Bible illiteracy

People don't read like they used to. Newspaper offices are closing. Magazines are struggling to survive. Things are changing. I work in a library. If we were to base our spending decisions totally on demand, we would move out the books to make room for more videos and computer stations.

As literacy fades in our society, how will the Bible retain its place of influence? It has survived years of distance from the original authors and languages. It has been made readily available by means of the printing press and a world that produces books easily and economically. It is the all-time bestseller. But can it continue to be influential if people simply quit reading?

I was in a Bible study this week that arrived at the banks of the Red Sea with the Egyptians in hot pursuit. The pillar of cloud separated the Israelites from their pursuers and an east wind blew all night, piling up the water and exposing dry ground for crossing. One of the group expressed surprise concerning the long night of wind. In his mental picture, Moses (AKA Charlton Heston) holds his rod over the water and it divides like magic, no wind required. The most popular video version of the story doesn't quite jive with the biblical account behind it. If that's true for action scenes such as this, is it evern conceivable to consider converting the Bible to video format?

The good news in all this is that people are still acquiring the necessary skills for reading the Bible. They may be spending less time doing sustained reading of print material, but text continues to be used widely on the internet, perhaps the strongest replacement for the print material that was being consumed twenty-five years ago (well into the age of television). Literacy is still important to our society.

Still, how can we motivate people to include time with the Bible in their days? How can we form biblically literate disciples of Jesus Christ? How can we persuade them to turn off their iPods long enough to focus on a chapter or two from the living Word of God? Would it be better to somehow get an audio version of the Bible onto their iPods?

The Bible has survived a lot of challenges over the years. It will be interesting to see how it comes through this one.'