The average Bible reader spent 24 out of the last 30 days reading Scripture in the early morning, read the Old Testament far less frequently than the New Testament, and found the Prophetic books of the Old Testament the most difficult to understand.
That’s according to a survey of 6,000 Bible readers by the Christian book publisher Crossway that examined Bible reading habits of those who read Scripture regularly.
Among the findings:
- Early morning is the most popular time of the day to read the Bible. Bible readers spent, on average, 24 days of the past 30 days reading Scripture in the early morning. The second most popular time was late morning (21.59 days), and the third most popular time early afternoon (20.75 days). Late evening (19.02 days) was the least popular time.
- “Women are more likely than men to journal and use devotional resources” while reading Scripture. Men use commentaries more frequently than do women.
- The Old Testament Prophetic books (Isaiah-Malachi) are the section of Scripture hardest to understand.
- Nahum is the book least likely to have been read in the past month. Matthew and Psalms are the books most likely to have been read during that time.
- The Old Testament is far less likely to have been read in the past month than the New Testament. Genesis, Psalms, Proverbs and Isaiah are the Old Testament books most likely to have been read.
- The books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts and Romans are the most popular books to read in the New Testament.
The biggest barriers to reading the Bible, according to the survey: 1) not having enough time, 2) lacking motivation and discipline, 3) feeling intimidated, and, 4) struggling to apply the Bible to everyday life.
The survey was conducted in January.
Michael Foust is a freelance writer. Visit his blog, MichaelFoust.com
Publication Date: July 31, 2018
Photo Courtesy: Thinkstock
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