Annual Bible Reading Programs...

Typically, many people around the globe have just completed their annual attempt at reading the entire Bible over the course of the year (January - December). There are many who offer varying methods to aid the reader in this invaluable and rewarding process, including Adam2.org. Some of you have been successful and are to be congratulated in this effort, while others are to be applauded even though they may not quite have achieved this goal.

For those who did not make it, regardless of your actual achievement, you have reason to feel successful and encouraged in what you did accomplish. Likely, it is a much greater percentage than you have previously achieved. That is no small feat! Right? So, rather than feeling discouraged and dwelling on what you did not achieve, think of all the many hours and days you did enjoy in His Word! Don't just throw up your hands and give up.

Now, this is important! For the reader who did not reach this goal, please don't stop and start again at the beginning in this new year just to be able to say you did it in one calendar year. You say, why? Simple! It is far more important to you that you continue in your progress to complete it than to claim the artificially established time constraint in doing so. To continue will mean that God's ongoing inspiration to you will be uninterrupted as you gain more and more knowledge and wisdom from your accumulated ongoing daily readings. Think of your many successes and blessings during the year you have already enjoyed. Stay with it. Or else, that stigma of failure will always haunt you. Don't let Satan steal that joy from you. God isn't really looking for speed readers. Once you have completely read it through, cover to cover, irrespective of how long it takes, likely, you will be successful the next time you attempt a formal one year program. Both your desire and discipline will be greatly enhanced for doing so.

For each reader, there is no doubt you have gained valuable insight on many levels and profited immeasurably, not the least of which is in the area of your own spiritual growth. One can not help but be affected when God meets the reader within His revelation. Without sounding political here, let me proffer that the founding fathers of America placed great emphasis on the role of the Bible in the culture of the newly forming nation and its future, if it was to have one. This cannot be argued. It is a matter of record. Here are just a few who spoke to their strongly held belief:⁽¹⁾

• George Washington - "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible."
• John Adams - "Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people ... so great is my veneration of the Bible that the earlier my children begin to read, the more confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens in their country and respectful members of society."
• Thomas Jefferson - "The Bible is the cornerstone of liberty ... students' perusal of the sacred volume will make us better citizens, better fathers, and better husbands."
• Andrew Jackson - "That Book (the Bible) is the rock on which our Republic rests."
• Benjamin Franklin - "A nation of well-informed men who have been taught to know the price of the rights which God has given them cannot be enslaved."
• William Penn - "If we will not be governed by God, then we will be ruled by tyrants."
• Ulysses S. Grant - "Hold fast to the Bible as the sheet anchor of your liberties; write its precepts in your hearts and practice them in your lives. To the influence of this Book we are indebted for all the progress made in true civilization and to this we must look as our guide in the future. 'Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.'"

(If you would like more, we suggest you read Religion And The Founding Of The American Republic.)

Some ask, why in one year? Again, simple! By reading God's Word within this reasonable time frame, it is easier to understand it as a whole, gaining greater working knowledge of its time span, God's progressive interaction with and expectations of man if he is to have a holy relationship with Him. Besides the impact it will have on you personally, you will see that there is but one clear Author of the whole even though over 40 men of varying backgrounds, character and societal status were inspired to write it over many millenia.

Bible Reading Studies & Encouraging Trends...

It is always interesting to look within the findings published every year by many institutions and organizations who conduct research related to the Bible. Overall, indications in these latest statistics and discoveries are encouraging. One such study in 2016 surprisingly found that one in five of all Americans revealed reading the Bible completely through at least one time in their lives.⁽²⁾ Additionally, as indicated by the following graph, one-third of all Protestant church-goers reported they read the Bible every day! With the results shown, one can say there is an overwhelming majority of church-goers who read their Bible, albeit, some more than others.⁽²⁾

A 2016 study from Nashville-based LifeWay Research

This is but one of many encouraging studies showing how Americans have been more engaged with their Bibles during the past few years.

