Christian Worldview Network - Brannon Howse - The New America and the New Bible Illiteracy Part II

There is much more to understanding and obeying the Bible than just Bible literacy. Reading is fundamental, but it isn’t enough. Just reading the Bible or hearing it read doesn’t qualify as spiritual maturity. However, taking the first baby steps toward spiritual maturity means taking initial steps in Bible literacy. You have to read the Bible before you can interpret it and apply it. If we neglect the text of Scripture, spiritual maturity will always be an unrealized pipedream.

Early in my thinking about this subject I developed a scale for Bible literacy. It’s a continuum, a line along which each of us finds ourselves in relationship to how well we relate to the Bible and its Author. This scale demonstrates that there is much more to Bible literacy than simply reading.

Each increment of this scale moves a person from pagan ignorance of the Bible to full connectivity with the Author and full activity in service to Him. Note the progression from darkness to light.

-3 No knowledge of the Bible at all.

A Bible? What’s a Bible? I have never seen a Bible before and I

don’t know what you’re talking about.

-2 Familiarity with the Bible but no trust in its claims or authority.

A Bible? Yes, I have one someplace, but it’s just for people like my

grandmother. I don’t read the Bible because I don’t think it’s what some

people claim it to be. It has no impact on my life.

-1 Familiarity with the Bible but minimal trust in it’s claims or

authority and never read it or hear its truth so the Bible has little

or no personal impact on your life.

A Bible? Yes, I have one but there’s not much in it that appeals to

me. I don’t know if it’s what it claims to be or not. Who’s to say? It has

little influence on me because I don’t read it.

+1 Trust in the Bible and its claims and authority but only

occasionally read it or hear its truth so the Bible has only

occasional personal impact on your life.

A Bible? Yes, it’s God’s Word. I believe it’s inspired by God and

should be read and obeyed, but I only occasionally get around to reading

it myself. In fact, I have three copies, but I don’t read any of them more

than once a week.

+2 Trust in the Bible and its claims and authority and regularly read

it or hear its truth with understanding so the Bible has regular

personal impact on your life.

A Bible? Yes, I have one and read it regularly. I believe it’s

inspired by God. I’m in a Bible reading program at church. I also read a

verse or two along with my devotional book on a fairly regular basis.

+3 Trust in the Bible and its claims and authority and daily read it or

hear its truth so the Bible produces a passion to connect

personally with the Author and induces the reader to share Him

with others.

A Bible? Read it? Are you kidding? I want to know God so badly

that I devour the Bible daily. I used to read a couple of verses along with

my devotional but now that’s not enough for me. Through reading God’s

Word I get to know Him intimately and, as a result, I am energized to

share God’s story with my friends and family.

Ultimately, the goal of reading the Bible is to develop such a degree of faith in its claims and understanding of its content that you passionately connect with its Author and share Him consistently with your friends and family. Anything short of this is short of the goal of Bible literacy.

However, Bible literacy, as defined in this book, occurs when we begin to read the Word of God, gain some understanding from it, and allow it to have regular impact on our lives. That’s not full-blown spiritual maturity, but neither is it the full-blown neglect of Scripture that is so prevalent in the Church today. Bible literacy, then, occurs at about a +2 with the goal of moving on to a +3.

The key question you should ask yourself is: Where am I on this continuum? Am I in the minus column or the plus column? And if I am in the plus column, what am I receiving from my Bible that truly influences my life and connects me with God and service to Him?

In my thinking, Bible literacy does not indicate full spiritual maturity, but it is a necessary first step on the road to full spiritual maturity. The only way to become mature in Christ is to through the door of Bible literacy.

We are now ready to talk seriously about what I think is the number one issue facing both the depth and growth of the Church—creeping Bible illiteracy. In the next chapter we will trace the five decades of decline in Bible literacy from the 1960s to the present. If you were born after 1960, Bible literacy has all but disappeared in your lifetime.