ARE YOU BIBLE ILLITERATE? – You Can Fix That – And You Should

 

ARE YOU BIBLICALLY ILLITERATE

And just don’t realize it?

(Please don’t be offended – just read on)

Article after article by various credible Christian sources, decry the crisis of Biblical illiteracy – within Christianity.

News magazine “Christianity Today”, calls it “An epidemic of Bible illiteracy”; A Biola University magazine calls it a crisis and says we are starving ourselves to death; a Gospel Coalition article call it spiritual malnourishment.

Why is this considered a crisis? Take the remarks of world-renowned Canadian psychologist Jordan Peterson, for the best example. Dr. Peterson has said that the Bible is “way more than just true,” it’s the bedrock of Western civilization.

Peterson lamented that “the culture is dissolving” as he detailed his experience touring the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., and his reflections on society. 

Peterson has spoken more about Western civilization, characterizing “fundamental texts” as “the texts upon which most other texts depend.” He cited the work of William Shakespeare as one of several “texts that influenced more other texts” before identifying the Bible as the ultimate source of all “linguistic production.” 

“It isn’t that the Bible is true. It’s that the Bible is the precondition for the manifestation of truth, which makes it way more true than just true. It’s a whole different kind of truth. And I think this is not only literally the case. Factually, I think it can’t be any other way. It’s the only way we can solve the problem of perception.”

Throughout his appearance on the podcast, Peterson spoke about what he saw as the decline of Western civilization. (excerpt taken from a Christian Post article).

THE ODD PART

Approximately 52 million “attend church” in one of the 300,000 plus churches in America, at least once a week each month, and most of these people go to church, among other reasons,

To become closer to God. (81%)

So their children will have a moral foundation. (69%)

To become a better person. (68%)

For comfort in times of trouble or sorrow. (66%)

To be part of a faith community. (57%)

In other words, most people who go to church, do so for a reason. (Pew Research). So then, why are fewer people relying of the Bible and church for answers?

IT BEGINS WITH WHAT YOU HEAR, SEE, LEARN, AND RETAIN.

If you are normal, you have the potential of remembering 10% of what you hear, and that is only the potential. So, how can anyone learn and retain if they cannot remember what they have seen and heard at church?

Furthermore, when people are asked the lead story in the news or the topic of the “sermon” they heard, after 24 hours, only about 10 percent could tell you. When asked to cite the most urgent news item or the important lesson they received, most just shrugged.  Pastor and Bible teacher, Rick Warren, says we forget 95% of what we hear after 72 hours.

Studies show that most people don’t remember sermons, lectures, addresses or speeches—they don’t even remember paragraphs. What people remember are simple statements, slogans, and phrases. I don’t remember any speech John F. Kennedy gave, but most of us of a certain age remember his statements,

“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country” and, “I am a Berliner!”

I don’t remember any sermon preached by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but I do remember his famous phrase,

“I have a dream!”

People tend to remember:

• • • 10% of what they read.
    • 20% of what they only hear.
    • 30% of what they only see.
    • 50% of what they see and hear.
    • 70% of what they say and write down.
    • 90% of what they DO.

It seems, however, the News Media Moguls and experts have discovered how to make “their news” stay on the minds of those who watch through repetition.  They repeat the same new story, several times each day and for days on end,  They use the same graphics, audio and videos, over and over and over – until it sticks!  And, it is working.  Most people who get their information from the News Media, when asked about a certain social or political topic, tend to answer in ‘media sound bites’.  They repeat the short sound bites almost verbatim.  The old, ‘monkey see, monkey do’ syndrome.

A conservative estimate, for just the top seven news media outlets to produce a days worth of news is approximately $9,780,000 per week.

Actually, it is next-to-impossible to get an accurate estimate because the numbers are just too overwhelming.

Churches, on the other hand, have not adapted so well.  The tendency in most Evangelical Churches is to preach a different topical sermon once a week. Some Churches will preach through a book of the Bible, one a week, chapter by chapter, rarely repeating themselves.  Some use visual graphics, audio effects and outline sheets for the listeners to take notes, but, rarely repeat the message in any given year.

It’s a shame Churches aren’t catching on, because, unlike the News Media, Churches have a semi-captive audience, but, are not having the same impact as the News Media.

(#1), An estimated 1.2 million hours each week are spent in sermon preparations throughout American churches; it takes about another 300,000 hours in delivery of these sermons, (#2), at a staggering potential cost of over $750,000,000 (that is millions of dollars) nationally, each week. (#3), Yet, only 5% of those hearing these sermons, remember anything about them after 72 hours.

So, what are we getting for our $750,000,000 in offerings? And, if you are a preacher or a pastor, what are you giving in return for these astronomical costs? Are you preaching, sermonizing, teaching, discipling, lecturing, giving a religious address or discourse which people can remember, thereby improving peoples’ lives?

Review these methods used by churches, and determine which of these you are getting on Sunday mornings – and decide if it is worth the time and money:

• Religious Lectures,
• Religious Addresses,
• Religious Discourses,
• Gospel Preaching,
• Bible Sermons,
• Religious Teaching,
• Christian Discipleship training.

People will more frequently remember simple repeated statements, slogans, and phrases.  So, when we are told to “Go and preach or tell the Good News (the Gospel) of Jesus”, most of us just can’t remember what to say, short of “God loves you and so do I”.