These studies also show that Bible users are, typically, more likely to give to their churches or charitable institutions than non-Bible users. Among the 70% of Americans who reportedly give annually to non-profit organizations, non-Bible users give only $10/yr. Whereas, Bible users give on average $500 yearly. The greater the engagement, the higher the giving is seen, typically, doubling on average.⁽³⁾

One can only hope this encouraging trend will continue, especially given the current national economic climate. But when one looks closely, there are some disturbing findings as well.

Bible Reading Discouraging Trends...

For example, each year The Barna Group, "a visionary research and resource company located in Ventura, California started in 1984", began strategically tracking the role of faith in America. According to their website, "...the firm is widely considered to be a leading research organization focused on the intersection of faith and culture." Partnering with the American Bible Society, each year Barna publishes a "State of the Bible" report. This year's report, State of the Bible 2019: Trends in Engagement, "...defines five different segments of Bible engagement which measure Frequency (how often people interact with the Bible), Centrality (how the Bible shapes their choices) and Impact (how the Bible transforms their relationships)."⁽³⁾

State-Of-The-Bible-2019

Looking at the chart above, it is easy to see at first glance the alarming percentage, 48%, of Americans who report little or no engagement with their Bible, saying that it has "no impact" on their lives whatsoever! Add to that 48% the 9% of Americans who report only "sporadic" use of the Bible with it having "little impact" on their lives, more than half, 57%, of Americans have little or no use for the Bible! Amazing!

As to church membership, according to Gallup, the number of Americans in 1937 who reported they were church members was around 73%.⁽⁴⁾ However, around 1970 that number began to sharply decline: "On average, 69% of U.S. adults were members of a church in 1998-2000, compared with 52% in 2016-2018."⁽⁵⁾ When asked, only 32% of those surveyed believed that religion among all faiths was rising in its influence in American society. Contrast that with a phenomenal increase to 71% immediately after the tragedy of 9/ll. Following its aftermath, a woman on the street was asked by a local reporter how that event impacted her life. She responded by saying: "Somehow Starbucks and yoga no longer satisfies me. I'm looking for something greater." Sadly, however, that number has almost reversed today to a majority, 61%, who now say religion is declining in its influence and appeal in America.

Gallup-Modern Decline In American Church Membership

It would be easy to continue to cite poll after poll but these are indicative of most if not all others currently published. (If you would like to look deeper into these studies, links at the article's end are available.) With this broad overview of the latest trends in American Bible reading and church attendance, for those in leadership who are impacted by these findings there are some major issues to be considered. Unless some serious institutional evaluations are done and viable solutions put forward, although Bible reading may be on the rise, church attendance will continue to drop.

In brief, there is no major consensus for reasons in this disturbing drop in the number of people identifying with and taking part in a main-stream religious community. However, three major factors can be seen in all the numbers coming in. Topping this list is "...a sharp increase in the proportion of the population with no religious affiliation (due mainly to contemporaneous immigration trends)."⁽⁴⁾ Secondly, some suggest church membership has not actually declined, only fewer members attending as many services.⁽⁶⁾ Finally, there is no doubt that this decline is in no small part due to the sharply rising trend among today's millenials who profess no religious affiliation.⁽⁴⁾ Regardless of the reasons for the drop in Bible and church interest, this has serious implications for the American society as a whole.

Implications of Current Bible Reading Trends...

Given the findings, it stands to reason there is a great Biblical illiteracy among Americans. If people don't read it they don't know what's in it. This leads to all kinds of heresies and lack of sound doctrine based on Biblical authority. For instance, although "...67 percent of Americans believe heaven is a real place", it is astonishing that "45 percent believe there are many ways to get there(heaven)--including 1 in 5 evangelical Christians."⁽⁷⁾ This in spite the fact that (...Nine out of ten American homes have at least one Bible.).⁽⁷⁾

Christians with this lack of a working knowledge of the Bible and its teaching, are more susceptible to being deceived by those who espouse a contradictory view of Biblical truths. Common human reasoning will be dangerously applied to important doctrinal topics and all sorts of antithetical views will develop. Once these become entrenched within a person's core belief system, it will lead to all sorts of practices that will directly be at odds with God's revelation. Once ensconced, the task of their un-learning such major false beliefs will be monumental.

