Tag Archives: Bible

Only 28 Percent of Americans Say Bible The “Actual Word of God”

A new Gallup poll shows that only 28 percent of Americans believe the Bible is the “actual Word of God” and should be “taken literally, word for word.”  The number continues the decline seen every year since 1979 (with the exception of holding firm in 2012.)

The poll showed that almost 50 percent of Americans said the Bible was the “inspired Word of God” and that the content should not be taken literally.  The 47 percent who said they believe that way is 5 percent below the high point for that question in the 2003 survey.

The number of people who say the Bible is just a book of fables reached a record high of 21 percent.

Gallup claims the study shows “two ongoing debates” in Christian theological circles.

“One is about whether the words of the Bible came directly from God — essentially using the writers as scribes — or if they are the words of men, but guided by divine inspiration,” Gallup said in the report. “The other debate involves the meaning of the words: whether they should be taken literally, or be viewed partly — or merely — as metaphors and allegories that allow for interpretation.”

Jeff Foxworthy: Christians Don’t Know The Bible As Well Today

Jeff Foxworthy, clean comedian and Christian husband & father, says that Christians today don’t know Scripture as well as they did years ago.

Foxworthy, who hosts “The American Bible Challenge” on secular cable channel Game Show Network with gospel music legend Kirk Franklin, spoke of the lack of Biblical literacy he’s seen during his time hosting the show.

“We have way too many distractions these days,” Foxworthy told the Christian Post.  He said the people on the show are very knowledgeable but that it’s that head knowledge which initially made him not want to host a “Bible game show.”

“My faith is very important to me, but when they first asked me about it I had to say, ‘Let me go think about this, because can you do a game show about the Bible?’ Really, I didn’t want to be in line at hell looking up going, ‘It was a game show, right? That’s why it was a game show.’ And we kind of went back and forth because – and I’ll tell you where I landed. I thought it would be kind of weird to just reward people for the things that they knew, because the only people Jesus got sideways with were the Pharisees who had all this head knowledge but they had no heart knowledge.”

Foxworthy is the one who came up with the idea that those who win would get a financial award to give to their community.

Foxworthy also told the Post that it was 20 years ago during the height of his “You Might Be A Redneck If..” period that he felt led to be bolder about his faith.

“That happens in so many ways, whether it’s sharing a testimony at a Wild game dinner, leading a small group Bible study at a homeless shelter for years or hosting the “American Bible Challenge”,” Foxworthy said.

Maya Angelou Says Faith In God Made Her “Courageous”

Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree Maya Angelou, who died Wednesday at the age of 86, said that it was her faith that made her so bold in standing for what was right.

“When I found that I knew not only that there was God but that I was a child of God, when I understood that, when I comprehended that, more than that, when I internalized that, ingested that, I became courageous,” Angelou told the New Orleans Times-Picayune in 2013.

“When I was asked to do something good, I often say yes, I’ll try, yes, I’ll do my best,” she continued, “And part of that is believing, if God loves me, if God made everything from leaves to seals and oak trees, then what is it I can’t do?”

Angelou often stated that before she began to write anything, she would spend time in prayer.  Part of her “writing ritual” was to have a Bible with her when she was writing.

A civil rights leader who spent much time working with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Angelou said that her faith in God is what allowed her to see that all people were created equal under God because God created everyone.

“I will see human beings and I believe — whether they believe it or not — I believe they were made by God and I’m not in a position to put them down because they look different from me,” Angelou said.

Apologetics Leader Says Christians Need To Engage Through Arts

The executive director of Athanatos Christian Ministries, an apologetics ministry, says that Christians need to realize they need to engage the culture through the arts.

Anthony Horvath pointed to recent advances of anti-Christian beliefs being approved by government bodies and judges, saying those actions didn’t come quickly by any method other than intentional manipulation of culture through television, movies and books.

“The Church needs to get financially involved in supporting apologists and artists, because they will be the last remaining frontline representatives of the Gospel when the church buildings in America empty – as they have done in post-Christian Europe. And frankly, time is of the essence,” he said.

Horvath said that Christians have taken for granted too long that Christianity is a respected voice in the marketplace of ideas because it has been that way for a long time.  He says that now more vocal anti-Christianists are trying to remove that voice and work to make even culture engagement unwelcome.

“We are called to preach the Gospel, Horvath told The Christian Post. “To do that today means thinking carefully about our audience, adjusting where necessary, and remembering that the Bible says, ‘The worker is worth his wages.’ Christians who believe we should be more involved in the culture through art should support those Christians who are engaged in that work. Not just moral support, but financially, institutionally, and other tangible forms of support.”

Texas Church Wins Injunction To Have Bible Studies In School

A Whitney, Texas church has won a temporary injunction against a school district that had refused to allow the church on their grounds for a Bible study.

Judge F.B. McGregor ruled that Prairie Valley Baptist Church has the same rights to rent the school for after-school clubs and meetings because other community groups are given the opportunity.

