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Why do so many Christians read the Bible so little — and what would change if the church actually knew Scripture?
Last updated: November 9, 2026
Biblical literacy is the ability to read, understand, and rightly apply the Bible: knowing what Scripture says, grasping the single story it tells from creation to new creation with Jesus Christ at its center, and having the skills to interpret a passage in its context. Bible literacy is not Bible trivia. A biblically literate Christian knows the text, understands what its authors meant, and is being shaped by it in belief and life (2 Timothy 3:16–17). The sections below define it, show why it matters, and gather the best evangelical guidance on how to become biblically literate.
Biblical literacy means knowing the Bible’s content, understanding its storyline and meaning, and letting it form you. Surveys show many Christians revere Scripture but rarely read it. Evangelical teachers agree the remedy is not a new program but old habits: reading whole books of the Bible, learning to ask what the author meant, sitting under faithful expository preaching, and reading Scripture together in the local church.
Ask a room of churchgoers whether the Bible is the Word of God and nearly every hand goes up. Ask them to trace the story from Abraham to David, to explain what a covenant is, or to say why Leviticus matters to a Christian, and the room goes quiet. That gap between reverence for Scripture and knowledge of Scripture is what evangelicals mean by the biblical literacy problem. It is not new: the prophets lamented a people destroyed “for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6), and the writer of Hebrews rebuked believers who still needed milk when they should have been teachers (Hebrews 5:12). But a culture of skimming, scrolling, and verse-of-the-day devotionals has made it more acute.
Questions: "How important is the Bible in your life?" and "How often do you do each of the following? Read scripture outside of religious services" (at least once a week).
| Group | Bible extremely or very important | Reads scripture at least weekly | Gap (points) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All U.S. adults | 44% | 22% | 22 |
| Evangelical Protestant | 82% | 51% | 31 |
| Historically Black Protestant | 84% | 46% | 38 |
| Latter-day Saint | 80% | 59% | 21 |
| Mainline Protestant | 45% | 18% | 27 |
| Catholic | 46% | 14% | 32 |
| Orthodox Christian | 46% | 15% | 31 |
| Religiously unaffiliated | 10% | 3% | 7 |
Source: Pew Research Center, 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study, chapter 7: Importance of religion and the Bible. Fielded July 17, 2023 to March 4, 2024; 36,908 U.S. adults; margin of error plus or minus 0.8 percentage points (national sample); higher for subgroups. Pew Research Center, 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study: Prayer, reading scripture and other religious practices. Fielded July 17, 2023 to March 4, 2024; 36,908 U.S. adults; margin of error plus or minus 0.8 percentage points (national sample); higher for subgroups. Chart by Christian Curator. Pew Research Center bears no responsibility for the analyses or interpretations of the data presented here. The opinions expressed herein, including any implications for policy, are those of the author and not of Pew Research Center.
| Grade | Score range | Share of churchgoers |
|---|---|---|
| F | below 60 | 65% |
| D | 60 to 69 | 9% |
| C | 70 to 79 | 9% |
| B | 80 to 89 | 8% |
| A | 90 and higher | 9% |
| Average | 51 out of 100 |
Source: Lifeway Research, 2 in 3 Churchgoers Fail Bible Literacy Quiz (Bible Literacy 2026). Fielded August 12-29, 2026; 2,012 American Christian churchgoers; margin of error plus or minus 2.2 percentage points. Chart by Christian Curator.
The stakes are pastoral, not academic. Christians who do not know the Bible’s storyline struggle to read any one passage well, so they fall back on proof-texts, moralisms, or whatever a favorite teacher says. They are more exposed to the prosperity gospel and to progressive reinterpretations, and less able to weather honest doubt; many stories of faith deconstruction begin with a faith that was sincere but thinly rooted in Scripture. The good news is that biblical literacy is learnable. It grows the way all literacy grows: through steady reading, good teachers, and practice in asking the right questions of a text.
Evangelicals broadly agree on that diagnosis. Where they differ is in emphasis: whether the cure begins with training in careful study, with devotional habits that make the Bible a daily delight, or with the local church’s public reading and preaching of the Word. Most wise readers end up wanting all three.
Biblical literacy also sits at the center of several related questions. It is the fruit of the first of the spiritual disciplines, regular Bible intake. It rests on confidence that Scripture is trustworthy, the subject of biblical inerrancy. It equips believers to give reasons for their hope, the work of Christian apologetics. And it is one of the best safeguards against the drift into progressive Christianity that so often follows a sincere but thinly rooted faith. The companion guides after the FAQ take up each of these in turn.
