The Power of 4
Christians have always known that God’s Word is vitally important to their spiritual well-being, but it is only recently that a number of scientific studies have revealed that people who read the Bible most days of the week behave very differently from people who don’t.
I trust you have a Bible--Most Americans do--but sadly enough even though most Americans own a Bible, few Americans actually read the Bibles they own.
According to research released by Barna, “Today, about one-third of all American Adults report reading the Bible once a week or more. The percentage is highest among Elders (49%) and lowest among Millennials (24%).”
I wish Barna had asked those American Adults how many of them read or listened to their Bibles four times a week, because reading or listening to the Bible four times a week turns out to be a tipping point. Research done for the Center for Biblical Engagement by Arnold Cole, Ed.D. & Pamela Caudill Ovwigho, Ph.D. demonstrated that those who read the Bible at least four times a week are much less likely to engage in behaviors such as pornography, getting drunk, and engaging in sex outside of marriage.
Pamela Ovwigho said, “We have discovered through our research large behavioral differences between Christians who read or listen to the Bible at least four days a week and those who engage with scripture less often.” Their research revealed that “The ‘Power of 4’ can be simply stated this way: The life of someone who engages scripture four or more times a week looks radically different from the life of someone who does not. In fact, the lives of Christians who do not engage the Bible most days of the week are statistically the same as the lives of non-Christians.
She also said that the study had been controlled for differences in gender, age, church attendance, prayer habits, small group participation, and “most other factors you would think would matter.”
Praying is good. Attending church or synagogue is good. Volunteering is good. But none of those things will affect the way you live your life as much as reading or listening to the Word of God. And the Center for Bible Engagement has actually identified the tipping point. We now know you need to read or listen to the Word of God at least four days a week if you want your Bible reading to impact the way you live your life. I’m praying that you will.
Margot Armer
