The stories woven throughout the Bible are essential to understanding God’s plan of salvation for humanity, yet not everyone who goes to church is fully aware of this, especially when it comes to stories from the Old Testament.
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According to newly released data from LifeWay Research, more than one in ten (11%) Protestant churchgoers accidentally tell a New Testament story when asked about their favorite Old Testament story, demonstrating a remarkable level of confusion among some believers.
In addition, 7% offer no story and 3% simply don’t know.
This explains a relatively large percentage of people who belong to a church but still do not know how the Bible is divided, presented and connected.
“Churchgoers may open a Bible in church, but at least one in five may not know how it is structured and what distinguishes the New Testament from the Old Testament,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, in a statement.
He continued, “Some of these participants may have been less engaged with the Bible, and others may not know the Bible themselves because someone else was always their GPS for navigating it.”
Confidence in the accurate portrayal of Bible stories is generally greatest among people with evangelistic faith and those who regularly attend church services.
The three most popular Old Testament stories among churchgoers were Moses and the Exodus (13%), Noah (11%) and Genesis (10%).
Ultimately, McConnell said, research shows that churches must continue to teach the Bible regularly. One fact that underscores this reality became clear when researchers asked participants, “How much of the story of Romulus and Remus that is in the Bible can you tell from memory?”
Only 39% said they did not believe it was a biblical story, and that’s true: Romulus and Remus – the twin brothers whose story is part of the legend surrounding the founding of Rome – are not mentioned in Scripture.
“Most churchgoers remember and can relate more than just the highlights of the major events of the Old Testament, but the majority also admit that they need a refresher on some details,” McConnell said.
The data is based on a survey of 1,008 American Protestant churchgoers conducted September 19-29, 2023.
