Bible Literacy Survey of Y.A.C.C.
Finally, here are the results! Judge for yourselves what these results mean.
Bible Literacy Survey of Y.A.C.C.
A few months ago, during one of our Y.A.C.C. (Young Adults, College and Career) Bible studies, I gave out a short questionnaire asking questions about the Bible. The purpose was to see if we could measure the state of Bible knowledge in our Bible study attendees. Ample time was given to answer the questions and the papers were handed back to me. Finally, here are the results! Judge for yourselves what these results mean.
Note: Total number of participants was 7
Most Y.A.C.C. attendees have been Christians for at least 6 years
How long have you been a Christian?
- 5/7 attendees have been Christians for at least six years; 2 have been believers for at least 10 years
- Only 2 are relatively newer Christians with <5 years in the faith
All Y.A.C.C. attendees believe in the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible
Views about the Bible
- All 7 attendees that day answered that the Bible is "the inspired word of God and does not contain any errors whatsoever".
Chronological Order of Primary Biblical Characters
No one had the correct order of main Biblical figures
- The closest answer were in four papers:
- 2 switched Abraham and Noah (!)
- 2 switched David and Elijah.
(Noah was everyone's, including Abraham's, ancestor; Elijah was a prophet to King Ahab who was a successor to King David).
Chronological Order of Secondary Biblical Characters
No one had the correct order of secondary Biblical figures
- Three people didn't give an answer
- Surprisingly, Jesus' disciple James, son of Zebedee was only placed last in 2 of the 4 answered papers
Correlation Between Bible Knowledge and Years of Being a Christian?
No, there doesn't seem to be a clear correlation in our small sample of Y.A.C.C. attendees.
- The three "blank" answers for Question 4 were from 2 persons having the faith for less than 6 years and from a person having the faith for more than 10 years.
- Furthermore for Question 3, the four closest answers (with only one incorrect switch) have been Christians from 1-2 years to more than 10 years.
The Questionnaire
- How long have you been a Christian?
a.) Less than a year
b.) 1 to 2 years
c.) 3 to 5 years
d.) 6 to 10 years
e.) More than 10 years - Which of the following statements comes closest to describing your views about the Bible?
a.) The Bible is an ancient book of fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man.
b.) The Bible is the inspired word of God but may contain some errors of history, science, etc.
c.) The Bible is the inspired word of God and does not contain any errors whatsoever. - Try your best to arrange the following main Biblical figures in chronological order:
a.) Jesus
b.) David
c.) Adam
d.) Elijah
e.) Noah
f.) Abraham
g.) Moses - Try your best to arrange the following secondary Biblical figures in chronological order:
a.) Hezekiah
b.) Elijah
c.) Enoch
d.) Isaac
e.) Joshua
f.) Joseph the Dreamer
g.) James, son of Zebedee