overall narrative, and how He is actively at work, writing, if you will, the story of our lives:
12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
This verse tells me that God is at work - He has given us His Word, in the Bible, and as we engage with it, the Spirit of God brings to light what is contained in its pages - we begin to see ourselves in light of God's perfect plan, we gain a greater sense of the activity of God around us, and we can see personal applications of the Scriptures to the way we live our lives. It is quite incredible that God has not only told His story in the Bible, but He wants to bring us into His overall story - where our natural lives intersect with our supernatural God, great things take place and we find our place in His magnificent plan.
There is a great summary of the overall story of the Scriptures found in 1st Timothy chapter 3. We recognize that God has crafted an incredible story, and He has chosen to include us:
(15) I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.
Have you read any good movies lately? No, I didn't misspeak. There's some new Barna survey information that caught my eye regarding books that have been adapted as movies or television shows, and the results show us that, well, books are still quite popular, especially those that have been or are being made into movies. Christianity Today reports that The Barna Group examined the demographics of readers of popular books that have become (or are becoming) movies and TV shows, and found the following percentages of readers that are practicing Christians, according to Barna's definition:
Life of Pi: 37%
Twilight: 22%
The Hunger Games: 21%
50 Shades of Grey: 19%
Game of Thrones: 18%
The Hobbit: 16%
Notably, the erotic novel, Fifty Shades of Grey, enjoys the same percentage of readership among practicing Christians as the percentage of all Americans who have read the book, which has at times been described as "mommy porn."
2. Despite the emerging digital landscape, the research also suggests book reading is not dying out. Especially surprising from the data is that young adult readers—generations that Barna Group labels Busters and Mosaics—make up the primary audience for most of the books assessed.
3. Another unmistakable pattern in the research is the power of stories—namely, fiction—in propelling the publishing industry.
4. Finally, the level of engagement with the Bible is enlightening. While it is not surprising that so many practicing Christians report reading the Good Book all the way through, Kinnaman notes it is surprising that nearly a fifth of people who claim another faith than Christianity and nearly a tenth of people with no faith claim to have done the same. It suggests Christians should not assume non-Christians are categorically unfamiliar with their sacred scripture.
Meanwhile, Norwegians are taking their faith to the stage, too. A six-hour play called “Bibelen,” which means “The Bible” in Norwegian, has been drawing thousands. In a three-month span, more than 16,000 people saw the production, The Blaze reported.
Biblical scholars, say the furor is over nothing — that Norwegians are traditionally quiet followers of the faith who don’t necessarily need to go to church as part of their belief system. But the sales are significant, nonetheless. If nothing else, they show the mindset of the nation.
“Thoughts and images from the Bible still have an impact on how we experience reality,” said Karl Ove Knausgaard, one of the Norwegian authors who helped translate the popular Bible version.
Have you read any good movies lately? No, I didn't misspeak. There's some new Barna survey information that caught my eye regarding books that have been adapted as movies or television shows, and the results show us that, well, books are still quite popular, especially those that have been or are being made into movies. Christianity Today reports that The Barna Group examined the demographics of readers of popular books that have become (or are becoming) movies and TV shows, and found the following percentages of readers that are practicing Christians, according to Barna's definition:
Life of Pi: 37%
Twilight: 22%
The Hunger Games: 21%
50 Shades of Grey: 19%
Game of Thrones: 18%
The Hobbit: 16%
Notably, the erotic novel, Fifty Shades of Grey, enjoys the same percentage of readership among practicing Christians as the percentage of all Americans who have read the book, which has at times been described as "mommy porn."
The survey also shows significant crossover between readers of books and the movie or television adaptations of them.
There's also research about the amount of Bible reading among those surveyed. One in five of all American adults have read the Bible from start to finish. While it might not be shocking to discover well over half (61%) of evangelical Christians have read the Bible from start to finish, it may be surprising that nearly one in six (18%) of people with a faith other than Christianity and about one in eleven (9%) people with no faith claimed to have done the same.
Nearly one-third (29%) of black adults say they’ve read the Bible from start to finish, greater than the percentage of Hispanic adults (22%) and white adults (19%). Baby boomers are the group with the highest likelihood to have read the Bible from start to finish, with nearly one-quarter (23%) reporting they had done so.
Nearly one-third (29%) of black adults say they’ve read the Bible from start to finish, greater than the percentage of Hispanic adults (22%) and white adults (19%). Baby boomers are the group with the highest likelihood to have read the Bible from start to finish, with nearly one-quarter (23%) reporting they had done so.
David Kinnaman, president of Barna Group, pointed out several implications of the research:
1. Americans are increasingly craving a multi-media way to enjoy their favorite stories. The large crossover between those who have read and seen The Hunger Games, Twilight and The Hobbit suggests that movies and television propel books and vice versa.
1. Americans are increasingly craving a multi-media way to enjoy their favorite stories. The large crossover between those who have read and seen The Hunger Games, Twilight and The Hobbit suggests that movies and television propel books and vice versa.
2. Despite the emerging digital landscape, the research also suggests book reading is not dying out. Especially surprising from the data is that young adult readers—generations that Barna Group labels Busters and Mosaics—make up the primary audience for most of the books assessed.
3. Another unmistakable pattern in the research is the power of stories—namely, fiction—in propelling the publishing industry.
4. Finally, the level of engagement with the Bible is enlightening. While it is not surprising that so many practicing Christians report reading the Good Book all the way through, Kinnaman notes it is surprising that nearly a fifth of people who claim another faith than Christianity and nearly a tenth of people with no faith claim to have done the same. It suggests Christians should not assume non-Christians are categorically unfamiliar with their sacred scripture.
Meanwhile, Bible engagement is seemingly on the rise in Norway, where it's reported that only 1 percent of the country’s 5 million residents attend church, according to Lutheran leaders. A new Washington Times piece says that a new Norwegian-language version of the Bible has become the country’s No. 1 best-seller, The Associated Press reported. The Blaze reported that the version has been in the top 15 best-seller list for 54 of the past 56 weeks.
Meanwhile, Norwegians are taking their faith to the stage, too. A six-hour play called “Bibelen,” which means “The Bible” in Norwegian, has been drawing thousands. In a three-month span, more than 16,000 people saw the production, The Blaze reported.
Biblical scholars, say the furor is over nothing — that Norwegians are traditionally quiet followers of the faith who don’t necessarily need to go to church as part of their belief system. But the sales are significant, nonetheless. If nothing else, they show the mindset of the nation.
“Thoughts and images from the Bible still have an impact on how we experience reality,” said Karl Ove Knausgaard, one of the Norwegian authors who helped translate the popular Bible version.
As believers in Christ, we are people of the Book, and our level of engagement with God's Word determines how are beliefs are shaped and the degree of our practice of His principles. And, we recognize from the Barna research that people are searching for meaning and are attracted to the power of story.
The Bible contains God's story - the amazing account of a creator God who made humanity to serve Him and have dominion over the earth, a humanity that fell and experienced separation from God, who made a way for us to be reunited with Him through the sacrifice of His Son, who demonstrated the ultimate expression of love so that we could know Him. And, in reading the big picture story, we also see the stories of people with whom we perhaps can identify. We also acknowledge that God is writing our story, and as we immerse ourselves in the Scriptures, we can see how our personal story intersects with the big story of God's sovereign plan.
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