Biblical illiteracy in 2019

150 pastors in Ohio proclaimed 2019 as the “Year of the Bible.”

Several states introduced bills to teach Bible literacy in public schools.

The president of the United States cheered their efforts.

A recent talk I heard about biblical illiteracy was on the Christian Post Podcast with Brandon Showalter. He spoke with Dan Kimball, founding pastor of Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz, California.

The discussion was good, and Kimball pointed out one of the most pressing concerns about biblical illiteracy, which is belief “in a Jesus who’s very different from the savior in the Bible.”

However, as they talked about when biblical illiteracy became a problem and why, they made the same mistake many others have made. They focused on their personal observations of the problem instead of the historical record.

And the historical record is where we’re going next.

This trip “back in time” will put the biblical illiteracy problem in proper perspective, and it might help us think about better solutions.