Study to Research How Americans Relate to the Bible

Religion Today | Published: Oct 28, 2011

Study to Research How Americans Relate to the Bible

The Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) has received a $500,000 grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc., to study how Americans relate to the Bible in their everyday lives, according to Inside Indiana Business. The three-year project, "The Bible in American Life," is the first large-scale national study on the way scripture is read and interpreted. Philip Goff, one of three who will lead the study, says the project is driven by the recognition that although the Bible has been central to both public life and Christian practice throughout American history, not much is known about how people read the Bible for themselves or how religious life and practice affect people's understanding of scripture. The first stage of the study, in 2012, will focus on research, and the second stage, in 2013, will involve a cultural and historical interpretation by Bible scholars. A national conference of the findings will be presented in 2014.

Study to Research How Americans Relate to the Bible