”If churches gave pop quizzes on the Bible this Sunday, most people in the pews would fail.
Lifeway Research asked more than 2,000 American Christian churchgoers dozens of questions about general Bible knowledge. The average respondent scored 51. Around 2 in 3 (65%) earn an F, below 60. Almost 1 in 10 (9%) receive a D, between 60 and 69. Another 9% receive a C, between 70 and 79. Just 8% score a B, 80-89, and 9% reach A status, 90 and higher.
‘Church leaders often theorize that churchgoers don’t know their Bibles but have typically lacked objective proof,’ said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. ‘This study confirms most Christian churchgoers haven’t learned or don’t remember many things in the Bible and how it is organized.’
Bible quiz categories
The study asked dozens of questions across eight categories of Bible literacy: people of the Bible, which books of the Bible contain certain narratives, ordering specific biblical events, filling in the blanks of Bible verses, which major division suits the book of the Bible, identifying whether a book belongs in the Old or New Testament or is not part of the Bible, knowing whether a phrase is included in the Bible and general Bible knowledge. …”
research.lifeway.com
Lifeway Research asked more than 2,000 American Christian churchgoers dozens of questions about general Bible knowledge. The average respondent scored 51. Around 2 in 3 (65%) earn an F, below 60. Almost 1 in 10 (9%) receive a D, between 60 and 69. Another 9% receive a C, between 70 and 79. Just 8% score a B, 80-89, and 9% reach A status, 90 and higher.
‘Church leaders often theorize that churchgoers don’t know their Bibles but have typically lacked objective proof,’ said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. ‘This study confirms most Christian churchgoers haven’t learned or don’t remember many things in the Bible and how it is organized.’
Bible quiz categories
The study asked dozens of questions across eight categories of Bible literacy: people of the Bible, which books of the Bible contain certain narratives, ordering specific biblical events, filling in the blanks of Bible verses, which major division suits the book of the Bible, identifying whether a book belongs in the Old or New Testament or is not part of the Bible, knowing whether a phrase is included in the Bible and general Bible knowledge. …”
2 in 3 Churchgoers Fail Bible Literacy Quiz - Lifeway Research
Perhaps unsurprisingly, those who attend church the most and read the Bible the most score the highest on a Bible literacy quiz.
research.lifeway.com
Last edited:
