I think a large contributing factor to a decrease in biblical literacy is due to the messages that tend to come through the pulpit in most denominations. As Christianity has begun to reflect and conform to society, sermons are teaching mainstream Christian messages. Pastors are picking and choosing specific verses in Scripture to fit their topics of the basic gospel message, the fruit of the spirit, what it means to love our neighbor, or simply the basic stories in the Old and New Testaments, whether it’s Jacob’s coat of many colors or Jesus’s well-known parables. I think it would greatly benefit the Church if sermons focused on whole biblical books or larger passage ideas, working through the lesser known scriptures that still contain much meaning and are important to be aware of. A shift towards the less-commonly discussed biblical passages, resulting in a healthy mix of the more generic Christian messages and the lesser known scriptures, would be likely to increase biblical literacy in the Church as a whole.
