Posted on 09/14/2012 9:03:23 AM PDT by Alex Murphy
A recently released study by a Christian research organization shows that most churchgoers do not read or study the Bible on a daily basis.
The findings of the Transformational Discipleship Assessment released by LifeWay Research noted that 19 percent of respondents report reading or studying the Bible outside of church "every day."
By contrast, 36 percent of respondents said that they either engage the Bible "once a week," "once a month," or "a few times a month." Eighteen percent reported rarely or never reading or studying the Bible outside of worship.
Scott McConnell, director of LifeWay Research, told The Christian Post that he felt attributes from the modern American culture influenced the responses.
"Regular Bible engagement is both personal and requires discipline. Neither are popular in Western culture today," said McConnell. "Too many churchgoers want the benefits of salvation without investing in personally knowing Christ and the abundant life He offers."
For the study, LifeWay Research interviewed a demographically balanced online panel of American adults last year, Oct. 14-22. A total of 2,930 surveys were completed, with churchgoing respondents being defined as those who attend a Protestant church at least once a month.
"Bible engagement encompasses more than just Bible reading. It measures the extent to which individuals interact with the truth of Scripture and allow it to permeate their thinking and influence their actions," said McConnell.
"There is a widespread desire among churchgoers to please Jesus, but much less interested in daily wrestling with what pleases Jesus. Instead of Christ being preeminent in the lives of every churchgoer, He is often only the preamble to lives lived apart from biblical truth."
Other findings in the study included 90 percent of respondents agreeing with the statement "I desire to please and honor Jesus in all I do" and 59 percent agreeing with the statement "Throughout the day I find myself thinking about biblical truths."
In an interview with Baptist Press, LifeWay Research President Ed Stetzer explained the importance of scriptural study and reading.
"God's Word is truth, so it should come as no surprise that reading and studying the Bible are still the activities that have the most impact on growth in this attribute of spiritual maturity," said Stetzer. "As basic as that is, there are still numerous churchgoers who are not reading the Bible regularly. You simply won't grow if you don't know God and spend time in God's Word."
While the study noted the small percentage of regular Bible engagement from respondents, it also pinpointed six actions that "positively impact" the level of Bible engagement a churchgoer partakes in.
These actions were confessing wrongdoings to God, believing in Jesus as the only way to Heaven, following God with an awareness that it "may be costly," praying about the spiritual statuses of acquaintances who are not Christian, reading a book on spiritual growth, and being mentored by a "more spiritually mature Christian."
...."Regular Bible engagement is both personal and requires discipline. Neither are popular in Western culture today," said McConnell. "Too many churchgoers want the benefits of salvation without investing in personally knowing Christ and the abundant life He offers"....
....For the study, LifeWay Research interviewed a demographically balanced online panel of American adults last year, Oct. 14-22. A total of 2,930 surveys were completed, with churchgoing respondents being defined as those who attend a Protestant church at least once a month.
Yes, even then it takes discipline to do so every day and then meditate on what has been read but the rewards are worth far more than the effort.
Yeah, no surprise at all. Also, depending on what denomination it is, there are many out there who don’t believe God’s Word is inerrant.
Your Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11
I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your Word. Psalm 119:16
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. Psalm 1:1, 2
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105
My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your word. Psalm 119:148
Your Word is very pure, Therefore Your servant loves it. Psalm 119:140
The teaching of your Word gives light, so even the simple can understand Psalm 119:130
I will delight in your statutes, I will not forget your word Psalm 119:16
People who don’t like to read that much should remember that they can get the daily Scriptural readings in an audio version through the internet. You can listen and then spend time in meditation and prayer.
I do not need to read the Bible.
Obama, the Messiah, praise be upon him, will let me know all I need to believe and how I must behave.
All of you Bible readers are putting God before Man. The State, not God, is the Omnipotent. All derives from the state. That is why I have a statue of Obama on my dashboard.
Oh, /sarc
Exactly. And some put things in a wrong context. There being two convents and two people groups, from _both_ the leading scholars and teachers, miss His coming. One of His primary missions, while on earth, was to come against the traditions of men, which “add to and take away” from His word.
The first thing you notice when reading the BIBLE is that it was not written by Cecil B DeMille.
Well said.
Small wonder that David was a man after God's own heart.
It takes discipline.
I have started and stopped many times in my Christian walk.
As of right now I am reading the Word daily again.
When the world creeps in and one needs His word most is usually when we fall away...
Amen.
Even when the seed falls on good ground, it still needs regular water and fertilizer to produce abundantly.
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