Unfortunately, the greatest fears of America's founding fathers have been realized, i.e., the lack of the role of the Bible in today's American psyche. Despite the statistic that the Bible is found in over 90% of American homes, the evidence indicates that it is too infrequently read and applied.⁽⁷⁾ With less interest and value placed upon it, the cohesiveness in culture it offered in previous generations has waned in its strength today. Self discipline and civility seems to be at an all time low. Acts perpetrated by one human against another shocks us almost daily in our news outlets. John Adams may have had it right when he said, "...the earlier my children begin to read (the Bible), the more confident will be my hope that they will prove useful citizens in their country and respectful members of society."

Arguably, today's parents do not place the emphasis on training "...up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6) Discipline seems to be non-existent or only when convenient. This puts children at risk. The baser elements within a society will prey upon them through every avenue of academics, arts and entertainment. Sadly, this leads to very dangerous and unhealthy choices in life. Spread throughout the culture, it isn't even argued anymore these root causes seen in the decay of just the basic decency of humanity. It is destructive to both the individual and the society in which they live.

We must expect more from our local, state and federal governments. We must expect more from our public schools. We must expect more from the arts and entertainment industries. And, we must expect more from ourselves.

All too often, America's law enforcement is having to take on the role of both teacher and counselor with almost all their contacts with the general public. This is too large of a burden hoisted upon them because of the breakdown and failure of other main institutions that should have been front and center in the youth of previous and current generations, i.e., the parents, local schools, and primarily, the church. Really, is there any arguing that culture in America is more decadent than ever before?

In times past, churches were a stabilizing force within a community. By the sheer fact that it existed and its pastor and members were intricately woven into the fabric of its neighborhood helped define their community--its values and morals, what it would and would not tolerate within the framework of an existing social contract. Unfortunately, it seems a majority of today's pastors seem to be hiding in their studies or behind their pulpits. Their counsel is woefully lacking. Their voices seldom heard.

Changing Current Bible Reading Trends...

First of all, if a change is to be expected, the Pastor of the community church must step forward and lead by his own example. We forget, Christianity is supposed to be contagious. It is not enough to sit back and expect the world to come knocking on the church office door. Church leadership must be just that--church leadership. That means both inside and outside the church walls. In order for this to happen, it will take a Pauline boldness, a sense of belonging, a sense of having a stake in the well-being of its community and a demonstrated value in its voice for positive change. A pastor must take ownership for the environment in which he serves. He must be visible and he must be heard. He is unequal to no man in offices of leadership. He must make his office respected once again. Only then will greater avenues of service be opened within the community for the church to be successful in effecting a desirable change.

Secondly, the pastor must make the Bible central in every thing the church is--central in his preaching, central in the church's functions, central in its worship. Worship without the central role of the Bible is not worship! Programs are not worship. Singing is not worship. Plays are not worship. Performances by popular musicians are not worship. All of that can be good, but at best it is only edification--not worship!

The pastor has to place emphasis on Bible scripture in his sermons. I know, this sounds basic, but how many times do you hear sermons today to be nothing more than a motivational speech, with maybe a few garnishing of verses to support his presentation? This is not preaching. The Bible clearly defines preaching. It would be suggested that many pastors reexamine this definition and his primary Biblical function as pastor/preacher--to preach the Word, to be instant in season and out. By putting the emphasis on scripture, he will instill a like-mindedness within his people. Church growth will naturally follow, both within the people and within the church as a whole. This in turn will be a witness to the community and inspire parishioners to engage in service in Christ's name outside the church. One can make a difference. But an entire church?, incalculable!

Ultimately, it is the individual's responsibility for his or her own engagement with their Bible. The pastor can encourage, instruct, cajole and stress to his congregation until he is blue in the face but until the individual member picks up his or her Bible and seriously and sincerely opens its pages, God can never really speak to that person's heart as He desires to through what He has already said. Too many think they will have this grand celestial vision and instantly have imparted to them all the heavenly communication necessary for a life-time. I hate to say it, but, not going to happen!

