The second most popular plan in the Bible App last week was The Bible Project’s Character of God. The reading plan helps readers understand five key attributes of God’s character, including video components, that help readers understand God and the Scriptures in a new and life changing way. It’s no surprise that the Bible Project’s video-based reading plans, which tend to focus on unpacking books of the bible—are among some of the most popular plans offered in the Bible App. In fact, it speaks to the cultural interest in the Bible, despite the rise of religious nones and the rapidly shifting American religious landscape.
Let’s take a deeper look at the data surrounding Americans’ historical view of the Bible. Beginning in 1984, the General Social Survey began asking respondents about their view of the Bible and offered them three response options.
When those responses are analyzed over time, it’s fascinating to note exactly what has changed, and what has not:
In 1984, nearly half of Americans believed that the Bible was the inspired word of God, but that it shouldn’t be taken as literally true. At the same time, about four in ten Americans contended that the Bible is the literal and true word of God. Just 14% said that the book was a collection of fables and stories that were written by men.
Thirty-four years later, in 2018, the share who chose the middle option (the Bible is inspired by God but is not literally true) was exactly the same - 49%. Instead, what had shifted were the proportions at each end of the spectrum. The share who believed in a literal interpretation dropped from 39% to 30%. While those who believed that the Bible is a collection of stories rose from 14% to 21% during that same time period.
It’s impossible to know what exactly drove that change. It could be that older Americans who took a more conservative view of the Bible are dying off and being replaced by younger people who have a different view. Or, it may be the case that people are just changing their minds about the Bible as they age.
However, when the sample is restricted to just those who report weekly church attendance, the picture changes significantly:
In the mid-1980s, those who took a literalist view was roughly equal to those who believed Bible was the inspired word. Just a very small percentage thought that the Bible was a book fables. Flash forward thirty-four years, and you’ll see a significant shift: the share who believe in a literal Bible increased five percentage points, while those with an inspired view decreased about four percentage points. Thus, there’s no evidence here that weekly attenders are drifting toward a liberal interpretation of the Bible—it’s just the opposite.
Obviously asking people questions about their view of the Bible is incredibly difficult. No one seems to be completely happy with the response options offered by the General Social Survey. But, we can learn something from these responses. Namely, those who are practicing Christians (vis a vis church attendance) are more likely to take a literal view of Bible, while society as a whole has moved the other direction.
Pastors need to understand that the people that are in the pews every weekend are there because they love Jesus and they love the Scriptures, or at least they are curious enough to come. The fact that the Bible Project gets so much traffic in the YouVersion app speaks volumes about how much these Christians are seeking knowledge that helps them—and their children—understand the Bible even more deeply. As leaders, don’t be afraid to dig into the theology of the Bible in your sermons and communications. Teaching the context, the structure, and even the language of the Bible are what core members crave from your sermons. Don’t shy away from helping your congregation understand the depths that are awaiting them within every page of the Bible.