"The state of Catholic Bible study today"


"A Literate Church"


Catholics can take some solace in two developments, one less praiseworthy than the other.


Author David Gibson weighs in on this issue! Adapted from the Jesuit magazine "America," December 8, 2008.

"Biblical Illiteracy

"On the downside, surveys show that Catholics are hardly alone in their struggle for biblical literacy.

"While American Christians proudly cite the Bible as their favorite book (93 percent own one, usually the King James version) and two - thirds see it as the source for answers to all or most of life's basic questions, they actually do not know or understand much of what is written between the covers.

"Only half of U.S. adults, for example, could name a single Gospel, and most do not know the name of the first book of the Bible.

"Even those sola scriptura Protestants who intimidate Catholics with chapter - and - verse recitations are not doing too well."

60 percent say Jesus born in Jerusalem...


"According to a survey conducted in 2000, 60 percent of evangelicals said Jesus was born in Jerusalem, not that little town of Bethlehem.

"And despite all our bitter battles over posting the Ten Commandments, six in 10 Americans cannot name five of them, while half of high school seniors think Sodom and Gomorrah were married."


Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know -- and Doesn't



"When a USA Today article on Stephen Prothero's 2007 book, Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know -- and Doesn't, was titled America Gets an F in Religion, the eminent historian of religion, Martin E. Marty, quipped that the newspaper could be guilty of grade inflation..."