Biblical Illiteracy in the Church
Does your church offer any educational programs on Sunday mornings anymore? Is your leadership concerned with biblical illiteracy in the church?
The Sunday school program, once considered “the finest integrated church growth tool on the market,” is no longer thriving, and is often seen as a relic from the past on the edge of extinction. Many established churches are abandoning or modifying adult Sunday school in favor of off-campus small groups. It would be difficult for you to find a contemporary church that includes a Sunday school as a part of its structure.
The decline of the Sunday school program would seem to be interesting material for discussion around preachers’ meetings and church growth conferences. Would you be surprised to know that the demise of Sunday schools is an issue covered by USA Today (March 22, 2015) and The Wall Street Journal (June 26, 2009)? The shift away from Sunday school is startling, even for non-believers.
To be fair, most of the larger churches that I know did not drop the program because they did not value teaching the Bible. They did not drop the program because they wanted to support a small group ministry. Most dropped Sunday school for a very practical reason – a lack of space. If people stayed at church for two hours, there would not be enough space in the parking lot. There would not be enough rooms for the classes. There would be too big of a crowd mulling through the church building.
Has the shift from a traditional Sunday school setting to a small-group setting for learning resulted in stronger disciples and more biblically literate Christians? Some would argue the opposite is now true.
Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., ordained minister and the president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, writes while the church is right to be concerned about the secular rejection of biblical Christianity, it should be more concerned about a problem closer to home – biblical illiteracy in the church. “This scandalous problem is our own, and it’s up to us to fix it,” exclaims Mohler.
Startling Statistics on Biblical Illiteracy
According to data compiled by the Barna Research Group, fewer than half of all adults can name the four gospels. Many Christians cannot name more than two or three of the disciples. Sixty percent of Americans cannot even name five of the Ten Commandments. Barna’s poll indicates that at least twelve percent of adults believe that Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife.
LifeWay Research, the statistical research arm of the Southern Baptist denomination, has found that Americans have a positive view of the Bible, but that more than half of Americans have read little or none of the Bible.
Among Americans:
How much of the Bible have you personally read?
Is it any wonder that we disobey what is in the Bible? We don’t know what the Bible says because we don’t read it.
Christianity Today recently ran an article proposing that “small groups are key to combating and changing the epidemic of biblical illiteracy.” Instead, I wonder if small groups have actually contributed to the problem.
Most small groups meet every other week – though some meet weekly. They provide a combination of fellowship time, prayer time and conversation about a portion of God’s Word. The study time usually either involves watching a video or study guide produced by a popular author or teacher – Andy Stanley, Max Lucado, Chip Ingram or others. Consistency and continuity are built-in educational problems in this learning structure.
The material is often professionally prepared, and generally presents a solid Biblical perspective on the topic. The problem is there is no way for the student to interact with the person who is teaching on the video. The discussion turns to “What does this mean to you?” and “How do you live this out in your daily life?” Instead of learning about content, we are sharing ways to apply the Scripture. We are putting the cart before the horse.
Let’s Find a Solution
Don’t misunderstand. I am not convinced that the old Sunday school system provides a better answer. I have had more than my share of Sunday school teachers who did nothing more than read word-for-word the lesson manual from a publishing company.
Small groups have their place. Studies show they build relationships and fellowship with people, which in turn builds community and loyalty to a congregation. Small groups can keep people from going in the front door and out the back door of the church.
But I am not sure small groups are helping us know more about the Bible. My belief is they are also not helping us be better disciples.
Over the next several posts, I want to explore what “discipleship Bible study” should be striving towards, and I want to share what might be a potential answer to the problem of biblical illiteracy.
Together, let’s figure out a way to become people of the Word.
Blessings,
