The Big Picture of the Bible in America

What do Americans believe about the Bible? How acquainted are they with its stories, principles and message? Do they see the Scriptures as authoritative for society, for their church and family, or personally for themselves? And if so, how often do they actually read the Bible—and how deeply do they consider what it means for their life?

To understand the landscape of Bible beliefs and engagement in the United States, Barna researchers aggregated more than 12,000 “State of the Bible” interviews with U.S. adults into a single database. Part I is the 30,000-foot view of the Bible in America, a survey of what role the Scriptures play in people’s lives. We’ll look at data for the general U.S. population, and at the Bible’s impact on various sectors of U.S. society.

The big picture? Americans hold the Bible in high regard.

But not every part of the picture is saturated with the same shade of belief.

What Americans Believe About the Bible

A Holy Book

Americans overwhelmingly name the Bible as the book that comes to mind when they think of sacred literature or holy books (81%). This is particularly true among older generations and ethnic minorities— nine out of 10 older adults and black Americans cite the Bible as a holy book. Younger generations, however—especially Millennials (ages 18 to 31)—are less likely to point to the Bible as a holy book. And, as you would probably expect, those with no faith (including atheists, agnostics and “nones,” who claim no religious affiliation) are less likely than the general population to choose the Bible. In fact, most of them say that no books are sacred (54%).^*

The proportion of Americans who chooses the Bible is eight times that of the next most-frequently mentioned holy book, which is the Koran (10%). Other books considered sacred or holy—the Torah (5%) and the Book of Mormon (4%)—are mentioned by relatively few.

Americans who identify with faiths other than Christianity are more likely to mention the Koran (28%) and the Torah (15%), and less likely than average to name the Bible (45%). Twelve percent of U.S. adults do not consider any of these books to be holy, but the percentage is higher among Millennials (18%) and Gen-Xers (13%) than among their older counterparts, the Boomers (8%) and Elders (7%).

Regionally, residents of the Northeast (16%) and West (17%) are also more likely to prefer “none” than those in the Midwest (12%) or South (10%)—in keeping with the higher percentages of atheists, agnostics and the unaffiliated in those regions.

*Definitions for all of Barna’s categories can be found in the Glossary

All this is in line with overall national trend of rising skepticism with regard to the Bible in particular and religion more generally. If these trend lines hold steady, there will be continuing downward pressure on the number of people (especially young people) who see the Bible as sacred.

A Guide to Meaningful Living

More than just a “holy book,” a majority of people also sees the Bible as eminently practical for life. Two-thirds of U.S. adults agree with the statement, “The Bible contains everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life” (48% strongly; 20% somewhat). Women (74%) are more convinced than men (64%) about the Bible’s reliability in this regard, while black adults, Americans over 50 and residents of the South also trust the Bible’s guidance more than other population segments.

It’s interesting to contrast this finding with the overwhelming cultural adoption of the “new moral code” examined in the Introduction. The tenets of the morality of self-fulfillment—pursue what you desire most in order to be fulfilled; the highest goal of life is to enjoy it—are not recommended by the Bible as guiding principles for life. In fact, three of the Gospels record Jesus saying, “If you want to save your own life, you will lose it; but if you lose your life for me and for the gospel, you will save it” (Mark 8:35, cf. Matt. 16:25; Luke 9:24). And yet many Americans seem to experience little cognitive dissonance between their acceptance of the new moral code and their view of the Bible as a guide for life.

Not surprisingly, few adherents to a religion other than Christianity (38%) and those of no faith (14%) agree that the Bible contains everything you need to know to live a meaningful life. Less predictably, however, nearly half (47%) of the “unchurched”— people who have not attended a worship service within the past six months—agree with the statement. This finding fits with other Barna data that shows the majority of unchurched Americans are actually “dechurched,” meaning they were church attenders in the past but are no longer connected to a faith community. Most of these former churchgoers retain the contours of Christian belief, even if they are no longer practicing the faith.3 This may represent another “window of opportunity” for church leaders, since many of the dechurched are still interested in and open to finding out how the Bible is meaningful for their lives.

An Influence on Society

With so many Americans believing the Bible is an effective guide for life, it’s not surprising that a majority also believes U.S. society would be better off if the Bible were a greater influence (51%). Just over one-quarter, however, says the Scriptures’ current level of cultural influence is just about right (28%), while 16 percent feel as if the Bible already has too much influence. Women, older adults and practicing Christians, in particular, would like to see a greater cultural role for the Bible, while men, younger Americans and those of no faith are somewhat less enthusiastic about increasing the Bible’s influence on society. In fact, the most recent annual “State of the Bible” study found Millennials in 2016 slightly more likely to say the Bible has too much influence (34%) than that it has too little (30%).

