According to research done by George Barna, most churchgoing adults:
- Reject the accuracy of the Bible....yet "knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God(B) as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:20-21).
- Reject the existence of Satan....but "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8).
- Claim that Jesus sinned...however, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin" (Hebrews 4:15).
- See no need to evangelize....but that doesn't make much sense because Jesus said, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[a] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20).
- Believe that good works are one of the keys to God's forgiveness of their sins...yet "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away" (Isaiah 64:6).
- Describe their commitment to Christ as moderate....but we are warned "So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth" (Revelation 3:16).
Other disturbing findings that document an overall lack of knowledge among churchgoing Christians include the following:
• The most widely known Bible verse among adult and teen believers is “God helps those who help themselves”—which is not actually in the Bible and actually conflicts with the basic message of Scripture.
• Less than one out of every ten believers possess a biblical worldview as the basis for his or her decision-making or behavior.
• When given thirteen basic teachings from the Bible, only 1% of adult believers firmly embraced all thirteen as being biblical perspectives.
The only way to fix the problem of a world that seems to be Biblically illiterate is by reading the Bible...which is why I've committed to reading the Bible all the way through during the year 2010. If you are a female follower of my blog, I'd love for you to join my Ladies iBRAG (Bible Reading Accountability Group on Facebook. Click here to request to join.
Use the discussion board to post questions. I will do my best not only to answer questions, but to post my thoughts as I am reading. I am encouraging each person who joins the group to do the same.
If you've ever tried to read the Bible straight from Genesis - Revelation, you know it can be exhausting....That's why I've selected a plan where each day includes a passage from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs. It should take you about 15 minutes a day to complete.
I can't imagine a better goal for 2010 than to spend each day meditating in His Word, seeking to understand the fullness of God.
3 comments:
Hello,
Great article on reading your resolution for 2010. I too am a astute christian knowing that in order to receive all the blessings from Christ, we need to be doers of the word. The bible says that "US" as a people will perish from the lack of knowledge. So I commend you for making the commitment to read your bible in 2010. It not only will inspire you but many blessing will come your UNDERSTANDING!
I have to say I am impressed for someone to do this.
Now, what about the dudes?
Hello,
This is Kendrick I just started following on you twitter. My username is Wellness 2 Go I'm the owner. You directed me to your blog and I most say I am impressed to see someone knowledgable of both their health and bible. I to agree that many people who claim to be believers are highly misinformed and just don't know. After reading this article if it's a believer that's believing some or all of the things listed here, it might be safe to say they may not truly believe.
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