Basic literacy

Much has been made the past couple weeks about the results of this Pew Forum survey on 'religious knowledge.' The survey made headlines with its 'findings' that 'atheists and agnostics' appeared to outperform Protestants and Catholics on questions about the major religions of the world.

On the one hand, it's true more Christians could do with exposure to the teachings and central tenants of other religions... the Apostle Paul was all the more effective for understanding his audiences. What really concerns me are indicators Christians aren't familiar with the core teachings of their own faith. The Protestant tradition seems to have devolved from an ethos that included "Sola Scriputra" to one of "I'm cool with Jesus."

No wonder the Church is so weak. Jesus included our minds when exhorted us to love God with all we have. There are plenty of people in congregations who parrot what they hear around them, but have never examined the scriptures and compared. This is why so many charlatans can preach "prosperity gospels" and other twistings of the Bible. It's also why some people think sayings such as "God helps those who help themselves" are in the Bible.