Special Report

The Bible & Discipleship

Barna partnered with The Navigators in a multiphase study to assess the state of discipleship in America’s churches. Researchers interviewed senior pastors and discipleship leaders from across the country, as well as self-identified Christians from the general population, to identify what’s working to help people grow spiritually. Since the Bible emerged in those interviews as a key factor in effective discipleship, the findings are included here as another “puzzle piece” in Barna’s efforts to assemble a clear picture of the Bible in America.

The State of Discipleship (Barna, 2015) is a Barna report produced in partnership with The Navigators.

Among church leaders—as one might expect—engagement with the Bible is considered a fundamental dimension of discipleship. Two-thirds of senior pastors (64%) and discipleship leaders (67%) say intentional, systematized study of the Bible is an essential element of spiritual formation. Six out of 10 senior pastors (60%) and three-quarters of discipleship leaders (73%) consider in-depth education about the Bible essential to spiritual growth. When it comes to practices that have the greatest impact on developing disciples, church leaders put personal Bible study (92%) and small group Bible study (88%) at the top of the list. Eight out of 10 say Bible teaching in weekly services makes an impact (81%), and two-thirds believe memorizing scripture is effective (65%).

Both practicing Christians and non-practicing Christians consider group Bible study to be a crucial practice in their spiritual development—yet key differences emerge in how much these two groups engage. Practicing Christians are also more likely to say relationships formed through a small group Bible study have been an important aspect of their spiritual journey (61% vs. 22% of non-practicing Christians).

Among Christians who say spiritual growth is important to them, one-third of practicing Christians are currently in a small group Bible study (33%), yet only 6 percent of non-practicing Christians are in such a group, even though many of these same adults attest to the impact of a group study on their own spiritual life. The chart below shows the ways in which practicing Christians outpace others in their pursuit of scripture-oriented discipleship.

The Bible in Society & Politics

One of the key findings of The Bible in America is the degree to which the Bible is central to Americans’ views of a good society. When people are asked to choose from a list of literary works the one book they believe has had the greatest impact on humanity, the Bible tops the list—even among the more Bible-resistant Millennials.

Yet there seems to be growing discomfort, as noted earlier, with how much influence the Bible wields today in U.S. society. The tracking numbers show rising levels of skepticism about the Bible’s role in culture. This is due in large measure to the increasingly mixed feelings of Millennials, who are twice as likely as Boomers (26% vs. 12%) and three times more likely than Elders (8%) to say the Bible has too much cultural influence.

Given the skepticism among younger adults about the role of the Bible in culture, it’s not surprising to find there is also ambivalence about the Scriptures’ impact on politics and governance. An overall majority of U.S. adults say politics would be more civil (51%) and those who govern would be more effective (53%) if politicians read the Bible on a regular basis—but those majorities are not spread evenly across the population.

Young adults are less convinced than older Americans that regular Bible reading is the solution to uncivil and ineffective politics. Only about one-third of Millennials and half of Gen-Xers say politics would be more civil (31% Millennials, 47% Gen-Xers) and politicians would be more effective (34% Millennials, 49% GenXers) if they read the Bible more often. By comparison, two-thirds of Boomers and three-quarters of Elders believe politics would be more civil and effective with regular Bible reading.

These numbers—and the differences between generations— signal a sea change in U.S. society. The two older generations of Americans (Boomers and Elders) are consistent in their belief that Bible engagement would make society a better place, yet Gen-Xers and especially Millennials are quite resistant to that notion. Even in the midst of a lot of generational differences, these represent some of the most significant gaps on any subject in this report. Younger generations are reprioritizing the Bible’s role in public life.

In an analysis of a group we call “Bible minded”—who believe the Bible is accurate in all the principles it teaches and have read the Bible within the past week—compared with the general U.S. population, Barna found that the Bible minded are comparatively cause- and issues-oriented when it comes to political concerns. Rating how much influence each issue has on their voting habits, Bible-minded people are more likely to prioritize religious liberty (66% vs. 34% among all adults), abortion (46% vs. 32%), marriage (55% vs. 33%) and poverty (51% vs. 42%).

Interestingly, Bible-minded adults tend to be skeptical about the government’s ability to change for the better and disappointed when change doesn’t happen. At the same time, Bible-minded adults are more likely than average to self-describe as politically active, to be personally invested in the political process, and to be hopeful they can make a difference by being politically involved.