The church’s associate pastor and youth minister had contacted the school district last December to hold an after-school Bible study at Whitney High School.  The school’s Superintendent, Gene Solis, contacted the church before the application was even formally submitted, saying he was rejecting the request because if the church was allowed to use the facilities then “fringe groups” could also use them.

Pastor Drew Tucker said he asked the Superintendent to reconsider and then presented the request to the school board.  Superintendent Solis then urged the board to reject the request because the Bible study would be illegal and violate school board policy.

After the Liberty Institute contacted the school, the pastor applied again only to be denied because the school claimed it would cause a traffic congestion problem.

The court ruled the Bible study could take place while the case moves through the court system.  The Liberty Institute praised the court’s decision, saying that it follows well-established federal and state laws on the free exercise of religion.

May 1 Marks 63rd Annual National Day of Prayer

The 63rd annual National Day of Prayer took place on May 1st.

Over 40,000 events were scheduled to take place nationwide over the court of the day including many at local and national government buildings.  While government officials do not officially sponsor the events, many were in attendance at various events.

The theme for this year’s event was “One Voice, United in Prayer.”

“With our nation divided on so many issues, many wonder how Americans can come together with one mind and one voice,” said Shirley Dobson, chairman of the National Day of Prayer Task Force.

The 25th annual U.S. Capitol Bible reading marathon where every word of the Bible is read aloud from the steps of the capitol building preceded the prayer in Washington, D.C..  The reading completes during the National Day of Prayer.

Louisiana Lawmaker Pulls Bible As Official State Book Bill

A Louisiana lawmaker has abandoned his bill to make the Bible the state’s official book.

State Rep. Thomas Carmody had filed HB 503 and it had even passed through a committee hearing before he took the action to pull the bill from consideration.  The bill would have made a specific Bible currently in the possession of the state the “official state book.”

Carmody pulled the bill after other lawmakers said it caused a “distraction” that took away from other issues that needed to be addressed by the state legislature.

Several Democratic opponents to the bill kept pointing out that it would likely be challenged in court, drawing away tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars on something that did not need to be spent.  However, at least one legal scholar believes the law would have been just fine.

“Judges are likely to think that this is de minimis, too minor to care about,” Professor Douglas Laycock of the Virginia School of Law told the New Orleans Times-Picayune.  “They don’t tell the President he can’t issue Thanksgiving proclamations or host a national prayer breakfast, and judges are likely to view this the same way.”

Students Carry Bibles To Protest Teacher’s Actions

The Bible was seen all over the hallways at a Missouri school after a teacher told two students they weren’t allowed to even read their Bibles in the hallway.

Kiela English, 15, a freshman at Potosi High School, was reading the Bible with a friend and discussing a passage when a teacher confronted them and said they had to put the Bible away and stop pushing their religion on people.  The two girls had not been speaking to anyone else about the Bible or its contents.

Kiela’s mother posted on Facebook about the incident and it developed into a call for students to bring their Bibles to school and carry them around as a form of protest showing their rights to have their Bibles in school.

Students say the protest was effective in that not only did they show their dedication to the Scriptures, they also did it in way that did not disrupt the school day or show disrespect to the administration.

Potosi Superintendent Randy Davis said an investigation is ongoing regarding the incident but that he had no problem with the girls bringing their Bibles.

“We have absolutely no problem with our students bringing their Bible,” Davis said.  “We firmly believe in freedom of religion and students practicing their religion.”

Teachers Violated Student Rights In Banning Bible Coins

A California school district has ruled that teachers violated the rights of Christian students when they prohibited the distribution of a series of Bible coins.

The students were giving classmates coins that were printed with different Bible verses including John 3:16 and John 3:36.

“We’re going to make sure that students are protected,” Apple Valley School District Superintendent Thomas Hoegerman told the San Bernadino Sun.  “There was no malicious intent but we clearly had folks who didn’t fully understand the implications.”

The children were giving the coins to their friends during recess periods and not during actual class time when they were stopped by teachers.

One of the teachers, Stormy DeHaro, told her student she hated the coins and they were a distraction to her class.  A second teacher removed them from Valentine’s cards a student brought to her class and returned them to the child saying they were a violation “of the Ed Code.”

The superintendent says he regrets the incident and the problems it caused to the student’s family.

Louisiana Closer To Making Bible Official State Book

The state of Louisiana is moving closer to naming the Holy Bible the official state book.

A committee in the House of Representatives approved the legislation last week and the bill now moves to the entire House for discussion and floor vote.  The House Committee on Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs passed the bill on an 8 to 5 vote.

The bill’s sponsor says that the purpose of the measure is not an attempt to establish an official state religion.

“It’s not to the exclusion of anyone else’s sacred literature,” Republican Representative Thomas Carmody told the Christian Post.  Carmody said the Bible reflects America’s history and founding principles as outlined by the Founding Fathers.

Critics of the bill say its unnecessary and makes the state open to lawsuits by anti-Christian activists.  The ACLU of Louisiana has also expressed their concerns about the bill saying the official state book should related to the history of Louisiana.