Home Voices Facing the Issue of Biblical Literacy

Facing the Issue of Biblical Literacy

This article is the first of six in a series on preaching in light of cultural shifts and biblical illiteracy.

The Bible still captivates and transforms the lives of our congregants, even despite our deficiencies in preaching. In an 1886 sermon “Christ and His Coworkers,” Charles Spurgeon reminded his hearers:

Suppose a number of persons were to take it into their heads that they had to defend a lion, full-grown king of beasts! There he is in the cage, and here come all the soldiers of the army to fight for him. Well, I should suggest to them, if they would not object, and feel that it was humbling to them, that they should kindly stand back, and open the door, and let the lion out! I believe that would be the best way of defending him, for he would take care of himself; and the best ‘apology’ for the gospel is to let the gospel out.

God has given us a sure and powerful message in Scripture. While we can’t assume people love and know the Word, we can be clear in communicating its message and confident in its power to change lives

In the next article we will look at specific ways to communicate this message well. 

(Auburn Powell contributed to this article and throughout this series.)