Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Biblical illiteracy is a major spiritual problem in America today. Churches and society pay a high price when so many cannot discern between good (what is biblical) and evil. This research examines Bible knowledge among Southern Baptist adult Sunday school participants and investigates the relationships that exist between Bible knowledge and length of Sunday school attendance, size of the overall Sunday school, and frequency of Sunday school attendance. In addition to presenting quantitative evidence concerning the participants’ level of Bible knowledge, this research study draws specific conclusions and gives four explicit recommendations for pastors, church leaders, and Christian educators.

Keywords

adults adult learning adult education Bible literacy Southern Baptist Bible knowledge

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Armstrong

J. H.

(Ed.) (1996). The coming evangelical crisis. Chicago, IL: Moody Press.

Barna

(2003). Think like Jesus. Brentwood, TN: Integrity.

Barna

, & Hatch

(2001). Boiling point: It only takes one degree. Ventura, CA: Regal.

Barna Research Group. (1990). The church today: Insightful statistics and commentary. Glendale, CA: Barna Research Group.

Barna Research Online. (2000, July 12). Americans’ Bible knowledge is in the ballpark, but often off base. Retrieved from www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaID=66.

Barna Research Online. (2001, June 25). Religious beliefs vary widely by denomination. Retrieved from http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/53-religious-beliefs-vary-widely-by-denomination?q=june+2001

Barna Research Online. (2003, December 1). A biblical worldview has a radical effect on a person's life. The Barna Update. Retrieved from http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=154.

Barna Research Online. (2009, March 6). Barna survey examines changes in worldview among Christians over the past 13 years. The Barna Update. Retrieved from http://www.barna.org/transformation-articles/252-barna-survey-examines-changes-in-worldview-among-christians-over-the-past-13-years?q=bible+knowledge.

Barna Research Online. (2009, December 24). Barna studies the research, offers a year-in-review perspective. The Barna Update. Retrieved from http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/12-faithspirituality/325-barna-studies-the-research-offers-a-year-in-review-perspective.

10.

Barna Research Online. (2011, September 28). Six reasons young Christians leave the church.

11.

The Barna Update. Retrieved from http://www.barna.org/teens-next-gen-Articles/528-six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church/=bible+knowledge.

12.

Bible Literacy Project. (2005). Bible literacy report: What do Americans need to know and what do they know? Front Royal, VA: Bible Literacy Project.

13.

Boice

J. M.

(2001). Whatever happened to the gospel of grace? Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

14.

Boylan

(1988). Sunday school: The formation of an American institution, 1790–1880. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

15.

Burge

G. M.

(1999, August 9). The greatest story never read: Recovering biblical literacy in the church. Christianity Today. 43(9) 45–9. Retrieved from www.christianitytoday.com/ct/9t9/9t9045.html.

16.

Clark

J. D.

(1991). The association between bible literacy and religiosity. Dissertation Abstracts International. DAI, 52, no. 08A: 2876. (UMI No. 9201504).

17.

Edge

(1995). Teaching for results. Nashville, TN.: Broadman & Holman.

18.

Erickson

M. J.

(1994). Where is theology going?: Issues and perspectives on the future of theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker.

19.

Gangel

(1981). Building leaders for church education. Chicago, IL: Moody Press.

20.

Gallup

Jr. (1990). The role of the Bible in American society. Princeton, NJ: The Princeton Religion Research Center.

21.

Gallup

Jr. , & Castelli

(1989). The people's religion: American faith in the 90s. New York, NY: Macmillan.

22.

Greeley

, & Hout

(2006). The truth about conservative Christians: What they think and what they believe. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

23.

Gourlay

K. H.

(2010). An assessment of Bible knowledge among adult Southern Baptist Sunday school participants. (Doctoral dissertation). Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, NC.

24.

Ham

, & Beemer

(2009). Already gone. Green Forest, AR: Master Books.

25.

Hansen

(2010, May 24). Why Johnny can't read the Bible? Christianity Today. 54(5) Retrieved from www.christianitytoday.com/ct/article_print.html?id=87842.

26.

Kroll

(2001). Back to the Bible: Turning your life around with God's Word. Sisters, OR: Multnomah.

27.

Kroll

(2007). Taking back the good book: How America forgot the Bible and why it matters to you. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

28.

Leedy

P. D.

, & Ormrod

J. E.

(2005). Practical research: Planning and designing (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall.

29.

Lindbeck

G. A.

(1989). The church's mission to a postmodern culture. In Burnham

F. B.

(Ed.), Postmodern theology: Christian faith in a pluralist world (pp. 37–55). San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row.

30.

Long

(1994, July 15). Bible knowledge at record low, pollster says. National Catholic Reporter, 30(34), 9–9.

31.

MacArthur

J. F.

Jr. (1991). Our sufficiency in Christ. Dallas, TX: Word.

32.

Nash

(1988). Faith and reason. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

33.

Nash

(1990). The closing of the American heart. Dallas, TX: Word.

34.

Nash

(1992). Worldviews in conflict. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan.

35.

Nelson

(2004, Spring 2004). Bible knowledge and moral judgment: Knowing Scripture and using ethical reasoning. Journal of Research on Christian Education, 13(1), 41–57.

36.

Pew Forum. (2008, June 23). U.S. religious landscape report II. Retrieved from http://pewforum.org/events/?EventID=190.

37.

Prothero

(2008). Religious literacy: What every American needs to know and doesn't. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

38.

Reese

(2010). An assessment of Bible knowledge of Churches of Christ in Virginia and related variables. (Doctoral dissertation). Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, NC.

39.

Schunk

D. H.

(2008). Learning theories: An educational perspective. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

40.

Smith

, & Denton

K. L.

(2005). Soul searching: The religious and spiritual lives of American teenagers. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

41.

Smith

, & Snell

(2009). Souls in transition. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

42.

Southern Baptist Statistical Summary. (2009, July 20). Annual church profile for Southern Baptist Convention churches-Sunday school 2008. Nashville, TN: LifeWay Christian Resources.

43.

Stetzer

, & Dodson

(2007). Comeback churches. Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing Group.

44.

Vlach

M. J.

(n.d.). Crisis in America's churches: Bible knowledge at all-time low. Retrieved June 28, 2008 from: www.theologicalstudies.citymax.com/page/1573625.htm.

45.

Waggoner

B. J.

(2008). The shape of faith to come. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group.

46.

Watanabe

(1999, July 27). Crisis facing the good book. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 28, 2008 from http://articles.latimes.com/1999/jul/27/news/mn-60047.

47.

Wells

D. F.

(1993). No place for truth or whatever happened to evangelical theology? Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

An Assessment of Bible Knowledge among Adult Southern Baptist Sunday School Participants

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References