his day. When the rulers labeled him an enemy of God, Tyndale had to flee from city to city. Still he continued with his work until he was put to death without trial. The Scriptures are no less a treasure today. They still contain God’s plan for salvation from sin, and the teachings of our Perfect Example, our Sinless Saviour. The Bible has great relevance even in this day that some people consider so different from any other before it. For example, national figures in dicate that one of four American marriages ends in divorce. A Mid western survey revealed, though, that of homes which have daily Bible study and prayer, only one in four hundred marriages ends in divorce. In many ages, people could have claimed the Bible inaccessible, but this is far from the truth in Ameri ca today. In our affluence, 96% of all homes contain a television set; we can hardly label the Bible too ex pensive. In addition, we usually find a Bible provided in any hotel or hospital room. Countless school children receive free New Testa ments from the Gideon Bible Soci ety. Anyone who fin d s the K ing James Version difficult can choose from a wide selection of modern translations and also take advan tage of Bible dictionaries, guide books, and atlases to supplement his Bible study. Those who need them can obtain Bibles in large print or in Braille. Thanks to libraries, schools, tele vision, and movies, we know more than ever about the geographical setting of the Bible. Archaeologists constantly uncover information to prove or illuminate the Scriptures. If any excuse or indifference ling ers in your mind— if you still feel you can, even for a day, put off settling down with your Bible, con sider the words of the Scriptures’ own Author, “ These words are true and faithful,” (Rev. 21:5). KB Donna Adams is a freelance writer who lives in Livingston, La.
Landers receives about a thousand letters a day. Respect for the Bible, apparent ly, does not guarantee that one will study, meditate, or rely upon it. Church members of all denomina tions reveal an appalling lack of Bible knowledge. People across the nation took a simple Bible test with one hundred points possible. Catholics tested averaged 46% ; Protestants, 35% . A test given to 18,500 high school students yielded these re sults: 16.000 couldn’t name two prophets 12.000 couldn’t name the four gospels 10.000 couldn’t name four disci ples. Adults in seventeen Protestant churches took a Bible test with fifty points possible, and, on the average, scored only twenty points. Young people taking this test aver aged only sixteen. We apparently pay lip service to the Bible, but relegate it to a shelf and go on our merry ways. Perhaps we have persuaded ourselves that we really don't miss anything by neglecting the Bible. But can this be so? The Psalmist expressed his deep reliance upon the Bible when he declared, “ Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” ; and “ Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psa. 119:11, 105). Jeremiah testified, “ Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart” (Jer. 15:16). Isaiah wrote, “ The grass wither- eth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever” (Isa. 40:8). William Carey considered the Bi ble so important that he learned thirty-four difficult languages spo ken in India that he might trans late at least part of the Bible into each of them. Elias Riggs, missionary to the Near East, made translating the Bi ble into different dialects a major part of his sixty-seven years of service. William Tyndale set out to trans late the Bible into the English of
E BIBLE TOBAY by Donna Adams T he Bible’s role in modern Amer ican life seems, to say the least, uncertain, often paradoxical. Paul, in his second letter to Timo thy, reminds us, “ All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (II Tim. 3:16). A recent survey seems to under score Paul’s high assessment of the Bible. A thousand teenagers across the Un ited S tates were asked what one book they would save if disaster struck. The Bible received four times as many votes as the two closest runners-up. Knowing this, it would seem that people with problems would turn to this esteemed book of correction and instruction. We know, however, that countless troubled persons turn instead to sex, liquor, or drugs. Fortune-tellers, astrologists, mys tics, and others also draw crowds of anxious people hungry for guid ance. The advice-columnist Ann 42
THE KING’S BUSINESS
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