Church bookstore leaders and workers have been reminded of the importance of their role in providing solid discipleship materials in an end-of-year review by leading Christian research organization, The Barna Group.

The conclusion that "biblical literacy is neither a current reality nor a goal in the U.S." is one of four major trends identified in a look back at 2009 studies.

"Bible reading has become the religious equivalent of sound-bite journalism," commented founder George Barna. "When people read from the Bible they typically open it, read a brief passage without much regard for the context, and consider the primary thought or feeling that the passage provided. If they are comfortable with it, they accept it; otherwise, they deem it interesting but irrelevant to their life, and move on.

"There is shockingly little growth evident in people's understanding of the fundamental themes of the scriptures and amazingly little interest in deepening their knowledge and application of biblical principles."

Among the findings that prompted Barna's concern were that:

- 68% of self-identified Christians had heard of spiritual gifts, a decline in the past decade; a minority (roughly one-third) could actually identify a biblical spiritual gift they claim to possess

- Less than one out of every five born again adults (19%) had a biblical worldview, which is unchanged in the past 15 years

- Just half of all self-identified Christians firmly believed the Bible to be totally accurate in all of the principles that it teaches

- Barely one-quarter of adults (27%) were confident that Satan exists

- Less than four out of every ten self-identified Christians firmly accept the teaching that a person can be influenced by spiritual forces, such as angels or demons

Source: The Barna Group

Read the full report at http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/12-faithspirituality/325-barna-studies-the-research-offers-a-year-in-review-perspective

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