In August 2026 Lifeway Research quizzed 2,012 American Christian churchgoers on the Bible. Try five of the questions, reworded here, then see how churchgoers did on each skill.
Who was the first king of Israel?
Answer: Saul. Saul was anointed by Samuel (1 Samuel 10:1). David was the second king. 45% of churchgoers got this right.
Which part of the Bible does 1 Samuel belong to?
Answer: History. 1 Samuel is one of the Old Testament history books, between Ruth and 2 Samuel. 29% of churchgoers got this right.
Is the Gospel of Thomas one of the books of the Bible?
Answer: No. The Gospel of Thomas is not in the Old or New Testament. 56% of churchgoers got this right.
Finish Micah 6:8: the Lord requires you to act justly, love mercy, and walk ___ with your God.
Answer: humbly. "Walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8). 28% of churchgoers got this right.
"God helps those who help themselves." Is that line in the Bible?
Answer: No. It is a proverb, not a verse of Scripture. 51% of churchgoers got this right.
The chart shows every question Lifeway reported in its release. One item, which miracle the Gospels do not record, is left out because the release and Lifeway's frequencies report give different figures for it.
| Skill | Question | Correct answer | Answered correctly |
|---|---|---|---|
| People and events | Who received the Ten Commandments | Moses | 94% |
| People and events | First king of Israel | Saul | 45% |
| People and events | Feast celebrating God sparing Israel's firstborn | Passover | 74% |
| Story order | Order four Old Testament events | Deborah, Goliath, Jonah, Esther | 11% |
| Story order | Order four New Testament events | Mary's song, Nicodemus, Peter's denial, Paul's arrest | 27% |
| Books and genres | Book with the Great Flood | Genesis | 64% |
| Books and genres | Book with the anointing of Israel's first king | 1 Samuel | 35% |
| Books and genres | Mark's section of the Bible | Gospels | 56% |
| Books and genres | 1 Samuel's section of the Bible | History | 29% |
| Canon | 1 Corinthians | New Testament | 74% |
| Canon | Psalms | Old Testament | 73% |
| Canon | Gospel of Thomas | Not a book in the Bible | 56% |
| Canon | Haggar | Not a book in the Bible | 49% |
| Canon | Philemon | New Testament | 45% |
| Canon | Hezekiah | Not a book in the Bible | 33% |
| Famous verses | John 3:16, 'whosoever ___ in him' | believeth | 80% |
| Famous verses | Micah 6:8, 'walk ___ with thy God' | humbly | 28% |
| Is this in the Bible? | 'Vengeance is mine; I will repay' | Yes (Romans 12:19) | 74% |
| Is this in the Bible? | 'God helps those who help themselves' | No | 51% |
Source: Lifeway Research, 2 in 3 Churchgoers Fail Bible Literacy Quiz (Bible Literacy 2026). Fielded August 12-29, 2026; 2,012 American Christian churchgoers; margin of error plus or minus 2.2 percentage points. Figures for Gospel of Thomas, Haggar, Philemon, Hezekiah are from Lifeway's frequencies report. Questions in the five-question check are our paraphrases. Chart by Christian Curator.
Every voice below holds a high view of Scripture and agrees that the church has a Bible literacy problem. The disagreement is about where recovery begins: in the study, in the prayer closet, or in the pew. These are differences of emphasis, not of conviction, and most of these teachers would affirm all three.
Read side by side, these three emphases look less like rival positions and more like three strands of one rope. Careful study keeps devotional reading from drifting into “what this verse means to me.” Devotional delight keeps study from becoming a merely academic exercise. And the gathered church, where Scripture is read aloud, preached through book by book, and discussed together, is where both are tested and sustained. A Christian who has only one strand tends to fray.
The practical consensus is striking. Read whole books, not fragments. Ask first what the author intended, then how it applies. Learn the Bible’s big story so every passage has a home, and see how that story finds its center in Christ (Luke 24:27). Sit under preaching that explains the text, and read with others who will sharpen you. None of this is new, which is the point: biblical literacy is recovered less by innovation than by returning to the ordinary means God has always used to form his people through his Word.
Biblical literacy is the ability to read, understand, and rightly apply the Bible as a whole. It means knowing what Scripture contains (its books, people, events, and teaching), grasping the one storyline that runs from creation to new creation and centers on Jesus Christ, and having the basic skills to interpret a passage in its context. For evangelicals the goal is not trivia but transformation: knowing God through his Word and being shaped by it (2 Timothy 3:16–17).
