The opening lines of the report, Taking the Pulse: Is the Bible alive and well in the Church today? set the scene for one of the most extensive pieces of research ever carried out by Bible Society (1). Over 3,500 leaders and churchgoers in England and Wales spoke out on the relationship between the church and its own sacred text – the Bible.
Two key findings quickly emerged. After all those years, the church is still pretty much in love with the Bible – but living together seems to be getting harder. Many a Christian struggles to bridge the gap between life in 21st century Britain and the beliefs and values, teachings, sermons, stories, poems and visions that were penned a few millennia ago and half a world away.
"‘If church leaders could put the Bible into everyday context, it would be so much easier to understand!" Quotes likes this one coming from those surveyed highlight the challenge that the person in the pew is putting to their pastor, preacher or youth group leader.
The survey focussed on four core questions about Christians and their Bible: do they read it? Do they know it? Do they trust it? And do they live it?
ComRes found that the church leaders’ ‘impressively positive’ attitude was reflected, for example, in their dedication to regular Bible reading. Among churchgoers, on the other hand, statistics were more sobering. Only one in three habitually picks up the book and less than 15 per cent feel truly confident in their Bible knowledge.
The problem with this is that, as long as people live off a few pet passages and comforting verses, they run the risk of missing the big picture – the drama of Scripture that opens with creation, ends at the gates of the New Jerusalem, and throws light on God’s journey with his people between those two poles.
Even among those who do read their Bible, less than half say that it actually makes a difference to their day-to-day decisions. Reading, knowing and applying Scripture all hang together. In each of these areas, the survey revealed an obvious need among congregations and implies a call to leaders to think harder about meeting it.
