I once heard a pastor say that biblical illiteracy is not a problem within American Christianity and church – it is the problem. And the data don’t lie; the Barna Group conducted their annual research with the American Bible Society, with their 2019 results concluding thus:
- Forty-eight percent of over 2,000 evangelical Christians are disengaged from the Bible (i.e., they “interact with the Bible infrequently, if at all [and the Bible] has minimal impact on their lives”)
- Of about 2,000 Bible Centered adults (i.e., they “interact with the Bible frequently, [and the Bible] transforms their relationships and shaping their choices”) have decreased from 9 percent in 2018 to 5 percent in the past year
- Bible users who were polled about the impact the Bible has on them pertaining to choices, 38% disagreed with its impact on treating people of different races, 49% disagreed on support for refugees/people displaced by conflicts, 47% disagreed on decisions made at work or school, and 51% about sex and sexuality
Biblical illiteracy is not a problem within American Christianity and church – it is the problem
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That said, it is important for Christians to understand and renew the basic tenants of the Bible, such as its sufficiency (2 Tim. 3:16-17), its inspiration (2 Pet. 1:20-21), reliability (based on historical evidence; time doesn’t permit me to unpack), and inerrancy (i.e., that God cannot lie [Heb. 6:18; Titus 1:2], God is the Truth [John 14:6], and God’s word is the truth [John 17:7; Ps. 119:160]). To deny any of these points is to deny a core tenant of the Christian faith (i.e., who God is, who we are, who Jesus Christ is, how we may be saved), and thus change our worldview (e.g., morality, ethics, choices). Christians must renew for themselves from God’s word the truths as revealed in the Bible (Rom. 12:2).
At the same time, Christians also need other Christians to remind us about these truths (2 Tim. 2:14), and to focus on living out what God has saved and created us to do: good works, as his saving us and creating us for good works are because of his grace alone (Eph. 2:8-10). That said, I’m all for church gatherings, discipleship groups, other resources (e.g., books, podcasts, YouTube sermons), and other Christian organizations – insofar as their content is in alignment with the Bible.
Recently, Liberty University launched the Falkirk Center, with its mission to:
“equip courageous champions to proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ, to advance his kingdom and American freedom.”
A few thoughts:
- Yes, we must continue to proclaim the truths about who Jesus Christ is – his birth, his life, his substitutionary death on the cross, his triumphant resurrection from the dead, his ascension, his offer of forgiveness of sin and eternal life, and his return. Absolutely; I’m on board with that, for Jesus himself not only commissioned us to do so (Matt. 28:18-20), but also promised that we would bear witness to who Jesus Christ is (Acts 1:8). So far, so good.
- “To advance his kingdom.” Here’s where I begin to disagree. If they hold true that God is sovereign and all powerful, then we as Christians are not the ones to build the kingdom of God. He does the building; we’re simply called to proclaim that the kingdom of God is at hand.
- “…and American freedom.” I can’t find any biblical reference to support this statement, because not one such statement exists! Moreover, “American freedom” from what? And better yet, to what? They’ll unpack that later.
In their “About the Falkirk Center,” they describe themselves as such:
“In the 1995 movie “Braveheart,” the battle of Falkirk is remembered as the heartbreaking defeat of William Wallace when the freedom fighter realized the treachery of the Scottish establishment. It was indeed a loss for Scotland, but it was also the beginning of the end of King Edward’s ambitions in the nation. Wallace lost the battle — with many casualties — but ignited the spark of freedom that ultimately won the war.
For the past few decades, conservatives have felt like we’ve been losing the battle. From Hollywood to academia, from corporations to government, from special interest groups to the mainstream media, a growing and strident anti-Christian, anti-American sentiment has long dominated the most powerful institutions in America.”
More thoughts/comments:
- I’ve never seen Braveheart in its entirety. It’s sad and true. I attempted in 2004 during my freshman year of undergrad, but never saw it in its entirety. If someone can fact check, I would be appreciative.
- Here’s where they begin to incorporate fearmongering language. And for all the talk about Christians speaking out against “the world” (which there is truth to), my consistent reply is “Yes, but the world has been that way since Genesis 3, and it’s only God’s mercy that he saved any of us by sending his Son for us!” And for all the talk about how liberals and Democrats being “snowflakes,” doesn’t this language sound like they themselves are being the exact label that they’re labeling everyone else as? Quite the irony.
- This language beckons back to when evangelicals began to support Trump despite his moral bankruptcy. The statement “conservatives have felt like we’ve been losing the battle.” Say what you will, but Trump exploited that language by agreeing that conservatives (especially conservative Christians) have felt like cultural losers in the cultural wars. Falwell Jr. and company carry that language forward since the creation of the “Moral Majority” in the late 70’s/early 80’s.
- “A growing and strident anti-Christian, anti-American sentiment has long dominated the most powerful institutions in America.” Another big criticism I have within American evangelicalism today: anything that is anti-Christian is also anti-American, and vice versa. Again, my question is where in the Bible can you make such a statement?
Continued:
“Today, we have an opportunity to embolden a new generation of patriots to fight back with resilience, and like Wallace, hold up the banner for freedom and advance rather than retreat.”
Again, with conservative American evangelicalism mingling in American patriotism, the Falkirk Center makes themselves out to be cultural, national warriors rather than what God has originally called us to do, which is to be his ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:16-21).
Philly Dad on the Run 