{"id":25958,"date":"2025-11-06T08:00:20","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T13:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=25958"},"modified":"2025-10-20T09:40:58","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T13:40:58","slug":"why-so-many-doubt-the-bible-how-the-church-can-respond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2025\/11\/why-so-many-doubt-the-bible-how-the-church-can-respond.html","title":{"rendered":"Why So Many Doubt the Bible: How the Church Can Respond"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u202fGroup<\/a> research (reported by ABS) found that fewer than half of American adults held what the study categorized as a \u201chigh view\u201d of Scripture\u2009\u2014\u2009namely, that the Bible is without error.\u00a0One in ten believed the Bible was written \u201cto control or manipulate\u201d people.<\/p>\n

These findings raise major concerns for the church. If people don\u2019t trust the reliability of Scripture\u2014or worse, see it as a tool of manipulation\u2014then 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?<\/p>\n

1) Scandals that erode trust in the institution<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u2019t handle its own flaws, why should I trust what it teaches?<\/p>\n

From a biblical perspective, this matters because the church is called to be a witness. Paul writes:<\/p>\n

\u201cBut if we are faithless, He (God) remains faithful\u2014 for He cannot deny Himself.\u201d
\n\u2014 2 Timothy 2:13 (ESV)
\nEven in our failures we bear witness, because the gospel is ultimately about God\u2019s faithfulness, not ours.<\/p>\n

But broken trust means that when the Bible is proclaimed, many hear instead \u201cinstitutional rhetoric\u201d rather than the living Word of God. So, the survey\u2019s backdrop of declining trust dovetails with the decline in people believing that Scripture is totally accurate.<\/p>\n

Church takeaway:<\/strong>\u00a0Leaders and communities must model transparency, confession, accountability, and integrity. It\u2019s not just about hiding less but living out better the gospel of grace and truth so that the message of Scripture is credible.<\/p>\n

2) Failure to give voice to people\u2019s trauma and stress<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another reason many disengage is that the church often fails those who are hurting\u2009\u2014\u2009those facing mental health issues, deep shame, trauma, or invisible pressure. If the church simply offers cheerful platitudes (\u201cGod\u2019s got this\u201d) without acknowledging real pain, people feel ignored or unsafe.<\/p>\n

From Scripture:<\/p>\n

\u201c Bear one another\u2019s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.\u201d
\n\u2014 Galatians 6:2 (ESV)
\nTrue discipleship means walking alongside, not just preaching at.<\/p>\n

If people don\u2019t feel safe to bring their shadows into the community, then the Bible becomes a book for \u201cgood people,\u201d not a message for broken people. When that happens, the survey result that many doubt Scripture\u2019s reliability is deeper: they doubt whether Scripture speaks\u00a0to me<\/em>. 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.<\/p>\n

3) Sin is not preached from the pulpit<\/strong><\/p>\n

The survey suggests deeper trouble: if people don\u2019t 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\u2019s power wanes.<\/p>\n

Jesus said: \u201cThe time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.\u201d\u2014 Mark 1:15 (ESV). He didn\u2019t shy away from sin or the need to change.<\/p>\n

If church messages avoid sin-talk, gloss over personal responsibility, or prioritize feel-good over truth, people sense there\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

4) The whole counsel of God is not presented<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another concern: the survey shows many Americans don\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

Scripture warns:\u201cAll Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.\u201d\u2014 2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV)
\nAnd: \u201c\u2026so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.\u201d\u2014 2 Timothy 3:17 (ESV)<\/p>\n

If people only hear \u201cGod is love\u201d without hearing \u201cGod hates sin\u201d or \u201cthere is judgment\u201d or \u201cthis calls for your life,\u201d then the church invites superficial engagement. That helps explain why many don\u2019t believe the Bible is totally accurate or binding\u2009\u2014\u2009because they haven\u2019t wrestled with it honestly. The church must teach the full counsel of God\u2009\u2014\u2009the shovel and the seed.<\/p>\n

5) Secular thought has crept into the church<\/strong><\/p>\n

Finally: when the church buys into the prevailing cultural message of autonomy (\u201cdo your thing, as long as it doesn\u2019t hurt anyone\u201d), the gospel narrative gets muted. Christianity is not fundamentally \u201cyou plus God plus your private choices,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

Paul says: \u201cFor 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.\u201d\u2014 1 Corinthians 12:12 (ESV) \u201c\u2026the body grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.\u201d
\n\u2014 Ephesians 4:16 (ESV)<\/p>\n

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\u2019s data: fewer people believe the Bible is totally accurate or trust in its message when there\u2019s no strong counter-narrative to the culture of \u201cyou make the rules.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why this matters and what we do<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

In a world where many doubt the Bible\u2019s accuracy or relevance, the church has a stunning opportunity: to become a living showcase of the trustworthiness of God\u2019s Word, and the transformational power of the gospel. As Scripture declares: \u201cYour word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.\u201d\u2014 Psalm 119:105 (ESV). That lamp still shines\u2009\u2014\u2009but if the church doesn\u2019t hold it high and walk in its light, many will keep stumbling in darkness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  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\u202fGroup research (reported by ABS) found that fewer than half of American adults held what the study…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":419,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[925],"tags":[9383,2549,9389,6163,9395,9392,353,9380,1276,9386],"class_list":["post-25958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mintle-mentions","tag-believe-the-bible","tag-bible","tag-bible-survey","tag-church-and-mental-health","tag-church-institutions","tag-church-trust","tag-churches","tag-inerrancy-of-scripture","tag-sin","tag-whole-counsel-of-god"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy So Many Doubt the Bible: How the Church Can Respond<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In a world where many doubt the Bible\u2019s accuracy or relevance, the church has a stunning opportunity to turn the tide.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" 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