Why don’t they read their Book?

Guy Harrison asks the question: ‘Why don’t they read their Book?’ ¹  He explains that the Bible is the

most important book of all time for Christians, but very few of them take the time to read it from cover to cover.

 

We cannot deny that he is right.

• Survey after survey shows that people who believe their lives are formed by the Bible, know very little about it. According to George Barna, the level of Bible reading in the United States is an embarrassment and a crisis among people who profess faith in Jesus. Christians are Biblically illiterate.
• The trend is that the younger people are, the less they understand the Christian faith. It is true. The Biblical illiteracy among youth who are supposed to be churched and know the doctrines of the Bible, is very low. The problem is that they are the target of atheists. No matter how friendly atheists purport to be, we should understand that they have an agenda. It is to turn people from faith in God to become committed atheists.
• Guy intimates it: atheists confront youth with issues about the Bible, like the murder of babies, tips on how to be a good slave and an even better slave owner, or the execution of homosexuals. Christians generally cannot answer these accusations. Worse yet, young people are often persuaded that God is a moral monster or a Cosmic Tyrant and that the Bible condones unspeakable atrocities. They have never been taught that there are answers, perfectly logical, reasonable answers.
• The average Christian, and especially the youth, probably don’t realise that the questions from atheists are ‘loaded.’ They have been designed to mislead. One example that Guy mentions is the rape of female captives. Now, anybody who knows the Bible, will immediately put a question mark over it. Can God allow the rape of virgins, when He forbids it in the covenant He had with the Israelites (see ‘2 Reasons that God do
  es not condone rape’)?

 

To conclude. We cannot deny Guy’s claim that Christians generally don’t read the Bible. Yet we live in a time that it is becoming very important to know the Bible. It is not only to retain our own faith, but also to help our children, who will eventually venture outside the protective environment of their homes. They need to, ‘Be self-controlled and alert. [Their] enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.’ ² Unfortunately, many are slain. We need to answer the questions, so that the youth know the answers.

 

The next blog is: How to read the Book.

 

References

1. Kindle location 1100 – 1165 of 5739
2. 2 Peter 5:8