By Dirk Smith, Op-ed contributor Tuesday, September 23, 2025pcess609/iStockWe live in a time when God’s Word is more accessible than at any other point in human history, yet we engage with it less. We scroll endlessly, refresh constantly, and binge on a multitude of screens every day.Yet, when it comes to the book that holds the very words of life, all too often, our response is plain and simple inaction. And the cost of that inaction is measurable. According to Lifeway research, only 32% of American churchgoing Protestants (those who attend services at least twice a month) read their Bibles every day. Even more startling, a whopping 12% of these faithful churchgoers — who many of us might deem the ‘A-team’— admit they “rarely or never” open the Scriptures at all. Rarely or never at all? Josiah Queen’s lyrics in his recent song are hauntingly true: “With dust on our Bibles, brand-new iPhones, No wonder why we feel this way.” Research from the Center for Bible Engagement shows that reading Scripture once or twice a week barely moves the needle in someone’s life. Three times a week brings a small shift, but something extraordinary happens at four or more times a week: loneliness drops by 30%. Anger falls by 32%. Bitterness is down 40%. Alcoholism decreases 57%. Pornography use plunges 59%. And on the flip side, sharing one’s faith skyrockets by 228%, and discipleship rises 230%. In other words, the power is not just in owning a Bible but in opening and reading it. We’ve seen the same data from outside of statistics. Prison Fellowship International notes that recidivism rates remain around 87% without Bible engagement but drop to single digits when Scripture becomes part of a prisoner’s daily rhythm. Ministries like Men of Valor echo these results. Transformation doesn’t come from programs or platitudes. It comes from living out the truth of God found in the living Word of God. I’ve seen this firsthand in my work with Bible distribution. Throughout many parts of Eastern Europe, people hunger for God’s Word, desperate for hope and change. When they finally receive a Bible — many for the very first time — they don’t shelve it, they devour it. They read God’s Word not four, but seven days a week!And the impact of their daily Bible engagement is unmistakable. Communities shift, families reconcile, people discover purpose and the Body of Christ grows. Where there is hunger for Scripture, there is visible transformation. It is certainly humbling to witness, and it should challenge all of us. If those who have lived for decades without easy access to Bibles can treasure it daily, what excuse do we really have, surrounded by access to God’s Word every single day? Why are nearly 7 in 10 churchgoers not opening their Bible every day? Why do 1 in 8 practically never read it? The answer may lie in the culture we’ve built around distraction, quick fixes and shallow spirituality. We take the Bible for granted and allow ourselves to “unwind” by doom scrolling — only to increase anxiety and depression levels. The consequences are undeniable. Weak churches, weary Christians and a restless society searching for peace in all the wrong places. The growing churches in America right now aren’t the ones with the flashiest worship teams or trendiest branding. They’re the ones that open the Bible and teach it line by line, verse by verse, book by book. And in places where we see the Spirit moving most powerfully around the globe, believers aren’t rationing Scripture to four times a week. They are eagerly in the Word every single day, and their lives bear the unmistakable fruit of transformation, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. The crisis is clear. The solution is not complicated. What we need isn’t another strategy, program or device. What we need for purpose, fulfillment and joy is simply repentance, humility and the discipline of returning daily to God’s Word — that which will never fail us and only improve our lives and the Kingdom. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV). Dirk Smith is the Vice President of Eastern European Mission, which has been delivering God’s Word to the people of Eastern Europe since 1961. They were able to provide 1.5 million Bibles and Bible-based materials in the region in 2021, including in public schools in Croatia, Romania and Ukraine. Learn more at www.eem.org.
When 70% of churchgoers don’t open their Bibles daily
