Engaged or Skeptical - or In-Between?

In Hebrews chapter 4, we can read a verse about the power of God's Word which is available to us:
12For 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.

Think about that - the Bible is more than just words on a page, although that can become the effect when we have a casual approach to reading Scripture.  This verse reminds us that the Word of God is alive!   If we are "engaged" with the Scriptures, not merely reading the Word occasionally, but regarding it as a tool through which we draw closer to God and more closely resemble the presence of Jesus, we will encounter its effects in the power we experience and the peace in which we walk - the Lord desires for His Word to be at work, actively, in our lives.

The following passage from 2nd Peter chapter 1 speaks to the sufficiency of Scripture:
2Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,3as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,4by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

The number of Americans who read Scripture at least four times a week and believe that it is the inspired word of God has fallen to just under 1 in 5, according to new research from the American Bible Society (ABS), reported on in an article on the Christianity Today website.

The same percentage of Americans (19 percent) are now "antagonistic" toward the Bible, reading it less than once per month and believing it is a book of teachings written by men that contain stories and advice.

Thus, the "percentage of Scripture haters now equals Scripture lovers," notes the [original] press release for the 2014 edition of ABS's annual State of the Bible report, conducted by Barna Group. The main reason: millennials.

While 50% of all adults believe that the Bible has too little influence on society, only 30% of millennials - ages 18-29, believe this.  50% of all adults believe the Bible contains everything you need for a meaningful life; only 35% of milllennials agree with that.

After releasing their 2014 report, ABS and Barna decided to soften the language used to describe Americans who are least engaged with the Bible.

The groups have "renamed the category formerly known as 'Bible Antagonists' as 'Bible Skeptics,' and now define the category as people who "selected the most negative or non-sacred view of the Bible from five options, saying they believe the Bible is just another book of teachings written by men, containing stories and advice."

"The change reflects a recognition that 'antagonistic' may too strongly pigeon-hole those who have not yet embraced the Bible," Geoffrey Morin, chief communications officer, told CT. "The new categorization, 'Bible Skeptics,' is both more accurate and more hopeful."

ABS proclaims that:

Since 2011, antagonism toward the Bible has risen from 10 percent to 19 percent of those surveyed. During the same period, the percentage considered "Bible-friendly" dropped from 45 percent to 37 percent, while "Bible-engaged" remained steady. The percentage of those considered neutral toward the Bible, 26 percent in 2014, has remained statistically unchanged.

While 46 percent of adults say they now read the Bible once a year or less, 15 percent report reading it daily and 13 percent read several times a week, compared with 9 percent who read once a week and 9 percent who read once a month. Bible readers, on average, read it for 35 minutes at a time.

Add it together and you have 37% of people surveyed, just over a third, that read the Bible once a week or more.  Almost half read once a year or less.   And you wonder why we are thinking that society is adrift?   It is clear that the foundation is shaky, and if people's lives are not grounded in God's Word, then those lives are in danger of running aground.

19% engaged, 19% skeptical.   And then you have everyone in-between.  And, I'm glad ABS and Barna chose a more hopeful word - "skeptics" - to describe those who are least engaged, holding out hope for them to embrace God's Word.

The brutal truth is that you are still talking about 4-in-5 people that, according to this survey, are not really "engaged" in God's Word.   If we believe that God's ways are best, that He has given us all we need for life and godliness, and His promises are exceedingly great and precious, then it's important that we center our lives on a working knowledge of His Word.   Through solid Bible teaching on Faith Radio, we are dedicated to providing you a way to engage with the Scriptures daily.  Hopefully, as a companion to listening to God's Word, those who listen can be motivated to studying God's Word personally.

We cannot deny the sufficiency of Scripture.   Only half of those surveyed though, and less than a third of millennials, believe the Bible contains what you need to live a meaningful life.  That leads us back to foundation - what does contribute to a meaningful life.  We have to make sure that the pursuits upon which we spend our time are not empty and meaningless.  If our lives are to have meaning, to have purpose, we have to devote ourselves to building them on a firm foundation.  

Finally, if we are looking for security and stability for our lives, the Bible can give us those components.  In a culture that is seemingly adrift in so many ways, we can find truth upon which we can rely and that we can share by becoming an engaged believer, devoted to not only casually reading the Scriptures, but digging deep, so that we might see lasting change occur in us.