The two phrases mean the same thing and are used interchangeably. “Bible literacy” is simply the more common everyday wording; “biblical literacy” is the term more often used by pastors, educators, and researchers. Both describe a working knowledge of the Bible’s content and story plus the ability to read it accurately for yourself.
Most evangelical definitions combine three things: content (knowing what the Bible says), comprehension (understanding what it means in context), and formation (being changed by it). Jen Wilkin offers a simple working definition in Let’s Talk about Our Bible Literacy Problem: having a Bible in a language you understand and “steadily moving toward knowledge and understanding of the text.” On that definition, literacy is a direction of growth, not a finish line.
A biblically literate Christian can find their way around the Bible, tell its big story in their own words, recognize how a passage fits that story, and ask the right first question of a text: what did the author intend? They read whole books rather than isolated verses, know the major covenants and how they point to Christ, and can test what they hear against Scripture, as the Bereans did (Acts 17:11). It is less about a score on a quiz than about being able to hear God speak accurately through his Word.
Because Scripture is how God makes himself known and forms his people. Faith comes by hearing the word of Christ (Romans 10:17); Scripture equips believers “for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17); and Jesus repeatedly asked his hearers, “Have you not read?” Christians who do not know the Bible are more easily swayed by false teaching, less able to give a reason for their hope (1 Peter 3:15), and more vulnerable when serious doubts arrive. That is one reason biblical literacy and faith deconstruction are so closely connected.
Start with steady, whole-book reading rather than random verses: read a book of the Bible straight through, then read it again. Use simple tools such as a map, a timeline, a good study Bible, and a second translation. Learn the Bible’s overarching story so individual passages have a home. Sit under preaching that works through whole books, join a Bible study that reads the text closely, and memorize key passages. Twenty focused minutes a day, kept up for a year, will do more than an ambitious plan abandoned in February.
It depends on the survey and the measure. Barna reports weekly Bible reading rising in 2025, led by Gen Z and Millennials. American Bible Society reports that Scripture engagement came back down in 2026. Lifeway Research finds Gen Z churchgoers study the Bible more than older churchgoers, yet they are among the most likely to say it has not made a significant difference in how they live. Gallup finds fewer Americans than in past decades see the Bible as the literal word of God. Knowledge is a separate question: in Lifeway’s 2026 Bible literacy quiz, two in three churchgoers failed. Our survey tracker sets these surveys side by side, each with its own question and sample. As Albert Mohler argues in The Scandal of Biblical Illiteracy, evangelical leaders generally agree the problem is the church’s to fix through preaching, teaching, and family discipleship, not something to blame on secular culture.
Churches build biblical literacy by preaching through whole books of the Bible, reading Scripture aloud generously in worship, teaching members how to read (not just what to conclude), and centering small groups on the text itself. Equipping parents for family Bible reading, offering classes on the Bible’s storyline and basic interpretation, and modeling a love for Scripture from the pulpit all compound over time. See also our topics on discipleship and preaching.
Engagement measures disagree, so the honest answer depends on the survey and the measure. Barna shows a 2025 rise in weekly Bible reading (30% in 2024 to 42% in 2025), led by Gen Z and Millennials. American Bible Society shows its Scripture Engaged segment down in 2026, at 17%. Lifeway finds Gen Z churchgoers reading more (22% study the Bible daily) but applying less (43% say it has not made a significant difference in how they live).
| Frequency | U.S. adults |
|---|---|
| At least once a week | 22% |
| Once or twice a month | 7% |
| Several times a year | 9% |
| Seldom or never | 61% |
Source: Pew Research Center, 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study: Prayer, reading scripture and other religious practices. Fielded July 17, 2023 to March 4, 2024; 36,908 U.S. adults; margin of error plus or minus 0.8 percentage points (national sample); higher for subgroups. Chart by Christian Curator. Pew Research Center bears no responsibility for the analyses or interpretations of the data presented here. The opinions expressed herein, including any implications for policy, are those of the author and not of Pew Research Center.
| Group | Measure | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Gen Z (18 to 28) | Studies the Bible every day | 22% |
| Millennials (29 to 44) | Studies the Bible every day | 18% |
| Gen X (45 to 60) | Studies the Bible every day | 14% |
| Boomers and older (61+) | Studies the Bible every day | 15% |
| Gen Z (18 to 28) | Says reading and studying the Bible has not made a significant difference in the way they live their life | 43% |
| Gen Z (18 to 28) | Agrees the Bible is the written Word of God and is totally accurate in all that it teaches | 69% |
Source: Lifeway Research, Gen Z Churchgoers Attend More but Often Lag in Application (State of Discipleship). Fielded March 19-26, 2025; 2,130 Protestant churchgoers; margin of error plus or minus 2.21 percentage points. Chart by Christian Curator.
