This is part of a series on Bible literacy.

My son, 15, interrupted me in my home office.

He was listening to the day’s assigned reading from school—a repetitive-sounding part of the holiness codes in Leviticus. He took off his headphones and blurted out, “It sounds like God is saying, ‘I really shouldn’t need to explain all this, people!’”

I might quibble, but I never made that sort of connection at his age. Of course, I didn’t read Leviticus at his age, just sporadic Bible stories. Stories are good, but knowing the Bible’s context, structure, and linkages, along with its genres and tone, helps us read it more effectively and make God’s book our own.

This process takes planning and persistence. Positive social pressure from a church or community group also helps. My son’s school is taking advantage of some new resources—and some classic strategies—to get their students deeper into the Bible.

From Stories to Structures

Students prepared with Leland Ryken’s modern classic on reading the Bible as literature. Then they started the Scripture Awakening B90 program—reading or listening through the whole Bible together in 90 days (or a bit longer, in their case). Their reading is being supported by BibleProject videos for each book and class discussion.

I like this approach. While intense, it is slow enough that the students don’t get overwhelmed, and fast enough that they don’t get bogged down. And they are doing it together.

After a bit of obligatory teenage grumbling, the students are already reaping rewards from their effort. They seem to feel satisfaction in their accomplishment and a deeper connection with their classmates. Learning their way around the Bible makes it more likely they will come back for more. They are discovering the Bible’s big story and recurring themes, its teaching about reality—and yes, its tone. I’m glad they are learning to recognize God’s voice. For God still speaks through his Word—when we read it.

When discussing Bible literacy, it’s surely better to start like this, with cases, rather than with the sobering statistics. But statistics have causes. It does seem like we need now to distinguish between reading and reading effectively, especially as the culture around us grows increasingly misaligned with Scripture. Good Bible practices are harder when screens capture our attention and social media and quarantines isolate us.

From Practices to Strategies

We all know people who come out of good churches with limited Bible knowledge and little ability to connect the Bible with their lives. Too often we are those people. As Fleming Rutledge recently wrote, in times like these, we don’t need practices. We need strategies.

The intensive approach of my son’s school is one local response. Other groups are addressing their own situations and networks, testing new theories, reviving practices, and introducing programs for remedial Bible literacy. But few of these good efforts are coordinated.

This is why we invited several groups invested in Bible literacy to gather in Philadelphia this past October. American Bible Society joined with the Center for Hebraic Thought at The King’s College to host a new Bible Literacy Coalition of church and nonprofit leaders, scholars and educators, writers and developers. This first gathering focused on an American and evangelical context, though the coalition has a vision for broader membership internationally and with Catholic, Orthodox, and Jewish leaders. We wanted them to meet, share what they are learning, and encourage each other. And we wanted to explore starting a strategic movement to advance Bible literacy and engagement.

The weekend was framed by presentations on the state of the Bible in the wider culture and in the churches that claim it as their book. American Bible Society research and the experience of other groups point to a real decline in Bible literacy as well as a growing curiosity about the Bible.

Tim Laniak of Bible Journey was one participant. He helped the group think about how different audiences of Bible readers have related but distinct goals of information about the Bible and discipleship through the Bible. We talked about different kinds of good Bible literacy programs, from informational and inspirational “bits and bytes” to academic and ministry degree programs. We touched on how to inspire people to move deeper into God’s Word.

I came away encouraged but struck by a contrast. The task of shifting Bible literacy, even within the churches, is huge. But so is the amount of creative and effective resources represented by just these coalition participants. I appreciated the variety of topics they cover, from biblical languages to biblical geography to various degrees of structure in education. I found a wealth of solid and innovative Scripture resources that will get anyone over the initial hump of Bible literacy, draw you deeper into the Bible, and expand your vision of what Bible engagement can be.

Of course, you need to know where to look. More than two dozen groups participated in this one weekend. Many had never heard of each other. And we know of many other organizations—and several other networks—doing good work in Bible literacy, fluency, and engagement. Making that connection between the need and the resources is one of the tasks ahead. Expect to hear more from this coalition in the coming year.

Four Bible Resources to Try Now

If you need a boost in your Bible engagement now, consider the B90 program and BibleProject videos that my son’s school uses. Let me also introduce four Bible Literacy Coalition participants that were new to me and have good online resources that engage the whole person.

Scripture Labs

This online partnership between a cutting-edge tech team and the innovative Pillar Seminary offers interactive online training in how to read and understand the Bible. Try the first lab on Intro to Stories—it takes about 20 minutes—and see what you think. It might change the way you read Bible stories!

The Ten-Minute Bible Hour

Matt Whitman offers low-pressure, high-information videos and podcasts about the Bible. Suitable for all audiences, especially those new to the Bible.

Bible Fluency

This project from Ken Berding at Biola University includes free music and slideshows so you can learn (or teach) your way around the Bible, book by book. It has wide applicability from Sunday school to home school to personal study. Can you summarize the themes of the minor prophets or the differences between the four Gospel accounts? Now you can.

Aleph with Beth

No matter your native language, you can (really) learn biblical Hebrew for free with this video series. I’ve always been a bit intimidated by Hebrew, but this is surprisingly accessible, and they clearly know what they’re doing. Try it!

A final note: if your church is already good at getting people to read and obey their Bibles, keep going! Don’t be pressured to change when new programs appear. Time-tested methods like reading, singing, and memorizing are still effective—when we do them. But adding resources like those I’ve shared can enhance your study, understanding, and application of Scripture. And if you find value in any of these, sharing them with your community can help you grow, together.

Resources Summary

Here are the resources covered in this blog:

• Leland Ryken, How to Read the Bible as Literature
• Scripture Awakening / B90
• The BibleProject
• Bible Journey
• State of the Bible
• Center for Hebraic Thought
• Scripture Labs
• The Ten-Minute Bible Hour
• Bible Fluency
• Aleph with Beth