Building a Better Bible March 17, 2009
Posted by Dan R. Dick in Book Recommendations and Reviews, The Bible, The United Methodist Church.Tags: Biblical interpretation, Book Reviews, The United Methodist Church
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It’s hard to justify the need for yet another Bible — there are a whole bunch out there from the ridiculous to the sublime — but the new Wesley Study Bible distinguishes itself as a worthwhile addition (edition?). Not that the Bible needs improvement, but anything that illuminates and explains it is a step in the right direction. See, Christianity — a book-based religion — faces a real dilemma in the United States. We love – absolutely love, revere, adore, worship, honor, praise, admire, idolize, and cherish — the Bible. We treat the Bible with the utmost care, binding it in leather, gilding its pages, and emblazoning its cover with the word “Holy.” The only problem is, we don’t actually read the Bible much anymore. It is estimated that over 90% of American households possess at least one Bible. However, only about 50% of Bible owners read the Bible “occasionally,” and just over one third read it at least once a week — the majority of these read it at church. Women are more likely than men to curl up with “the Good Book,” but neither gender spends more than ten minutes at a time with it. While many better, more accessible and understandable versions exist, the good old King James Version of the Bible is still a favorite, by a solid 3-to-1 margin over any contender. When it comes to “serious study” of scripture, only 1-in-7 (14%) Christians are guilty. Back in 1997, George Gallup reported in, The Role of the Bible in American Society, that only half of a random sample of American adults could name any of the four gospels, 37% could name all four gospels, and 42% could name five or more of the Ten Commandments. Various studies show that 75% of regular church goers think the adage “God helps those who help themselves,” comes from the Bible. Stephen Prothero’s 2008 book, Religious Literacy, updates these and other facts, but not in a positive way.
