Yesterday on BBC Radio Four’s Sunday programme (about 10 minutes before the end) they shared some preliminary results from a National Biblical Literacy Survey carried out by St. John’s College, Durham. The results will come as no surprise, but they do paint a sorry picture of a nation that has forgotten God:
- Encouragingly, 75% of people surveyed owned a Bible, though few ever read it
- 57% could say nothing at all about the story of Joseph and his brothers, despite the popular musical
- 60% could say nothing at all about the Good Samaritan (“wasn’t he the man who helped the woman at the well?”, asks one interviewee)
- One of the commentators involved in education said many of her students couldn’t even tell you which came first: the crucifixion or the resurrection of Jesus
“Why does any of this matter?”, you may ask. Kudos to Nicky Gumbell, one of the guests on the show, for a very clear presentation of what’s at stake: God tells us that the Bible is the ultimate revelation of his character, will and plan, and that it’s therefore powerful to change people. As the wonderful Vijay Menon often likes to put it, it’s pure dynamite. Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of God, which is ultimately the world’s biggest problem.
Sounds to me like a great time to be making Old Testament adventure games to help share with people the amazing message of the Bible.
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