A collection of Bibles
"The problem, Bible illiteracy, is not that people can not read the Bible, it's they don't read the Bible," says Kroll. "Research shows that every American (on average) owns three copies of the Bible, but they don't read any of the three."
According to Kroll, "Bible literacy is not a problems in the church. Bible literacy is THE problem in the church. It impacts everything else we do."
Kroll says that's why Back to the Bible started the Bible Literacy Center one year ago to answer the question, "Why do so many people own a Bible and so few read it? We have more than 12,000 surveyed people who have given us insight into what keeps them reading, what gets them going but they stop. What would be helpful to them."
There's one interesting thing they've learned from the survey. Kroll says, "There is a direct correlation between how much time a person spends in the Word and how they believe it's easy to understand. So, obviously, the more you read the easier it is to understand (the Bible). People say, 'I can't understand it.' What they're saying to us is, 'I'm not reading it.'"
Kroll tells us failure to read the Bible robs a Christian. "We rob ourselves of a moral position if we don't know the Word of God. I think we also rob ourselves of the ability to move on to spiritual maturity. We get stuck into spiritual infancy. Certainly (we have an) inability to defend our faith or share our faith, or even share our faith."
While reading books about the Bible is important, it can't replace Bible reading. Kroll says, "Faith comes from hearing and hearing by the Word of God, so we've got to get people between the covers of the Scripture."
Guilt isn't what's going to persuade people to read the Bible, says Kroll. "I think we have to show people what they miss if they don't read the Bible."
If Christians started reading the Bible regularly Kroll believes, "It will increase the ability of the church to take the message of the church to take the message of the church to the community."
Back to the Bible has developed survey questions to help you study and read God Word. Go to BackToTheBible.org to find the survey.
