My purpose in Bible805 is to help you know, trust, apply, and teach the Bible.
I know personally from many years of teaching how little many people in our world today know nothing about the Bible, but even then, though I deal with this all the time, I was shocked with the results of these studies that were done last year in 2025. The two studies that both measured current Bible literacy in the U.S. are:
A 2025 study by the National Bible Literacy Project
The 2025 State of the Bible by the American Bible Society
Below I’ll share 6 facts from the studies and then a few closing comments. You can either listen to them, or read them below the podcast.
Current Bible Literacy Fact # 1. American Teens Show “Dramatic Decline” in Bible Literacy
A major 2025 study by the National Bible Literacy Project tested 10,000 U.S. high‑school students and found:
- Only 28% could identify Moses as the one who received the Ten Commandments — down from 45% in 2015. [^1]
- Only 12% could name all four Gospels — down from 23% a decade earlier. [^1]
- 63% confused the story of David and Goliath with Greek mythology when given mixed narratives. [^1]
- Among mainline Protestant teens, only 19% could correctly summarize the Good Samaritan. [^1]
Quote:
“Passive scrolling through verses doesn’t build the narrative understanding that came from regular reading or Sunday school instruction.” — Dr. Robert Henderson, lead researcher [^1]
Current Bible Literacy Fact # 2. Biblical Allusions Are Now Meaningless to Most Students
The same study reports that biblical references in literature — once universally understood — are now lost:
Quote:
“When students encounter ‘the valley of the shadow of death’ in poetry or ‘the writing on the wall’ in Shakespeare, these allusions are increasingly meaningless to them.” — Dr. Maria Gonzalez, Columbia University Teachers College [^1]
This confirms that biblical literacy has collapsed not only in churches but in the broader culture.
Current Bible Literacy Fact # 3. American Bible Society: Bible Engagement Has Declined for Years
The State of the Bible 2025 report notes a “concerning decline in U.S. Bible engagement” over recent years. [^2]
Although 2024–2025 saw a slight rebound in Bible interest, the long‑term trend is downward.
Quote:
“Over the past few years, our research has revealed a concerning decline in U.S. Bible engagement.” — American Bible Society, 2025 Report [^2]
This means fewer people are reading, understanding, or applying Scripture — even among those who identify as Christian.
Current Bible Literacy Fact # 4. Even Evangelical Teens Are Losing Biblical Knowledge
The National Bible Literacy Project found:
- Evangelical teens’ literacy scores fell 11 percentage points since 2020. [^1]
This is especially striking because evangelical churches typically emphasize Bible teaching.
Observation # 5. Other Religions Sometimes Know the Bible Better Than Christians
One surprising finding:
- 42% of Muslim teens scored higher than Christian teens on stories about Abraham and Joseph. [^1]
This reflects stronger narrative teaching in Islamic education compared to many Christian contexts.
Current Bible Literacy Fact # 6 CONCLUSION the American Bible Society.
Across multiple sources, the data is clear:
- Biblical literacy is collapsing across all age groups.
- Young people — including church kids — know less about the Bible than any previous generation.
- Cultural references to Scripture no longer make sense to most Americans.
- Even basic Bible facts (Gospels, Moses, David & Goliath) are no longer known.
- Churches cannot assume any background knowledge whatsoever.
References (2)
[^1]: Bible Literacy Test Scores Show Dramatic Decline Among American Teens …. https://www.freebiblestudyhub.com/archives/57767
[^2]: State of the Bible. https://www.americanbible.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/SOTB-2025-06-Final.pdf
This is extremely concerning for those of us, and I know that includes many of you listening who care deeply about obeying the Great Commission from Jesus where we are told to not only share the message of salvation, but to “teach everything Jesus commanded.”
In closin,g to solve the concerns listed here and to turn the tide of Biblical illiteracy to a growing knowledge of God’s Word in our world is the goal of Bible805, and I have many resources to help you do that. Check out Bible805.com for links to all of them.