Half Of American Adults Reject The Bible. Here's What That Means For You

Last Sunday, after church, my friend greeted me with a spark in his eye and a mission on his heart. "Want to come to lunch?" he asked. He'd brought his out-of-town family -- his unbelieving sister and her husband -- to the service that morning. At our church, group lunch invitations are common, but this was different. This invite had a purpose: my friend wanted me to join him in sharing the gospel with them.

We talked for hours, and I'll say this: we covered a lot of ground. But what stood out to me, perhaps most of all, was quite simple: we cannot allow someone's low view of the Bible stop us from using it in our evangelism. When it comes to both sharing and defending our faith, Scripture isn't just a tool; it's the foundation.

Some apologetic strategies dance around the Bible, searching for common ground to ease unbelievers into the conversation. I understand the heart behind it, but it's a risky move. The gospel -- the very pulse of our faith -- lives and breathes in Scripture alone. When we sideline God's word, we don't just soften our approach; we rob our message of its very source of power and authority.

During our marathon lunch, one exchange crystallized this truth. Though not verbatim, it went something like this. The husband -- let's call him Jim -- grew exasperated as I leaned on Scripture to answer his challenges. "You can't bring up the Bible," he snapped, leaning back in his chair and tossing his hand in the air. "You have to stop bringing up the Bible. I don't subscribe to that."

"Actually," I shot back, "I can bring it up." Jim laughed, doubling down: "No, you can't!" But I wasn't backing down either. "Yes," I said, voice steady. "I can. I believe the Bible is God's authoritative word, and its truth applies to everyone -- whether you're on board or not." He pushed back again: "Yeah, well, it's not authoritative to me!"

That's when I dug in: "You can say that, but it doesn't change reality. I'm standing on this: the Bible is God's voice, His truth, alive and active. Every passion you're wrestling with, every opinion you hold, Scripture speaks to it, directly or indirectly. Throw out any topic, and I'll show you how the Bible has the final say. I'm sticking with it because it's the lens that makes sense of everything we're talking about." Despite the intensity, the conversation was overall quite friendly and ended with hugs. However, for me at least, this exchange points to a much larger reality.

We live in a country where nearly half of American adults don't believe the Bible is literally true -- that is, according to a recent study highlighted by The Christian Post. The Ligonier State of Theology 2025 report, a separate study conducted by Lifeway Research, found a collective 48% of Americans believe "the Bible, like all sacred writings, contains helpful accounts of ancient myths but is not literally true." Similarly, 44% reject that "the Bible is 100% accurate in all that it teaches." Barna Group's recent research piles on: only 4% of American adults and 6% of professing Christians hold a biblical worldview.

A reasonable conclusion from all this is that many Americans have a low view of Scripture -- not recognizing it as containing Truth (with a capital "T") or being authoritative. Many Americans see Scripture as irrelevant, a relic of "ancient myths." Reflecting on Sunday's lunch, I saw this firsthand. Jim leaned on science, math, and medical research, believing they debunked the Bible. His wife clung to ancestry and a vague "greater power" in the universe. Both thought they'd cracked the code to enough of life's questions without needing Scripture.

But here's the truth: every worldview outside the Bible crumbles under scrutiny. Only Scripture unveils who God is, what's broken in the world, who we are, and where we're headed. It's the only lens that makes sense of a chaotic world. When skeptics reject the Bible as God's inspired, authoritative word, they're left chasing fleeting wisdom from the "universe" -- or worse, themselves -- and they always come up empty.

I challenge you to find one person who's genuinely content -- not just pretending to be -- and unshaken by life's uncertainties, without a flicker of longing for something greater. I've yet to meet an unbeliever who isn't, knowingly or not, trying to fill a God-shaped void with something, because we simply weren't created from nothing, for nothing, only to die and fade back into nothing.

Dr. George Barna nailed it: "Understanding God -- often referred to as 'prime reality' -- is the cornerstone of worldview development. Without a biblical understanding of God, it is difficult to develop a coherent biblical worldview built on His truth." There's a simple truth we, as believers, must never forget: it's not ultimately up to us to change minds and unharden hearts. Only God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, carries that ability. It's easy to feel like a failure if a single conversation doesn't spark a conversion, but that's not the case.

I'll tell you where we've failed. We fail when we water down Scripture to appease skeptics. We fail when we stop quoting God's word because it's "unwelcome." We fail when we dodge the hard truths -- sin, Christ's cross, repentance -- to avoid ruffling feathers. We fail when fear of rejection or uncertainty silences our witness, or when cynicism tricks us into thinking humanity's hope lies in ourselves, not in Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

If you're a Christ-follower reading this, I pray it causes you to re-examine your own life. Do you shy away from tough talks? Do you let skeptics dictate what you can or cannot say? Or do you stand bold in biblical conviction? Do doubts shake you, or do you anchor yourself in Christ?

No one expects perfection. Christian, you're called to trust and obey. Trust that "the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say" (Luke 12:12). Trust that God's grace is enough, His "power made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). Trust that "God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19). Trust Psalm 118:6: "The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" Because "if God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31).

Then, with these promises written on your heart, obey Christ's call in Matthew 28:19 to "make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." Obey Ephesians 4:15's charge to "speak truth in love." Trusting in God's faithfulness, obey the call to be salt and light, even when the world mocks us for it.

When doubt creeps in, remember Psalm 1, which states, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers."

As I conclude, notice this: every challenge, every encouragement within this article springs from God's word -- the "lamp to our feet and light to our path" (Psalm 119:105). The world may scoff at Scripture, but as Christians, may we be defined as a people who hold it high, unashamed and unwavering, forever. Let us be like Peter, who declared, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68).

Originally published at The Washington Stand