Jesus’ ministry is a good model:

• Jesus personally and actively set the example for making, teaching and sending disciples. (I can find no example that Jesus wrote anything.)
• Jesus personally spoke and taught and showed His disciples by His own example (50% retention rate).
• Jesus taught His disciples to repeat His Words as He went with them to do His Works (90% retention rate).

So, Christian brother or sister, how about you? How effective is your ministry?

• Are you primarily using reading materials (i.e., tracts) to disciple? (10% retention)
• Are you primarily using words to disciple? (20% retention)
• Are you referencing videos, audios and written materials for reminders?
• When was the last time your pastor went out with you and told others these things that Jesus did? Such as:

1. Proclaiming that ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.”  (As it says in Matthew 10:8-15),
2. “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, cast out demons”, or at least try?
3. Freely you received, freely give.(Or do you just freely receive?)
4. Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, 10 or a bag for your journey, or even two tunics, or sandals, or a staff;
5. (These methods produce an amazing and most desirable 90% retention rate.)

And, Preacher / Pastor / Teacher / Christian, how about you? How effective is your ministry?

• Do you have a blog? (If so, it only produces just a 10% retention rate.)
• Do you give a weekly sermon or lecture? (If so, it produces just a 20% retention rate.)
• Do you use overheads projectors, videos or bulletin outlines? (This can  produce as much as a 50% retention rate.)
• Do you personally take others and go and make disciples? (This can yeild up to 90% retention rate)
• “And as YOU go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 
• Do you even attempt to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, cast out demons.
• Do you freely give (or just freely recieve)? 
• Do you not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts,  or a bag for your journey, or even two tunics, or sandals, or a staff?
•  (These methods produce an amazing and most desirable 90% retention rate.)

The current way of “doing church” seems to be changing monthly.  This has been going on for the last 40 years and it is causing the church to falter in influence and to lose its “savor”, as the Bible puts it. The church, it seems, is becoming little more than a religious institution delivering “drive-in” or “drive-up fast food style” preaching, sermons, religious lectures, addresses, discourses and entertainment in competition with NFL Sunday, YouTube TV, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Now I have said it and you have read it. Will it make any difference to the 164,000,000, (that’s millions), Evangelical and Protestant Christians in over 350,000 churches in America?  Will you just shrug your shoulders and trundle back to “doing your church thing” this Sunday?  Or will you, do like Peter, Andrew, James, Zebedee and John, who dropped everything about the current ways they were living, and followed Jesus, step by step?

 

Is there a secret in plain sight here? Is there a lesson for us in the 21^st century here? Stop making it about you and your church. Stop making it so complicated or scattered and blurred. FOCUS ON JESUS ONLY.

THE ANSWER

So, what if we would simply follow the pattern and method established by Jesus? Nothing more, nothing less.  In fact, why not try starting with something simple but profound:  Stop making the telling of ‘Stories’ about the Bible our mainstay, and simply TEACH and EXPLAIN what Jesus TEACHES, THE WAY HE TEACHES.

For an example, start in Matthew chapter 4 through Matthew chapter 10 and show, demonstrate, explain and teach the “How To”:

Jesus Begins His Ministry (Matthew 4:12).

Calling and Making Disciples (Matthew 4:18).

Developing Ministry (Matthew 4:23).

The Sermon on the Mount Principles (Salvation, Sanctification – (Matthew 5:1 ff) .

Disciples and the World (Matthew 5:13).

Personal Relationships (Matthew 5:21).

Charitable Giving and Prayer (Matthew 6:1).

The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9).

Fasting; The True Treasure; Wealth (Matthew 6:16).

The Cure for Anxiety (Matthew 6:25).

Judging Others (Matthew 7:1).

Prayer and the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:7).

The Narrow and Wide Gates (Matthew 7:13).

A Tree and Its Fruit (Matthew 7:15).

The Two Foundations.(Matthew 7:24)

Jesus Cleanses a Man with Leprosy (Matthew8:1).

The Centurion’s Faith (Matthew 8:5).

Peter’s Mother-in-law and Many Others Healed (Matthew 8:14).

Discipleship Tested (Matthew 8:18).

Jesus Calms the Storm (Matthew 8:23).

Jesus Sends Demons into Pigs (Matthew 8:28).

A Paralyzed Man Healed (Matthew9:1).

Fasting (Matthew 9:14).

Miracles of Healing (Matthew 9:18).

The Disciple’s Instructions for Service (Matthew 10:1).

A Hard Road Ahead (Matthew 10:16).

The Meaning of Discipleship (Matthew 10:24).

The Reward for Service (Matthew 10:16).

And please remember, you are not building ‘Your Church”, you are building HIS CHURCH. And, these are not ‘stories’ to be told or to muse about. They are Jesus’ instructions for His disciples. These are instructions for entering the Kingdom of God and working the Works of Jesus, and even greater works than these, because He is with us and with the Father, interceding for us daily – until the end!

Say it often.  Say it with both, passion and compassion. Let’s build His Church.

Your Brother and Friend,

Mike Young

More on “What Jesus Taught” from GotQuestions.Org.

More on Dr. Jordan Peterson.

Jordan Peterson’s “We Who Wrestle With God Tour”.