Pass it forward: Bible stories too

Jonah Cast Forth by the Whale  (Gustave Dore)

Whether today's children will be better or worse off than their parents depends very much upon what we as a society pass forward.

A recent study that was commissioned by the Bible Society reveals that today's youth are only about half as familiar with Bible stories as their parents were back

when.  Classic stories such as Jonah and The Whale can therefore become lost to future generations unless decisive action is taken.

Graeme Paton of The Telegraph reports that 20 percent of the 800 children who were surveyed "could not identify Noah's Ark or Adam and Eve as a Bible story."  Almost a third of them were unaware that the story of the Nativity was also in the Bible.

Even from a non-religious standpoint, the Bible has played an enormous role in Western history, literature, and overall society.  To be unfamiliar with its contents is therefore to be missing out on an enormous trove of cultural treasure.

As Bible Society Chief Executive James Catford explained:  The Bible's contribution to our culture –

language, literature, the visual arts and music – is immense.  It doesn't matter who you are or where

you come from…  The Bible enriches life…

Resources

http://wwrn.org/articles/41671/?place=uk-ireland

Copyright April 4, 2014 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved