- There is more than one kind of literacy, and the local church needs to get after it.
Mississippi’s literacy gains are the envy of the nation all of a sudden, and the educational community can’t stop talking about it. In 2013, Mississippi stood 49th in fourth-grade reading. By 2024, it stood ninth, and its fourth graders scored above the national average—a near miracle result that reflects years of effort. And the kids have proven themselves no slouches in math, either, rising to 16th in the nation in the latest scores, compared to bottom-dwelling outcomes a decade ago.
It is good not to get used to some things—among them, poor academic performance. Enough people, in enough places of influence, decided they were sick and tired of being sick and tired of Mississippi’s dismal academic achievement in the youngest grades, so they rose up and did something about it.
Now while reading and math achievement levels are avidly tracked in school districts across the nation, biblical literacy doesn’t receive the same public or private scrutiny. But there is plenty of reason for local churches to ask how much time their people, particularly their young people, are spending with their Bibles and what they actually know about Scripture.
According to a report put out by The Center for Bible Engagement, less than two out of five church attenders read the Bible at least once a week. In addition, only one out of four American Christians completely agree with the statement that they regularly study the Bible to find direction of their lives (Gallup, 2003).
There is a price to pay for this lack of engagement. The data indicates that American Christians are ignorant of basic Bible facts and truths, vulnerable to false teachings, and, in many cases, spiritually immature. “As our research has demonstrated, those who read the Bible at least four times a week are less likely to engage in behaviors such as gambling, pornography, getting drunk, and sex outside marriage.” Pornography among Christians is rampant, co-habitation is growing, divorce rates are high, and most youth from evangelical Christian homes walk away from their faith by age 23.
The educational establishment in Mississippi might be able to offer a few pointers…if local churches would be willing to listen:
Admit there is a problem and that it must be attacked with concerted effort. While the Church should be in as big a panic as schools over a lack of literacy, there is no clear evidence that is the case. But a problem exists—a huge one—and we should acknowledge that fact with confession, fasting, and repentance.
Set objectives and goals. Educators identified theirs, both short- and long-term. The church should take a cue. Where could we be in ten years if we truly wanted to expose our children to scriptural excellence? What 100 stories should children know by the time they are in sixth grade? Do we have a catechism of brief questions and answers they should memorize, to impart key theological truths? What is the arc of biblical history, and how can we help them grasp it? What is the basic theology of revelation, God, man, sin, Christ, salvation, Holy Spirit, church and last things of which they should have a rudimentary grasp?
Teachers should be prepared. Mississippi implemented this in the schools because a plan without preparation is folly. The best place to begin preparation is by adopting practices that are proven to be effective and getting these tools and methods to our instructors. Train, and then hold accountable for bringing that training alive in the instruction of children.
Check for comprehension through dialogue. Asking a child whether they liked the lesson or the class or whether they learned something today does not effectively gauge their level of understanding. Ask the kids to orally tell the story to you or demonstrate their new skill in a paper or on the board. For the church, help the child to articulate the lesson from scripture and its practical application. The teacher needs to listen in, and offer clarifications to ensure accuracy.
Refuse to let any fall behind. Here comes the patience factor: make sure each student to learn basic stories and check the grasp for knowledge. Doing this will probably require multiple teachers per classroom.
I have a friend who received his Ph.D. in something called “orality” – an emphasis on communicating Scripture in a way that all of the above happens in every classroom. A few years ago, he demonstrated this approach during a seminary chapel. He recited a Bible story with great enthusiasm word, for word from the text. He told us that if there were additional time, he might get a few people to act out the story as they understood it after the initial telling. Then a volunteer from the audience was asked to retell the story with as much detail as he could remember. The original presenters led the crowd back through the story a third time while leaving out small words or phrases and inviting the audience to fill in the blanks or answer simple questions. The re-retelling was done at a quick pace with high energy.
Next the presenter posed questions. What happened first? What was said or what was done? What choices were made by the characters? Including God? What other choices could the characters have made? What were the immediate results of those choices? What were the long-term consequences of those choices? What else could God have done? What do these details tell us about the character’s spiritual condition/heart? What do we learn about God/Jesus in this story?
Finally came application—identify one major insight that the group discussed. Then he asked further questions and repeated as time allowed, such as: Does this …… happen today? In what way does this ….. happen today? How has this happened in your life or in the life of someone you know? What can we learn from this story to help us the next time something like this happens to us or those we love?
Simple method, incredible outcome. All of us in that seminary chapel knew the story like the back of our hands and how to apply it in the remainder of our day.
If this isn’t your cup of tea, then find a method that begins to build a biblical literacy in your students, and make it come alive with energy and passion. There is too much at stake, and we must focus on getting the local church fired up again about the Bible and its lessons.
If Mississippi can do it with math and reading, then the local church can do it with Jesus and the Bible…because the Holy Spirit is ready and willing to guide us into all Truth. What Mississippi teachers delivered in the public classrooms. our young disciples deserve in our places of worship.
Matt Friedeman
