American Bible Society this week released the seventh chapter of the State of the Bible 2020 ebook, which reveals that Scripture influences many Americans’ political engagement and policy views.

“Across ethnicities and political affiliations, we’ve found that the more Scripture engaged people are, the more likely they are to say the Bible informs their political decision-making,” noted John Farquhar Plake, PhD and director of ministry intelligence for American Bible Society. “But this reliance on the Bible is not limited to a singular party; research shows that Bible Users* of every political affiliation lean on Scripture to influence their voting preferences

Key findings analyzed in Chapter 7, ‘Scripture Engagement, Social Justice, and Political Identity’ include:

1. Overall, 88% of Bible Users reported using Scripture to inform political party affiliation. These results do not vary by political identity. Bible Users that identify as Republican, Democrat, and Independent agree with this statement almost equally.
2. As Scripture Engagement increased, so did the pro-social orientation and behaviors of respondents. Strong majorities of Bible Engaged and Bible Centered participants responded that the Bible encourages or strongly encourages:
• Being aware of civic and government issues
• Personally participating in civic and government issues
• Submitting to government leaders
3. Americans were asked about immigration (page 166), race relations (page 167), engaging people of different faiths (page 168), care for the environment (page 169), and concern for the oppressed (page 170) based on the level of their Bible reading practices (Bible-disengaged, Bible-neutral, Bible-friendly, Bible-engaged, Bible-centered). In each category, the more respondents engaged with Scripture, the more conviction they felt to respond to these issues.
4. The more Bible-centered respondents were, the more likely they were to agree that the Bible leads them to welcome immigrants, befriend people of other races, befriend people of other religions, care for the environment, and advocate for those who are oppressed by society.

“Despite Americans’ divisive politics and social perspectives, this research reveals that, across the board, people who seriously study and apply the Bible’s teachings are likely to thoughtfully engage in society and show care for their fellow humans,” said Robert L. Briggs, President and CEO of American Bible Society. “We advocate for all Americans to look at the Bible with a fresh perspective to see how it might transform their moral convictions, civic duties, and relationships with God and others.”This year’s report is American Bible Society’s 10th annual State of the Bible report, which shows cultural trends in the U.S. regarding spirituality and Scripture engagement. The report reveals findings from two surveys, one conducted in January 2020 with Barna Group and another this June.

To download a free copy of the updated State of the Bible 2020 ebook, visit StateoftheBible.org.

* Bible Users are individuals who read, listen to or pray with the Bible on their own at least 3–4 times a year, outside of a church service or church event.