The document discusses the problem of biblical illiteracy among Christians and in society in general. It cites research showing many professing Christians are unable to identify basic people and stories from the Bible. Biblical illiteracy has serious negative effects, including individuals lacking guidance for life, churches having shallow understanding of issues, and society losing its moral compass. The document argues ignorance of God's word can be prevented by individuals spending time studying the Bible daily, sitting under skilled teachers, and parents diligently training their children in Scripture. It calls on churches to make biblical preaching and teaching a central focus in order to address this problem.

1. A Need to Know Basis
(We all need to know)
by Samuel E. Ward
Pastor, Covenant Baptist Church
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2. Introduction
A. Biblical Illiteracy Is a Problem
1. In our general culture
2. In our churches
"Americans revere the Bible - but, by and
large, they don't read it. And because
they don't read it, they have become a
nation of biblical illiterates."
- - George Gallup and Jim Castelli2

3. B. Biblical Illiteracy Is a Scandal
(according to researcher Albert Mohler)
1. Fewer than half of all adults can name
the four gospels.
2. Many professing Christians cannot
identify more than two or three of the
disciples.
3. Sixty percent of Americans can't name
even five of the Ten Commandments.
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4. 4. Eighty-two percent of Americans
believe "God helps those who help
themselves" is a Bible verse.
5. Twelve percent of adults believe that
Joan of Arc was Noah's wife.
6. A survey of graduating high school
seniors revealed that over 50 percent
thought that Sodom and Gomorrah
were husband and wife.
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5. 7. A considerable number of respondents
to one poll indicated that the Sermon
on the Mount was preached by Billy
Graham.
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6. C. Israel has provided many examples in
its history of the God’s judgment and
discipline for their failure to teach
God’s ways to their children in spite of
God’s many warnings, Deu 8:10-20;
2 Kings 17:37-41.
D. Do not think that God will not judge
the church (globally, locally, and
individual members) if it does not keep
in its memory God’s Word and its
practice, Heb 12:5-6, 11.
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7. I. Ignorance of God’s Word
Has Serious Effects
A. On Individuals
1. People are destroyed as a result of
ignoring God’s Word and therefore are
unable to make wise and righteous
choices, Hos 4:1, 6.
2. People are brought to spiritual
starvation because they have ignored
God’s Word and no longer remember to
turn it for help, Amos 8:11-13.
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8. 3. People are left without a compass for
life, Psa 119:105.
4. People are without a clue on where to
find true joy or peace,
Psa 119:111,165.
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9. B. On Churches
1. There is a dearth in our churches of
trained teachers and those willing to
be trained. This ought not to be!
(Heb 5:12-6:3, 7-8)
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10. 2. There is a widespread shallowness of
the biblical view of contemporary
issues that is evidenced by how many
in the church have come to accept
society’s view of issues. All this is
because Christians are so ignorant
concerning God’s Word they are not
able to discern the biblical view,
Isa 5:20.
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11. C. On Society
1. Because of our ignorance of God’s
Word, our standards of morality are
“turned in – side out” so that good is
evil and evil is good, Isa 5:20.
a. We have those who claim to be
Christians who slaughter the innocent
(abortion).
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12. b. We have those who claim to be
Christians but put the wicked on a
pedestal while denigrating and
insulting the righteous, Phil 3:18-20.
c. We have those who claim to be
Christians who participate in and
approve of the same perversions and
wickedness as those whom God says
deserve death, Rom 1:24-32.
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13. 2. Because of our toleration of the
world’s view of morality even within
the church, it is no wonder that . . .
a. Pornography and promiscuity exists in
the church at levels nearly equivalent
to that in the general population. Some
research groups call these statistics
into question. However, consider:
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14. Consider. . .
• 29% of born again adults in the U.S.
feel it is morally acceptable to view
movies with explicit sexual behavior.
(The Barna Group)
• 57% of pastors say that addiction to
pornography is the most sexually
damaging issue to their
congregation.(Christians and Sex
Leadership Journal Survey, March
2005)
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15. b. Children are deprived the kind of
parenting that is their God-given right
because marriage is being re-defined.
c. Juvenile delinquency rates increase in
families with single-parents, especially
if the cause was divorce.
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16. Divorce was highly significant when
predicting the variation in juvenile
violent crime. These findings show a
positive relationship between divorce and
violent juvenile crime which support
previous research showing that divorce
can lead to crime.
--Jeannie A. Frye
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-05192010-
095240/unrestricted/Fry_JF_T_2010.pdf , p. 40.
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17. The Most Serious Effect of
Ignoring God’s Word
When there is no absolute rule binding
a society or community (including the
church), the result can only lead to
anarchy which usually leads to
authoritarian rule. This is our future
unless the teachings of Scripture become
the absolute guide first for the church
and then positively impact our society
and awaken it again to God.
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18. We do well be aware that our own
hearts are prone to write our own rules.
But we need to accept the warnings of
God’s Word.
(Prov 21:2 NIV) All a man's ways seem
right to him, but the LORD weighs the
heart.
(2 Cor 5:10 NIV) For we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ, that
each one may receive what is due him for
the things done while in the body,
whether good or bad.
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19. II. Ignorance of God’s Word
Can Be Prevented
A. By Spending “Alone Time with God,”
Psa 1:1-3; 119:97-98
B. By Sitting Under the Instruction of
Gifted Teachers and Encouraging Each
Other to Practice What You Learn,
Heb 3:12-14; 10:24-25.
C. By Training Your Children Regularly and
Diligently in God’s Word, Deu 6:6-7;
Eph 6:4
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20. Conclusion
Albert Mohler exhorts the church:
Churches must recover the centrality and
urgency of biblical teaching and
preaching, and refuse to sideline the
teaching ministry of the preacher.
Pastors and churches too busy–or too
distracted–to make biblical knowledge a
central aim of ministry will produce
believers who simply do not know enough
to be faithful disciples.
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21. We will not believe more than we know,
and we will not live higher than our
beliefs. The many fronts of Christian
compromise in this generation can be
directly traced to biblical illiteracy in
the pews and the absence of biblical
preaching and teaching in our homes and
churches.
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22. This generation must get deadly serious
about the problem of biblical illiteracy,
or a frighteningly large number of
Americans–Christians included–will go on
thinking that Sodom and Gomorrah lived
happily ever after.
--Albert Mohler
http://www.albertmohler.com/2004/06/29/the-scandal-
of-biblical-illiteracy-its-our-problem-2/
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