How the Story of God Collapsed a Nation

A 6-year Barna study produced in partnership with American Bible Society[1] recorded the following:

1.      How non-Christian Millennials describe the Bible:

a.      Story: 50%

b.      Mythology: 38%

c.       Symbolic: 36%

d.     Fairy Tale: 30%

e.      Dangerous Book of Religious Dogma: 27%

2.      Americans who strongly agree that the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches:

a.      In 1991: 46%

b.      In 2016: 33%

What is the cause of such troubling statistics?

There can be many reasons for these statistics but I believe one stands out above the rest. Fifty percent of non-Christian Millennials describe the Bible as just merely a story with a message of morality. Do you want to know a big reason why? Perhaps it is because so many of us consistently refer to God’s Word as a story. We say things like:

1.      The Bible tells one story from beginning to end; the story of Jesus.

2.      The story in 2 Chronicles 7 tells us that fire fell from heaven when God’s glory filled the temple.

3.      I suggest you read 1 Kings 8. It tells the story of the grand opening of the first temple.

4.      Acts 2 tells the story of the Holy Spirit invading the lives of those who surrendered to Jesus.

The four examples mentioned above are direct quotes from a book I am currently reading about missions. Don’t get me wrong, it is a very good read and have learned a lot from the author. However, I am less than half way through and the author, who is  a pastor himself, has referred to the Bible using the word story at least four times.

In the past, I myself would sometimes refer to the story of Jonah and the Fish but I have tried to make an intentional effort to remove that adjective from my vocabulary when speaking of God's Word. Referring to the Bible with the word story in today's culture is synonymous with calling it a fairy tale or legend that's akin to Homer’s Iliad. The Bible is not a story — it’s an account! Be careful never to refer to any portion of the Bible, outside of parables, as a story. It is not a story. Rather, it is the account of God and His people. God's Word is real history. It really happened.

On another note, Hollywood movies that are based on real people and events begin with the words, “BASED ON A TRUE STORY.” Are there any Bible movies that begin with those five words?

Why would someone stake their life and eternity on a story? The apostles lost their lives based on the truth of God’s Word. We must be mindful of the words we choose to use to describe and refer to God’s truth. A lackadaisical attitude toward God’s Word will pave the way for the next generation’s rejection of His truth completely. Given the statistics cited earlier, we are already seeing a large wave of millennials doubting the validity of God's Word but these trends can be reversed if reverence for the Bible is restored.

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[1] SCRIPTURE AND AUTHORITY IN AN AGE OF SKEPTICISM; Platt, 9