| Survey | Field dates | Literal | Inspired | Fables |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2022 | May 2-22, 2022 | 20% | 49% | 29% |
| May 2017 | May 3-7, 2017 | 24% | 47% | 26% |
| May 2014 | May 8-11, 2014 (half sample) | 28% | 47% | 21% |
| May 2011 | May 5-8, 2011 | 30% | 49% | 17% |
| Dec 2008 | December 4-7, 2008 | 27% | 50% | 21% |
| May 2008 | May 8-11, 2008 | 30% | 46% | 22% |
| Dec 2007 | December 6-9, 2007 | 28% | 51% | 18% |
| May 2007 | May 10-13, 2007 | 32% | 45% | 21% |
| May 2006 | May 8-11, 2006 | 28% | 49% | 19% |
| May 2005 | May 2-5, 2005 | 32% | 47% | 18% |
| Nov 2004 | November 7-10, 2004 | 34% | 48% | 15% |
| Dec 2002 | December 9-10, 2002 | 30% | 52% | 15% |
| Feb 2001 | February 19-21, 2001 | 27% | 49% | 20% |
| Jun 1998 | June 22-23, 1998 | 33% | 47% | 17% |
| Jun 1993 | June 18-21, 1993 | 35% | 48% | 14% |
| Nov 1991 | November 21-23, 1991 | 32% | 49% | 16% |
| Nov 1984 | November 1984 | 40% | 41% | 12% |
| Sep 1984 | September 1984 | 37% | 46% | 12% |
| May 1983 | May 1983 | 37% | 43% | 11% |
| Dec 1981 | December 11-14, 1981 | 37% | 42% | 11% |
| Jul 1980 | July 29 to August 2, 1980 | 40% | 45% | 10% |
| Apr 1978 | April 18 to May 1, 1978 | 38% | 45% | 13% |
| Aug 1976 | August 24-27, 1976 | 38% | 45% | 13% |
Source: Gallup, Fewer in U.S. Now See Bible as Literal Word of God. Fielded 23 surveys, Aug 1976 to May 2022; latest fielded May 2-22, 2022; 1,007 U.S. adults (2022 wave); margin of error plus or minus 4 percentage points (2022 wave). Chart by Christian Curator from the figures Gallup publishes; no Gallup graphic is reproduced.
These surveys are quoted as text, not charted, until their publishers grant permission. Barna asks whether people read the Bible weekly; ABS sorts people into Scripture engagement segments built from several questions. They are different measures.
| Survey | Measure | Group | Year | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barna Group | Reads the Bible weekly | U.S. adults | 2000 | 39% |
| Barna Group | Reads the Bible weekly | U.S. adults | 2024 | 30% |
| Barna Group | Reads the Bible weekly | U.S. adults | 2025 | 42% |
| Barna Group | Reads the Bible weekly | Self-identified Christians | 2025 | 50% |
| Barna Group | Reads the Bible weekly | Gen Z | 2024 | 30% |
| Barna Group | Reads the Bible weekly | Gen Z | 2025 | 49% |
| Barna Group | Reads the Bible weekly | Millennials | 2025 | 50% |
| Barna Group | Reads the Bible weekly | Gen X | 2025 | 41% |
| Barna Group | Reads the Bible weekly | Boomers | 2025 | 31% |
| American Bible Society | Scripture Engaged (ABS Scripture Engagement segment) | U.S. adults | 2026 | 17% |
Source: Barna Group, How Millennials and Gen Z Are Driving a Bible Reading Comeback (State of the Church 2025, with Gloo). Fielded January to October 2025 (2025 data); tracking since 2000; 12,116 online interviews in 2025; 138,556 adults across the 25-year series; margin of error not published on the source page. Question wording: Barna does not print the question on this page; the measure is reported reading the Bible at least weekly.
Source: American Bible Society, State of the Bible: USA 2026, chapter 1, The Bible in America. Fielded January 8-27, 2026; 2,649 American adults; margin of error not published in the press release. Question wording: Composite segment from ABS's Scripture Engagement Scale, not a single question; definitions at StateoftheBible.org.
Methods. We do not merge surveys; each panel is one survey's own measure, with its own question, sample and field dates, and panels do not share an axis. Figures are copied from each publisher's release or report and checked against the source page on the date in the data file. Charts are ours; no publisher's chart or image is reproduced.
Cite this page: "What Is Biblical Literacy?" Christian Curator, https://www.christiancurator.com/topics/biblical-literacy/, last updated November 9, 2026. Data: surveys.json.