humorous to hear that 12 percent of Americans believe that Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife and that only four in 10 can name more than four of the 10 commandments. Well, it would be funny if 85 percent of Americans didn’t claim to be Christian.
But as disconcerting as our cultural biblical illiteracy is, what is infinitely more troubling is that even church-goers come up short in the Bible knowledge department. For years researchers have been saying that Christians are failing to learn the Bible — or that churches are failing to teach it.
In 2001, George Barna warned, “The Christian body in America is immersed in a crisis of biblical illiteracy. How else can you describe matters when most churchgoing adults reject the accuracy of the Bible, reject the existence of Satan, claim that Jesus sinned, see no need to evangelize, believe that good works are one of the keys to persuading God to forgive their sins, and describe their commitment to Christianity as moderate or even less firm? Of all types of Baptists in America, only 43 percent believe that people don’t earn their way to heaven and only 55 percent affirm that Christ was sinless” (Barna Research Online, “Religious Beliefs Vary Widely by Denomination,” June 25, 2001).
According to another study by Barna (Nov. 28, 2000), the most widely known Bible verse among adult and teen believers is, “God helps those who help themselves.” Benjamin Franklin might have been flattered to think that his proverb would be elevated to canonical status, but the saying is not only poor theology, it is downright unbiblical.
This is the great problem as I see it. It would be sobering enough if it were only true that Christians do not know what the Bible teaches. But American Christians have blended biblical teachings with folk theology to such a degree that they are not even aware of the difference. The problem the church faces, then, is unlearning the false teachings while at the same time instilling the truth.
To make the matters still more difficult and troubling, in many cases we need to start with the clergy.
A troubling reality in our day is that because some mega church pastors lack seminary training the value of a theological education is being questioned. In fact, some have gone so far as to declare that a seminary education inhibits church growth. In some cases, let’s hope so.
Truth is stranger than fiction. Some pastors are proclaiming quirky variations of “God loves you so he wants you to be rich, powerful and comfortable.” Last Sunday morning as I was dressing for church I heard Joel Osteen tell an arena-full of people and the television audience that God wants them to be at ease. He wants to make their rough places smooth. He is getting ready to go before them and make their lives easy.
Now, before you send me an email asking when was the last time I preached to a television audience and an arena-full of people, let me say I am sure Brother Osteen does much good for the kingdom of God despite his deplorable theology.
But that’s my point. Deplorable theology is being proclaimed from some very significant pulpits. No wonder there is such biblical illiteracy.
OK. We all agree that Americans, Baptists and even Baptist preachers (and most especially Baptist editors) need to know more of the Bible (unless someone will actually say, “No, I know all of the Bible it is possible to know.”) So, what do we do about it?
I suggest a very simple remedy. It starts with a personal decision to move beyond the “oughts” and actually read the Bible. Perspective helps, so it may be helpful to ask such questions as these:
Do I spend as much time reading the Bible as watching TV? Not a fair question, you say? OK, how about this …
Do I spend as much time reading the Bible as I spend checking emails? OK, how about drying my hair?
The point is we have time to do what is important. If we are not reading the Bible it is because it doesn’t rank high enough in our list of priorities to get done.
We need to read the Bible in church, of course, but hearing the Bible read in worship will never replace the personal time spent reading and meditating on what God is saying. And the only way to get ‘er done is to just do it. Did I read that in the Bible?