Special Report

The State of the Bible 1816

On October 28, 1996, an article in the business section of the New York Times reported that the $200 million market for Bibles “is flat as a leather Bible cover.”⁴ A director for marketing at Oxford University Press suggested that the American market for the holy book had reached a saturation point. Most experts blamed the glut in the market on the rise of the so-called big box stores—Barnes & Noble, Walmart and Sam’s Club—that also sold Bibles. According to the Times article, the latest American Bible Society translation to hit the market, the Contemporary English Version, had only captured 1 percent of the Bible market for its publisher, Thomas Nelson.

One reader who was disturbed by the Times article was Eugene Habecker, then-president and CEO of American Bible Society. Habecker penned a letter to the editor that was published a few days later. He did not dispute the fact that Bible sales were going through a sluggish season. What bothered Habecker the most about the article was the fact that so many Americans owned a Bible (he estimated that there was one in at least 90 percent of homes), but few had any idea what was in it or how to engage with its content. “The people who have Bibles . . . don’t use them enough,” Habecker wrote, “or when they do, they don’t remember what they have read.” Habecker concluded that American Bible Society, despite its impressive distribution numbers, was not doing enough to teach people how to use the Bible. The seeds for the current program of “Bible engagement” was born.

Elias Boudinot, the first President of American Bible Society, would have agreed with Habecker. But when he led the charge to found American Bible Society in 1816, he was much more concerned with distribution than with use. Boudinot believed there were a large number of people living in the United States who did not own a copy of the Christian Scriptures and who would benefit from having access to the Bible. He believed that the Bible was a tool for evangelism and, with the help of the Holy Spirit, any reader of the Bible could decipher its meaning and be transformed by its message. The goal was to simply put a copy of the Bible—without interpretive notes or comments—in the hands of as many people as possible and let God do the rest.

Like the organization in the 21st century, Boudinot and the founders of American Bible Society were concerned about the state of the Bible in the nation. Their concern was twofold. First, people needed a copy of the Bible. The American Bible Society founders received regular reports from Western missionaries who lamented the desperate need for Bibles on the frontier. One of those missionaries was Samuel J. Mills of the Massachusetts Missionary Society. In 1812 Mills joined fellow missionary John Schermerhorn on a year-long tour through the Southern and Western portions of the United States. Their mission was evangelistic, but they were also charged with gaining information— survey data, if you will—about the state of Bible ownership in these areas. Upon his return, Mills claimed that there were between 40,000 and 50,000 French Catholics in Louisiana who did not own Bibles. He estimated that in at least 13,000 Bibles were needed in St. Louis to provide one for every family. Thirty thousand more Bibles were needed for the same reason in Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois and Mississippi. Mills lamented that the “whole country,” from “Lake Erie to the Gulf of Mexico,” is “as the valley of the shadow of death” due to a lack of Bibles.

The founders’ second concern was the role Bible should play in the development of the American republic. Boudinot believed that the United States, especially under the leadership of Thomas Jefferson and his followers, was moving in a secular direction. On several occasions he used his pen to defend orthodox Protestantism against threats from “infidels” seeking to undermine the role the Bible must play in American culture. For example, in 1801, fearful that heretics and unbelievers were infiltrating American society and influencing its youth, Boudinot published a booklength critique of Thomas Paine’s The Age of Reason, which he perceived as an attack on traditional Christianity. Boudinot called his book The Age of Revelation or The Age of Reason Shewn to be an Age of Infidelity. In this book Boudinot defended traditional Christian doctrines such as the divine inspiration of the Bible, the Virgin conception and deity of Christ, and Christ’s resurrection from the dead. It was clear that Boudinot and the founders of American Bible Society wanted a Christian republic that was rooted in the teachings of the Scriptures.

Over the course of three or four decades following the creation of the organization in 1816, Boudinot’s prayers were answered. American Bible Society published and distributed millions of Bibles throughout the United States and the world. A massive evangelical revival swept the nation in those years, essentially Christianizing the culture and bringing moral reform to the republic. And American Bible Society led a revolution in religious printing and publication that brought the Bible and Christianity to ordinary people in 19th-century America.

When Eugene Habecker took American Bible Society down the path of Bible engagement in the 1990s, a path the organization follows to this day, he was continuing the work begun two centuries ago by men and women empowered by the same Spirit and enlivened by the same vision.

DR. JOHN FEA, PHD, teaches American history at Messiah College in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. He is the author of several books, most recently, The Bible Cause: A History of the American Bible Society (Oxford University Press, 2016).