SURVEY ASKS WHO SAID IT: HAN SOLO OR JESUS?
On the eve of the release of the new Star Wars movie Solo, nearly half of Americans are not so fascinated with a galaxy far, far away that they cannot recognize a Jesus quote when they see one. As part of American Bible Society’s annual State of the Bible survey, participants were asked whether Jesus or Han Solo said, “You are from this world, but I am not.” Forty-eight percent knew those were Jesus’ words as found in the Gospel of John. Nearly the same number (40 percent) did not know who said it or thought it was neither Jesus nor Han Solo (9 percent), with only 3 percent attributing the words to the renowned galactic smuggler.
Not surprisingly, higher Bible engagement—as measured by frequency of Bible reading as well as the impact of the Bible on choices, relationships and lives—equated with the correct identification of Jesus: 78 percent of Bible Centered and 71 percent of Bible Engaged knew these words were spoken by Jesus.
“It’s encouraging to see that many Americans recognized this quote from Jesus,” said Roy Peterson, president and CEO of American Bible Society. “However, with roughly 50 percent unclear as to who said it, it is evident there is a wonderful opportunity for Americans’ knowledge of the Bible to increase.”
State of the Bible is an annual report on behaviors and beliefs about the Bible among U.S. adults. For more information about the latest State of the Bible research, visit StateoftheBible.org.
The State of the Bible 2018 report contains the findings from a nationwide study commissioned by American Bible Society and conducted by Barna Research (a division of Barna Group). Two research methodologies were used for the study: the first included 1,004 telephone interviews (including cellphone interviews) with adults in all 50 states in the U.S., and the second consisted of 1,063 online surveys using a nationally representative panel. The use of two methodologies provided a larger sample size for key questions and ensured even greater representation among all age groups. The telephone interviews were conducted Jan. 4 – 11, 2018, and included U.S. adults 18 years of age or older. The online surveys were conducted Jan. 9 – 18, 2018.
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