1/12-24
By
Just when one thinks that perhaps we have turned the corner on the pandemic front, you read about another pandemic on the horizon? Just when we thought that we could develop vaccines and methodologies to keep us from harm’s way, we find that there is another, arguably more potent, pandemic brewing in our nation’s future.
The latest pandemic to hit the United States shores is not really new at all, but it is just as surely spreading rapidly, according to many estimates. It is called “Biblical Illiteracy”. In the early days of our country, the Bible was the centerpiece of society. The Bible was used by our Founding Fathers to set up the standards for our nation’s birth. Scholars estimate that up to 80% of the population attended churches on a regular basis, and the vast majority of them used the Bible as their guide, whether it was in the state house or on the farm. There was little opposition to the fact that the Bible was something that most of our country’s populace held dear.
But, this is the 21st century, and not the 1700’s. “The Bible” and “schools” are rarely mentioned in the same sentence anymore, thereby tossing away a standard that had previously existed. The family unit, designed to teach and foster Biblical truth, is more fractured than it was 250 years ago. The Bible has become optional in both its reading and its message, and we suffer the consequences. Biblical illiteracy is pandemic in today’s America. It is no wonder that lawlessness and corruption are rampant these days, while the Word of God collects dust on our shelves at home (if it is even found there).
Inspired by God Himself, the words of Scripture take meaning in our lives as we take them to heart. Being daily in God’s Word can help us understand His truths, which can then be passed on to our family members. Our 21st century world is fortunate to have so many avenues at its disposal to be able to read, and write, and communicate God’s truths—the days of unrolling scrolls or traveling by horse and buggy to a Sunday service have been replaced with the technology that makes the Scriptures more available than ever before, and at almost everyone’s fingertips (cell phone?)
I challenge all of us to become more literate with the words of life from our Creator, words from a loving God that we are able to share with a hurting world.