After four years of research, American Bible Society has found the Bible landscape in the U.S. is shifting.<\/p>\n
A new report released today finds the percentage of Americans who are considered “Bible engaged”i is now equal to the percentage who do not believe the Bible to be sacredii\u201d\u201dboth at 19 percent. The latest findings are in American Bible Society\u2019s fourth annual State of the Bible survey. Since 2011, this latter category of \u201cBible skeptics\u201d\u009diii has risen from 10 percent to 19 percent of those surveyed. During the same period, the percentage considered “Bible-friendly”iv dropped from 45 percent to 37 percent, while \u201cBible-engaged\u201d\u009d remained steady. The percentage of those considered neutralv toward the Bible, 26 percent in 2014, has remained statistically unchanged.<\/p>\n
The report, conducted by Barna Group, details Americans\u2019 beliefs about the Bible, its role in society, its presence in U.S. homes and other information about the best-selling book of all time. As in previous years, the survey found the Bible remains a highly valued, influential force in America. But beliefs about the Bible and its role in society are becoming increasingly polarized\u201d\u201dparticularly when the data are examined by age group.<\/p>\n