A life characterized by an immersion in the Bible, and a thoughtful understanding of its more than 31,000 verses, offers weighty benefits. In the 23rd chapter of the Old Testament book that bears his name, Job declared that he treasured the words of God’s mouth...
Have you ever helped someone learn how to read? It is an exciting journey, but it is a long one. A child does not wake up one morning and decide, “Today I will learn how to read.” Instead, it takes them weeks or months to develop basic phonics skills before they...
In Dave Jenkins’ book, The Word Explored, he cites several alarming statistics[i] as it relates to biblical literacy amongst Christians: Fewer than half of all adults can name the four Gospel accounts. Many Christians cannot identify two or three of the disciples....
The United States has never been more educated than it is now. More people hold high school diplomas, undergraduate degrees, and graduate degrees than at any point in our nation’s history. And yet, research shows a worrying trend—Americans are spending fewer hours...
One subject that isn’t getting enough coverage in contemporary Christian books and Christian media is the significant issue of biblical illiteracy. Two researchers who have looked into this problem in the Church, George Gallup and Jim Castelli, write, “Americans...
I love the hymn “The Solid Rock” by Edward Mote. It has been a battle hymn for my soul these past two years. For the past two years at times, I have battled with despair and depression. I have felt like I have been going in circles with no clear direction in the...
Next to prayer, memorizing and meditating on the Bible rank highly among the hardest spiritual disciplines. Or seemingly hard. There are many reasons for this, but one reason is we do not understand why these are necessary for the Christian life. Is there any...
“Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching” (1st Timothy 4:13). John Calvin is considered one of the primary influences of the Protestant Reformation. Today we cannot consider his whole life but here’s one...
One of the outstanding qualities of the apostle Paul was his desire to mentor others, encouraging them to follow his example, and boldly testify to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Among those greatly influenced by Paul was a younger man named Timothy. A close bond...
When I was twenty-four years old, my husband of two years graduated from seminary and became the senior pastor in a rural church in Missouri. We packed up our home in Tennessee and moved to begin a new life as a full-time ministry couple. It dawned on me about the...
What got you out of bed this morning? A blaring alarm clock, an enthusiastic dog, or a crying baby? Maybe you were excited to be one day closer to the weekend or your next vacation. If I’m honest, my love of coffee lures me from my bed most mornings. Sometimes I...
When we think of biblical literacy, many of us may picture ourselves tucked away in our home office or at our kitchen table with notebooks and commentaries encircling us like our own little army. Most likely it’s the early hours before the sun rises or the late...
Sarah: Hello, Dave. Thanks for doing this interview for Theology for Life! We’re excited about the new book you’ve just had published—The Word Explored. As I already know, but our readers may not yet, this book is about the problem of biblical illiteracy. This is a...
T4L: Today we are interviewing Alisa Childers. Thank you very much for agreeing to do this interview with Theology for Life Magazine, Alisa. Can you tell us a bit about your life, marriage, and your ministry? Alisa: My husband and I live in the Nashville, TN area...
In this issue of Theology for Life Magazine, we’ve been considering the subject of biblical illiteracy. We understand that we haven’t covered everything on this topic, but it is our prayer that, hopefully, readers of this issue of Theology for Life will grow in...