A recent survey by the American Bible Society paints a sobering picture: though the Bible remains one of the most familiar books in America, the depth of trust in its accuracy and relevance is slipping. The 2021 ABS/Barna Group research (reported by ABS) found that fewer than half of American adults held what the study categorized as a “high view” of Scripture — namely, that the Bible is without error. One in ten believed the Bible was written “to control or manipulate” people.

These findings raise major concerns for the church. If people don’t trust the reliability of Scripture—or worse, see it as a tool of manipulation—then the life-changing message of Christ struggles to take root. What are some of the key reasons this is happening? And how might the church respond faithfully, grounded in Scripture?

1) Scandals that erode trust in the institution

When the church institution covers up sin, mishandles abuse, or appears more committed to reputation than repentance, it damages credibility. People rightly ask: if the church can’t handle its own flaws, why should I trust what it teaches?

From a biblical perspective, this matters because the church is called to be a witness. Paul writes:

“But if we are faithless, He (God) remains faithful— for He cannot deny Himself.”
— 2 Timothy 2:13 (ESV)
Even in our failures we bear witness, because the gospel is ultimately about God’s faithfulness, not ours.

But broken trust means that when the Bible is proclaimed, many hear instead “institutional rhetoric” rather than the living Word of God. So, the survey’s backdrop of declining trust dovetails with the decline in people believing that Scripture is totally accurate.

Church takeaway: Leaders and communities must model transparency, confession, accountability, and integrity. It’s not just about hiding less but living out better the gospel of grace and truth so that the message of Scripture is credible.

2) Failure to give voice to people’s trauma and stress

Another reason many disengage is that the church often fails those who are hurting — those facing mental health issues, deep shame, trauma, or invisible pressure. If the church simply offers cheerful platitudes (“God’s got this”) without acknowledging real pain, people feel ignored or unsafe.

From Scripture:

“ Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.”
— Galatians 6:2 (ESV)
True discipleship means walking alongside, not just preaching at.

If people don’t feel safe to bring their shadows into the community, then the Bible becomes a book for “good people,” not a message for broken people. When that happens, the survey result that many doubt Scripture’s reliability is deeper: they doubt whether Scripture speaks to me. The church must do better at building safe and brave spaces, using wise pastoral care, and rooting mental-health care in the gospel, so that Scripture becomes a lifeline rather than a burden.

3) Sin is not preached from the pulpit

The survey suggests deeper trouble: if people don’t see Scripture as authoritative or trustworthy, one root may be that the church has lost its voice in dealing with sin, grace, and transformation. When the pulpit becomes more about entertainment style or cultural accommodation than the call to repentance and renewal, Scripture’s power wanes.

Jesus said: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”— Mark 1:15 (ESV). He didn’t shy away from sin or the need to change.

If church messages avoid sin-talk, gloss over personal responsibility, or prioritize feel-good over truth, people sense there’s little depth. Then Scripture becomes a nice book of moral lessons instead of the lifeblood of discipleship. That contributes to distrust. The church must rediscover the boldness of preaching sin, grace, redemption and transformation in a core way.

4) The whole counsel of God is not presented

Another concern: the survey shows many Americans don’t believe Scripture is totally accurate or authoritative. Part of that stems from selective preaching: if churches emphasize only the palatable parts of Scripture and avoid the hard stuff (e.g., judgment, holiness, suffering, repentance, eternal consequence), then congregations never learn how fully to apply the Word.

Scripture warns:“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”— 2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV)
And: “…so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”— 2 Timothy 3:17 (ESV)

If people only hear “God is love” without hearing “God hates sin” or “there is judgment” or “this calls for your life,” then the church invites superficial engagement. That helps explain why many don’t believe the Bible is totally accurate or binding — because they haven’t wrestled with it honestly. The church must teach the full counsel of God — the shovel and the seed.

5) Secular thought has crept into the church

Finally: when the church buys into the prevailing cultural message of autonomy (“do your thing, as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone”), the gospel narrative gets muted. Christianity is not fundamentally “you plus God plus your private choices,” but a call into a community, into interdependence, into a mission. If individualism or therapeutic culture dominate, Scripture loses its countercultural edge and becomes one option among many.

Paul says: “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.”— 1 Corinthians 12:12 (ESV) “…the body grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
— Ephesians 4:16 (ESV)

The gospel invites interdependence, accountability, community, mission. When the church echoes secular individualism, it loses its distinctiveness and with it the power of Scripture. That helps explain the survey’s data: fewer people believe the Bible is totally accurate or trust in its message when there’s no strong counter-narrative to the culture of “you make the rules.”

Why this matters and what we do

The survey data show a striking reality: fewer people hold Scripture as an absolute authority, fewer feel the Bible is totally accurate, and fewer engage Scripture in a way that shapes life deeply. When the Bible loses its authority in people’s lives, the church loses its foundation and the world loses its compass. When churches as institutions mirror the integrity, humility and power of the gospel, and when Scripture is lived not just learned, trust in the Word can be rebuilt.

In a world where many doubt the Bible’s accuracy or relevance, the church has a stunning opportunity: to become a living showcase of the trustworthiness of God’s Word, and the transformational power of the gospel. As Scripture declares: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”— Psalm 119:105 (ESV). That lamp still shines — but if the church doesn’t hold it high and walk in its light, many will keep stumbling in darkness.