The Problem of Biblical-Illiteracy In The American Church

“…The time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear…” (2 Timothy 4:3)

What the Apostle Paul is describing in his final farewell letter to young Timothy is coming true today in America before our very eyes. I have been posting recently about what has been happening in our culture and sadly in the church in our nation at an accelerating rate. This is well described by Jennifer Baker in her article on Standingforfreedom.com entitled, “Biblical Illiteracy in the Church: A Modern ‘Hath God Really Said?’”

“Americans are increasingly rejecting biblical principles and answers about life-from the meaning of life to the inherent value of life, from God’s design for marriage to the existence of two genders, from sexual morality to the acceptance of objective truth-in favor of moral relativism, syncretism and hedonism…But biblical illiteracy and rejection isn’t just a problem in today’s secular culture. The more concerning and shocking reality is biblical illiteracy is a problem in today’s church.”

We have seen a “toxic brew” of a biblically-illiterate church mixing with opportunistic “spiritual entrepreneurs” giving these gullible followers what they crave for. The message has enough Christ to make the message seem credible but enough lies mixed in to make it destructive to the soul. They edit God’s message and tailor-make it to fit human desires for security and success sans the persecution.

But where is the Deceiver (Satan, the one behind all deception!) able to thrive and gain credibility? He thrives simply when there is no competing narrative of truth to counter the lies. He thrives in a vacuum when truth is absent, unseen, and unheard. We can see how he operates in our everyday relationships with people and in the business world.

Recently, I was foolishly taken in by hearing a story of an individual I thought to be credible. I empathetically listened to his version of his experience and accepted his view as “truth” because he expertly edited and shaped his story, that involved others, in his favor and not in theirs. Proverbs 18:17 says, “The first to speak in court sounds right until the cross-examination begins.” When I heard his story in the context of another, with more verifiable substantiated evidence, I realized I had been duped! The deception was subtle, a competing narrative was absent, so I was deceived.

I work in the payments (credit and debit card) industry that faces internet fraud and scams daily. The employees who are best and most skilled in recognizing fraud are the ones who are the most “technologically-literate.” In other words, they are most familiar with the internet. They, as one of my fellow co-workers affectionately (but sarcastically) says, “grew up with a cell phone attached to their heads.” The most effective deception on the internet is always the most subtle, never the most obvious. But the technologically-literate know the competing reality with the fraud too well to be fooled.

Another industry where fraud and counterfeits are dealt with is the banking industry. Tellers are taught about counterfeit dollar bills, not by necessarily studying the myriads of counterfeits out in circulation but rather by handling genuine paper currency so they will recognize that the counterfeit when they encounter it, because they already know “the real thing” by sight and feel.

And this brings us full circle, to where we are in our culture today. We are seen as a society to be continually becoming wiser and better even though the evidence is clearly to the contrary. It is the lie told over and over until it becomes “settled truth” in people’s minds.  And tragically we as Christians have been duped to believe that we are either an impediment to societal evolution or just irrelevant. We are told to just “stay in our lane” (you know the “religious lane”). But if we do this no one will present an alternative narrative that exposes the lie, an eternally truthful narrative of Jesus Christ and God’s redemptive plan that is explained from the Book of Genesis to the Book of Revelation.

If we are going to stand up to this bullying and hold forth the truth of God’s word, we need to start by getting back to reading and studying our Bibles. We need to do this one to one or in small groups with other Christians. If we are parents with children in the home, we need to read the Bible to our children not expecting others to do that for us. If we are grandparents, we need to read the Bible with our grandchildren. (One of the highlights of my week is to read the Action Bible with my 11-and 9-year-old grandsons in Texas on a FaceTime call.)

And of course, we need to be reading our Bibles on our own, not as a “have to” but a great privilege, a “want to,” to get to know the Lord’s heart more and more every day… to listen to His voice and learn to increasingly see our world through His eyes. We need to sit at His feet and allow Him to show us how to walk in His ways each day. As we do this we will as be“shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold(ing) firmly to the word of life…”(Philippians 2:15,16)