The Bible and a Book Challenge

The 119th Psalm lays out for us the importance of spending time in God's Word, recognizing its ability to transform our lives.  Here are 4 verses from that Psalm which reflect the Psalmist's desire to appropriate Biblical truth:
12Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes!13With my lips I have declared All the judgments of Your mouth.14I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches.15I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways.

We can be challenged to make sure that the choices of information and entertainment that we consume are approached from a Biblical perspective, and that we steer clear of choices that are inconsistent with our growth in Christ.  It's important that we fill our hearts with truth and guard our hearts against those influences that could weaken our faith.  In the processing of information, we can be challenged to make sure that we are filtering it through the grid of Scripture, rather than allowing the material to which we expose our minds to dilute or draw us away from the priority of our relationship with Christ.

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Psalm 1 can motivate us to treasure the truth of the Lord, which can instruct and challenge us and give us strength:
1Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;2But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.3He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

The Gleanings section of the Christianity Today website reports on a recent Facebook meme, which directed readers to, “List 10 books that have stayed with you in some way."  It went on to say, "Don't take more than a few minutes, and don't think too hard. They do not have to be the 'right' books or great works of literature, just ones that have affected you in some way."

The social network's data science team then gathered more than 130,000 status updates from its users (mostly American women in their late 30s) to sort out the books mentioned most.

J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series topped the list of influential books, with more than 20 percent of examined users naming the series. But the Bible placed No. 6, listed by more than 7 percent of those answering the meme. And C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia placed No. 10, with The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe itself placing No. 19.

Here is the top 10, based on this Facebook survey:

1. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
3. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
4. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
5. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
6. The Holy Bible
7. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
8. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
9. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
10. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

The CT piece notes that eight of the top 20 books in the Facebook survey match up to a poll released in April by Harris Interactive, asking respondents to name their favorite book of all time.

In that survey, across all demographics, the Bible was consistently named the No. 1 book. The Harry Potter series, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Lord of the Rings, and The Catcher in the Rye also appear on both top 10 lists. The Great Gatsby, Little Women, and Gone with the Wind also appear on Facebook’s top 20.

Also, as Christianity Today points out, one in five American adults have read the Bible start to finish, according to a 2013 Barna study. Even more surprising, 18 percent of people with a faith other than Christianity, and about 9 percent of people with no faith, report reading the Bible start to finish, the study said. Among evangelical Christians, more than 60 percent have read the entire Bible.

This comparing of notes on Facebook, which some have described as a "challenge," can offer some food for spiritual thought for each of us.  For one thing, we can look at the list and see that the Bible is an incredibly influential book.  The Harris poll, which I would regard as much more scientific, lists the Bible as number 1.  And, the works of Tolkien and Lewis, whose writings contained a perspective that was consistent with a Christian worldview, are also widely read.   But, I have to admit that I was disappointed to find that the informal Facebook challenge only yielded a #6 ranking for arguably the most widely read book of all time, a book that has shaped cultures for centuries. Could this be an indicator of waning influence for God's Word? 

And, if that's the case, then how do we respond?   Well, for one thing, we recognize that people spend their time gathering information from a variety of sources, many of them that do not line up with God's principles.  This no doubt contributes to a lack of Biblical knowledge and Christ-centered behavior, which negatively influences the culture at large.

We have to make sure that our foundational source is God's Word, and make sure that we filter what we consume through the grid of Scripture.  If our entertainment choices will produce thoughts and behavior that are not consistent with God's principles, then it would be incumbent on us to re-evaluate those choices.   Time in God's Word can strengthen our spirits and renew our minds, and as His truth comes alive in our hearts and we live according to it, then we can see our lives potentially make a significant impact on the people with whom we interact.