Deepening Bible Engagement

Now that we have assembled a picture of the Bible in America, we can zoom out to determine some of the strategic implications of the research. The question at hand for Christian leaders is, How can we deepen Bible engagement? Barna and American Bible Society have more to learn through further research, but what we have discovered thus far has implications for prayer and action.

There are no easy answers in an era of intensifying skepticism, iterative technology, changing demographics and morals based on self-fulfillment. It is time for clear thinking and courageous leadership, especially when it comes to the Bible. Leaders must assess reality and make strategic decisions in light of those facts. To help, here are 10 insights the Barna team has culled from this work—insights to propel you to prayer and action.

1. The Bible Is Still Good News in America

Although the nation’s population shows increasing signs of a post-Christian shift, more than 135 million adults are engaged with or friendly toward the Bible. A majority of adults view the Bible as sacred. It is often used as a source of guidance and tens of millions hear the voice of God through its pages. Don’t underestimate the window of opportunity these findings represent. How can we reactivate scriptural “muscle memory” so the Bible comes alive again in people’s lives?

2. Young People Must Be the Priority

Without intervention, the future of Bible engagement is less bright than the past, and there is no clearer portrait of this reality than the Millennial generation. Although Millennial Christians continue to stoke a bright flame of passion for the Scriptures, their numbers are dwindling and their non-believing and non-practicing peers have put the Bible on a dusty shelf. To generate the best long-term outcomes, consider prioritizing the youngest generations, especially children, youth and young adults. This is not to exclude efforts with older adults, but the most significant payoff will be with those under the age of 30—generally speaking, the younger the better. How can we relieve and redirect the anti-Bible pressure on young people?

3. The Scriptures Can Be Trusted

One way is to help them understand the reliability of the Bible. Why can it be trusted? What is its claim on human beings today? One interesting development of the last decade is the degree to which snarky, cynical humor has made it harder to have earnest conversations about important topics like the reliability of the Scriptures. Yet we must find ways to persuade people in a distracted and cynical age that the Bible is sufficient for life. How can we offer clear and courageous advocacy for the Bible?

4. Bible Engagement Needs a Plan

A strategic game plan can lead to transformative change when it comes to Bible engagement. For example, we could think about the four levels of Bible engagement and deploy specific efforts to assist people engaged at each level. Even in a local church setting, the congregation is comprised of a mix of individuals from these segments. How can we help people deepen their engagement from one category to the next?

• Build on the strengths of the Bible engaged. Help them unleash their passion for the Scriptures by giving them tools to advocate for the Bible cause. Enlist them in the “campaign”; make this a mission. Equip them to deepen their relational engagement of the Bible, including within their families and with those whom they mentor.
• The Bible friendly segment accounts for nearly two out of five U.S. adults, and they represent an enormous strategic opportunity. They have the tools (e.g., a Bible in their home) and the motivation to read the Bible more. They need to know the Bible isn’t just a place to go in times of trouble or for advice; it’s a primary way to experience God. And they may need assistance to grasp the Bible’s scope, history and meaning. Yet many of these individuals are only partially engaged with many elements of spirituality, including churchgoing, so the barriers to deeper engagement are often more than the Bible itself.
• Bible neutral adults typically turn to the Bible, if they do at all, when they need comfort. There is nothing wrong with this motivation, but it is possible to turn these moments of comfort into patterns of behavior. Given their profile of disconnection from church and ambivalence about making faith a priority, it will take significantly more effort deepen the engagement of someone in the neutral category.
• Bible skeptics are vital for their input, critiques and concerns. Their viewpoint ensures that Christian leaders’ efforts stay connected to the reality on the ground—the cultural dialogue about Christianity and its sacred literature. The Bible may be somewhat unfamiliar to this segment, but it is accessible even to most skeptics (for example, two-thirds own a Bible).

