American Bible Society Survey – Can’t Be True

A brief Excerpt: Podcast – Listen or Download According to the news articles linked below, the 2021 American Bible Society 'State of the Bible Report' was quoted as indicating that: "55 percent of Americans believe in biblical inerrancy." I am a traditional Biblical…

The Author is: Jeff Hilles

Podcast – Listen or Download

According to the news articles linked below, the 2021 American Bible Society ‘State of the Bible Report’ was quoted as indicating that:

“55 percent of Americans believe in biblical inerrancy.”

I am a traditional Biblical Christian and I would love to believe this is true. It was reported as such in the Baptist Press, the Biblical Recorder, the Baptist Messenger, and Sharper Iron, among other “news” sources. Further stating,

“Biblical inerrancy is professed by 55 percent of Americans, with even a greater portion of those surveyed, 71 percent, confessing that Scripture is the Word of God.”

The study surveyed 3,354 adults across the country through an online survey between Jan. 4-29, and also incorporated additional results from a relatively small group of youths ages 15-17.

Further quotes from the articles above include:

• “Approximately 7 in 10 Americans believe the Bible is essential in helping the nation sustain such values as faith (72 percent of respondents), hope (71 percent), and love (69 percent).”
• “54 percent of Americans believe the Bible contains “everything a person needs to live a meaningful life”, and “23 percent of Americans turned to the Bible as a source of comfort during the pandemic, and 38 percent relied on prayer and meditation to cope.”
• “In January [of 2020], we estimated that 70.9 million American adults were consistently interacting with the Bible and allowing its message to shape their choices and even transform their relationships.
• “The Millennial generation (aged 21-35) is leading all the other generational groups in Scripture engagement.”

Not Possible

Call me a skeptic but, this can’t be true. The research has to be flawed in some way. Perhaps the respondents did not understand the concept of “inerrancy” or the sample was not random or, whatever.

There have just been too many Pew Research, Barna and Gallup polls among others that fly in the face of these results. America is no longer a traditional Christian nation and has not been for quite some time. ABS polling results showing over half of Americans (not just Christians) believe the Bible is without any errors (i.e. inerrant), is just unfathomable. Below are a few past articles I have posted quoting other sources on the loss of our Biblical Christian worldview.

• “Research Results – Evangelicals in America”
• “Church Is Not The Problem“
• “The Bible Is Not Inspired”
• “Born-Again Christians say Jesus Not the Only Way to Heaven“
• “The Pulse of America in brief — Media | Politicians | God”
• “Why are families not going back to church?“

Again, I am a Biblical Christian and I believe the Bible is without error in its original autographs. Further, I desperately want and pray these results from the American Bible Society to be valid. But….. the ABS presenting research results like this is like the Tobacco Institute saying for 50+years that smoking was not damaging to your health. It just can’t be true, as much as I wish it were.