BIBLE OWNERSHIP IS UP, BUT READERSHIP IS DOWN
According to a recent poll by Barna Group, only 37% of Americans report reading the Bible once a week or more.1 While the Bible’s place in America as a cultural icon endures, it’s not always perceived as a life-changing book. Even as Bible ownership remains strong, readership and engagement are weak.
Yet research shows that Bible reading is the number one indicator for spiritual growth.2 The problem of how to encourage more engagement with Scripture’s transformational message is not new, but it is a problem we can help solve.
THE CSB ADDRESSES THIS NEED
The answer is complex, but one factor cannot be denied: the importance of a Bible optimally translated for today’s English reader. Some translations are accurate to the original but tend to be clunky and hard to read. Other translations are easy to read but stray away from important precision.
Bible translation should never compromise on accuracy or readability.
The Christian Standard Bible (CSB) translation team is passionate about ensuring that ancient truths are communicated to a modern audience as faithfully and clearly as possible.
On one hand, the CSB provides a highly accurate text for faithful sermon preparation and serious study, translated straight from the biblical languages by scholars who love God’s Word. On the other hand, it does not compromise readability and clarity for those who may be less familiar with the traditional (and sometimes difficult) vocabulary retained in some translations of the Bible.
We also know that God’s Word is meant to be shared. A translation that balances fidelity and readability opens the door for every believer to share the Bible with someone who has read it for a lifetime, or with someone who has never before encountered its life-changing message.
Learn more about how the CSB was translated, or read the CSB online. For more about why we translate the Bible, read this post by Dr. Schreiner, co-chair of the Translation Oversight Committee.
1. Barna Group for American Bible Society, “State of the Bible Report,” 2014
2. Brad J. Waggoner, The Shape of Faith to Come, 2008
