Noah and Joan of Ark Married?

The Bible is the main way God chooses to reveal His character and heart to humanity. It isn’t just a bestseller, an assurance that God’s word will stay unchanged, and a pretty fun read, but it is also a reminder that we are part of the greater story God is writing with humanity. It holds timeless truths that help us navigate life together with God.

So why do Christians not read their Bible anymore?

If you feel a bit convicted - no worries, you are in good company. 

In America, more than 50% of adults fail when trying to name the 10 Commandments and think Sodom & Gomorrah were connected in holy matrimony. If you think that is wild, 12% are convinced that Noah was married to Joan of Arc.¹

Sounds pretty funny right? But what is the actual problem that we are facing here?

As of 2024, 57% of the American population are not interacting with the Bible at all, while 25% are curious about it but don’t really know how to go about reading it. Only 18% are fully engaged with God’s word.²

Germany is also not doing well: only 5% of Germans have a daily Bible reading routine. An additional 4% engage with the Bible once a week.³

Even church-goers are not reading their Bible: 61% of Catholics and 57% of Protestant church members do not open their Bible. Among Evangelical Christians the number is a lot lower: 15% never read the bible, while 33% use it in their daily quiet time.³

Who is reading their Bibles?

In both the United States and in Germany Gen Z gives a reason for hope.

In Germany, Gen Z is the demographic group most engaged with the Bible.³

• 11% have a daily habit of reading the Bible,
• another 8% are in the Word once a week. 

In the United States, 

• 52% claim that reading the Bible has changed their lives,
• and 56% want to learn more about the Bible.²

They are also the biggest group whose Bible reading has increased since last year. Let's raise the communal wine to this hope-giving generation!

All that to say, these days reading the Bible is not automatically a part of the Christian life. Simply owning a Bible or reading it occasionally is not how the Bible will change your life and society. 

We need to understand what it is saying and to be able to apply Biblical teaching in our ways of speaking and doing work and life. 

That's how the Word of God can transform our lives and society.

No matter where you are in your engagement with the Bible, here are some next steps for you to go deeper in your understanding of God's Word.

Do you struggle with reading the Bible? 

Don't worry! Try these:

• Find a group of friends you can read the Bible together with. Everything is more fun with friends! If you don’t know who to ask, reach out! We would love to have Bible studies with you.

• Read a whole book of the Bible. We often get lost in the details if we read only a few verses and are not aware of the context. This can lead to questions that are easily answered when we read the whole book in one sitting.

• Use a Bible reading plan that helps you understand what is going on in Scripture or try the Bible Project classroom - they have amazing Bible studies.

Do you already have your Bible reading routine down?

Awesome! Keep going with these:

• Pray for more Bible engagement! That's what we did when we read these stats 🙂

• Invite people to join you when you read the Bible. Start a Bible study group in your church or school.

• Share how fun it is to read the Bible!

• Try studying the Bible with the Inductive Method to learn how to observe, interpret and apply the Bible in your daily life.

References:

¹ The Pathway. (2023). Nation’s biblical illiteracy at root a matter of the heart. Retrieved from: https://mbcpathway.com/2023/01/10/nations-biblical-illiteracy-at-root-a-matter-of-the-heart/ 

² American Bible Society. (2024). State of the Bible USA. Retrived from: https://1s712.americanbible.org/state-of-the-bible/stateofthebible/State_of_the_bible-2024.pdf

³ Evangelical Focus Europe. (2024). In Germany, only evangelical Christians read the Bible regularly, finds survey. Retrieved from: https://evangelicalfocus.com/europe/26772/in-germany-only-evangelical-christians-read-the-bible-regularly-says-survey