The Crisis and Opportunity of Biblical Illiteracy
There is a theological famine in our churches. We can either roll our eyes or roll up our sleeves.
The 2022 biennial State of Theology study conducted by Lifeway Research revealed some troubling findings about what evangelicals say they believe. Nearly 3 in 4 (73%) believe Jesus is the “first and greatest being created by God” and 60% believe the Holy Spirit is “an impersonal force, but not a personal being.” We have a problem. There’s a disturbing lack of theological literacy in the church.
So how should pastors and church leaders address this doctrinal deficit and teach theology?
In a piece for Lifeway Research, I offered five suggestions. Here are a few things:
The temptation for those of us who have been seminary trained is to roll our eyes in a kind of cynical posture, decrying the state of the church. Or maybe we mock the preferences of the people in the pews: the music, the books, the content they consume. While that kind of reaction might go viral on social media among the leadership class or elicit a hearty round of laughter in the faculty lounge, it doesn’t help our people grow in their theological understanding.
Instead, pastors should embrace this moment as an opportunity to teach afresh wonderful, life-giving, soul-stirring Christian orthodoxy. We’ve been given a body of truth, handed down from the apostles, entrusted to our care as pastors and teachers. This is our mission.
There has been so much interaction on social media around this report with everyone across the theological and political spectrum importing their own biases into this in order to advance their own kind of objectives. But really what this report is calling out for pastors and churches to do is to simply roll up our sleeves and joyfully teach theology to those whom God has entrusted to our care.
Another point:
But today, consider that the average churchgoer may only attend church twice a month and likely hears less than an hour of sermon content. The rest of their weeks may be filled by other voices, some that amplify Christian truth and others that directly counter it. So, the starting place of our preaching should be simple, clear, and accessible. This doesn’t mean we water down the sacred mysteries of the Bible but that we lead our people to the food of God’s Word, not assuming they can walk there on their own.
This might mean that in our preaching, we intentionally explain key terms—terms we were probably able to assume in another era. It means we recommend good books and resources. It means we’re patient and kind when, in our conversations, our parishioners don’t quite understand the theological language we’ve become accustomed to using. Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, patiently feeds and cares for us, His sheep. And so must faithful pastors patiently, carefully care for their sheep.
On this point, those of us who have been seminary trained should not assume the average church-going evangelical understands the terms we use with frequency. So terms like “propitiation”, etc. Instead, we should patiently, clearly, joyfully, without condescension or pride, explain the wonderful truths of God’s word.
I’ve got a few other suggestions, so I invite you to read the whole piece at Lifeway Research. I’m thankful they asked me to write about this.