5. The Scriptures Are for the Community

Most U.S. adults use the Bible in individual rather than communal ways, and we can help people rediscover relational Bible use. According to Barna research in the UK, people report gleaning more wisdom from the Bible when they “discuss the Bible in a group.” And one of the ways Millennials stay connected to faith is developing meaningful relationships with other Christian adults. How can our churches facilitate social and communal forms of Bible engagement?

6. The Bible Is a Guide for Cultural Discernment

The Bible provides the Christian community with a map for cultural discernment. Its wisdom can be the grid for understanding what is happening in society, in our communities and in our hearts. Without a biblical framework for “understanding the times and knowing what to do” (1 Chron. 12:32), Christians are too easily tossed by the cultural tides—yet the story of Daniel, for example, offers remarkably timely insights for living in a religiously pluralistic culture. How can Christians read the Bible as a map for living faithfully in a changing world?

7. Cultural Discernment Is a New Apologetic

Wise cultural discernment helps Christians—but what if cultural discernment could also help church outsiders, and offer evidence for the Scriptures’ reliability and significance for today? In a society that is struggling with digital overload, for example, the notion of “digital Sabbath”—intentional time away from screens—is a powerful argument for the Bible’s continuing relevance. When one-quarter of Millennials believes they have a decent chance of being famous by age 25, Ecclesiastes offers a bracing antidote to a fame-obsessed generation. Pick a dimension of culture—sex and sexuality, terrorism, leadership, greed, ambition—and God’s word has wisdom to spare. How can we effectively communicate the Bible’s relevant-yet-countercultural ways of thinking and living?

8. Digital Tools Are Tools, Not Magic Bullets

Many observers of the Bible landscape attest to the effectiveness of digital tools, such as YouVersion, to increase access to the Scriptures—but we must do more than provide a catalogue of available products. Leaders mentor, guide and teach others how to blend diverse resources into their Bible engagement practices. Leaders also ask younger Christians for input and guidance as they bring new practices and priorities to the table. How can we teach people to use all the tools at their disposal to more deeply engage the Bible?

9. The Bible Speaks to 21st-Century Vocations

People spend much of their time in careers and work environments where the Bible may seem thousands of years out of step with the times. Yet the Scriptures relate directly to what God calls 21stcentury Christians to do with their lives. Sadly, only 10 percent of Catholic Millennials and 16 percent of Protestant Millennials have “learned how the Bible applies to my field or interest area.” For effective Bible engagement and transformational discipleship, this must change. How can we connect the Bible with the work of human beings?

10. Barriers to Bible Engagement Are Spiritual

Americans continue to find ways to under-prioritize engagement with the Bible. They lack time. They are too busy. They already know what it says. Even Christian leaders sometimes find convenient excuses for not being as engaged with the Bible as they need to be. At the end of the day, each of the obstacles to deeper engagement is a spiritual barrier that needs a spiritual solution.

People need help to cultivate humble eagerness to engage God’s word. They need to know the Bible is not simply solace for our human woes, but even more an experience of the living God who wants to transform lives from now to eternity—and they need the prayers of their fellow Christians and the Spirit’s presence to activate that knowledge in their own lives. How can we break down spiritual barriers to engaging with the Scriptures—even in our own hearts? 

As a final word of encouragement, take stock of your own context in light of the insights and conclusions found in The Bible in America. What findings do you see reflected in the lives of those around you? Is your community more Bible-minded or less—and what will that mean for how you encourage deeper engagement with the Scriptures? As a nation, America is undergoing rapid cultural change. How do you see these changes at work around you, especially when it comes to the Bible?

Whatever changes are still to come, the Scriptures bear witness to God’s ultimate purposes—to redeem, renew and restore his people and his world—so seismic cultural change is no cause for fear. “My word is like the snow and the rain that come down from the sky to water the earth. They make the crops grow and provide seed for planting and food to eat. So also will be the word that I speak—it will not fail to do what I plan for it; it will do everything I send it to do” (Is. 55:10–11).