I recently came across the Patmos World Attitudes Bible Survey, released in May this year. Commissioned by the United Bible Societies in partnership with Gallup Research, it is described as the “most ambitious and pioneering Bible Engagement research project ever conducted due to its scale, methodology and reach”.
Countries were sorted into seven clusters based on religion, culture, society, language, political freedoms, economics and demographics. Following that, over 90,000 adults – including 1,000 from New Zealand – were surveyed.
New Zealand was placed in the rather unimaginatively named “Cluster Five”, comprising 24 historically Christian, economically developed countries, mainly from North America, Europe, and Australia. These countries demonstrate declining Christian identity and growing secularism. While 53% of individuals identify themselves as Christian and 62% believe in God or a higher power, only 40% say that religion (including other religions) plays an important part of their daily life.
Responses were divided into eight segments, categorised according to their spiritual engagement and interest in learning more about the Bible. The spread was fairly even, with a third of the population open, a third indifferent, and a third actively disinterested in learning more about the Bible. Each segment was then presented in more detail.
Three things stood out to me in particular from examining the Cluster Five material.
This is especially true for those who are interested in learning more but are not currently active in their faith. Over a third of respondents indicated that they prefer to listen to rather than read the Bible, and to learn more about the Bible by themselves using online resources.
Reflect: Are we making sure that our parishes and ministries are equipped to promote audio and online Bible resources?
Reflect: What opportunities does this offer for connecting with children or young people whose families are not active members of a worshipping community?
This view is likely to have been shaped by their own experiences, or by the experiences of those they know and love, requiring deep pastoral sensitivity to respond well to.
Reflect: What cultural intelligence and trauma-informed skills do our leaders need to have in order to be able to respond well to those who have been hurt or harmed?
The survey results emphasise what many of us already know: we live in a context which is increasingly disengaged from God and his Church, and disinterested in the good news of Jesus which is proclaimed through the Scriptures. Nevertheless, the faithfulness of God has not changed. Our task, as followers of Jesus, empowered by the Spirit as witnesses to his work of reconciliation, is to point towards the faithfulness of God, and to embody the gospel’s message of reconciliation in all the ways we live and lead.
Want to know more? Access the Patmos Survey yourself and have a read of the data.
If you aren’t familiar with them already, take a look at these helpful online resources:
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
We have invited these writers to share their experiences, ideas and opinions in the hope that these will provoke thought, challenge you to go deeper and inspire you to put your faith into action. These articles should not be taken as the official view of the Nelson Diocese on any particular matter.
I recently came across the Patmos World Attitudes Bible Survey, released in May this year. Commissioned by the United Bible Societies in partnership with Gallup Research, it is described as the “most ambitious and pioneering Bible Engagement research project ever conducted due to its scale, methodology and reach”.
Countries were sorted into seven clusters based on religion, culture, society, language, political freedoms, economics and demographics. Following that, over 90,000 adults – including 1,000 from New Zealand – were surveyed.
New Zealand was placed in the rather unimaginatively named “Cluster Five”, comprising 24 historically Christian, economically developed countries, mainly from North America, Europe, and Australia. These countries demonstrate declining Christian identity and growing secularism. While 53% of individuals identify themselves as Christian and 62% believe in God or a higher power, only 40% say that religion (including other religions) plays an important part of their daily life.
Responses were divided into eight segments, categorised according to their spiritual engagement and interest in learning more about the Bible. The spread was fairly even, with a third of the population open, a third indifferent, and a third actively disinterested in learning more about the Bible. Each segment was then presented in more detail.
Three things stood out to me in particular from examining the Cluster Five material.
This is especially true for those who are interested in learning more but are not currently active in their faith. Over a third of respondents indicated that they prefer to listen to rather than read the Bible, and to learn more about the Bible by themselves using online resources.
Reflect: Are we making sure that our parishes and ministries are equipped to promote audio and online Bible resources?
Reflect: What opportunities does this offer for connecting with children or young people whose families are not active members of a worshipping community?
This view is likely to have been shaped by their own experiences, or by the experiences of those they know and love, requiring deep pastoral sensitivity to respond well to.
Reflect: What cultural intelligence and trauma-informed skills do our leaders need to have in order to be able to respond well to those who have been hurt or harmed?
The survey results emphasise what many of us already know: we live in a context which is increasingly disengaged from God and his Church, and disinterested in the good news of Jesus which is proclaimed through the Scriptures. Nevertheless, the faithfulness of God has not changed. Our task, as followers of Jesus, empowered by the Spirit as witnesses to his work of reconciliation, is to point towards the faithfulness of God, and to embody the gospel’s message of reconciliation in all the ways we live and lead.
Want to know more? Access the Patmos Survey yourself and have a read of the data.
If you aren’t familiar with them already, take a look at these helpful online resources:
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