I remember sitting at my desk in my study one weekday morning preparing for the upcoming Sunday messages. To my right, I saw out of the corner of my eye the door slowly open. Turning my head too see, a familiar face of a dear brother and friend I had not seen in a long time stood in the doorway. I shifted my chair towards him as he entered the room and walked towards the chair beside my desk. As he entered, he asked what it was that I was doing. It was plain to see I had my Bible open and center on my desk, surrounded by other writings I was researching. To answer the obvious question, I told him that I was studying for Sunday's sermons. To this, he replied, "What do you need your Bible for?!" I sat with a puzzled look for a brief moment before beginning to respond. As I began to ask him if he was serious, he interrupted, saying, "Aren't you a Christian? If you are, then, what do you need that for? All you need is Jesus." Wow! I was stunned. He was serious!

Unfortunately, too many today approach their own spiritual life with such cavalier attitude. After all, how many times do we hear people saying, even singing, "All you need is Jesus"? However, that message must lose something in translation to some and they take it literally to be sufficient in all matters of their Christian life. Wish this was not so, but I'm afraid it is. The numbers bear it out. So, what to do? Hopefully, this is the question a nominal Bible reader will ask his pastor, and, his pastor will have a ready viable answer. (If you don't have a Bible, ask you pastor. Of 1,000 pastors asked in a recent survey, 86% said they give Bibles to those in need.⁽⁸⁾)

Until then, here are a few suggestions to get started:

1. Be Accountable.
   Paul wrote to his young protégée, Timothy, words of encouragement: "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (II Tim.2:15) This also implies an accountability and responsibility to others. Search out someone who is a veteran reader and you consider to be deeper in matters of faith and practice. Don't be afraid to ask. Seek their aid. Ask to partner with them for this purpose, seeking also their prayer in this matter. Agree on a time table you will be expected to follow to give an account of your progress. But don't hesitate to ask for aid in the process. Never fear this accountability, rather, respect it and God will honor you.
2. Join Or Form A Group Who Is Like-Minded And Seeking The Same Goal.
   This will go a long way in aiding you in this endeavor. Not to mention all the spiritual and social benefits you will acquire interacting with fellow-readers. Both accountability and encouragement will all but be guaranteed. Research clearly shows there is a direct connection of personal Bible engagement to one's level of participation in regular group meetings.⁽⁷⁾
3. Seek A Deeper Loving Relationship With The Lord Jesus Christ.
   This is really the key that unlocks all the other methods for success. Remember this. There is nothing of the old nature that has any affinity towards God or spiritual matters. This includes the desire to read the Bible. This desire, as are all other gifts, is one of the many graces/gifts God imparts to those who seek to be holy as He is holy. It is one that will not develop without an abiding relationship with Christ. Once you begin to love Him, actually love Him, there will begin to rise within you a desire, a need, to learn more of Him and this intimate relationship begun at salvation. There should exist an equal desire for His Word as there is your love for Him. One of the first signs of "spiritual slippage" is the loss of the desire for Bible reading. When this happens, stop! Do a careful self-examination that will lead to a renewed relationship and fellowship with Christ. The desire to once again read the Bible will follow.
4. Quietly, Confess You Sins To Him Immediately Upon Commission.
   But seek regular daily intervals to formally go aside to seek His discovery of them and your confession.
5. Seek To Routinely Engage In Some Level Of Service To Others.
   Not only will you be helping others in Christ's name but this will serve as a check for you and any unconfessed sin before desiring to go forward in service. To the true Christian, existing sin is a major obstacle preventing service to others. Usually, is it not only existent but there also is one or more that are actually desired. True self-examination is needed in this case.
6. Begin A Disciplined Program For Learning, Memorizing And Using Scripture On A Daily Basis.
   This also needs to be done with accountability. If you have established a trusted and loyal friend to mentor you in your Bible reading development, this person will quite naturally be one to fill this role. To aid you in this process, there are literally hundreds of programs already developed to guide you in a daily pace for memorization. This takes discipline. It won't be easy at first. But stick with it. Using verses you have committed to memory regularly in conversation is key for long-term retention.