WELLINGTON Although 68 per cent of New Zealanders own a Bible, only 23 per cent who have one pick it up and read it at least once a month. These figures come from research undertaken by the Bible Society in New Zealand, which sold more than 60,000 copies of the Bible last year and aims to encourage more people to read it.
The research revealed that 46 per cent of New Zealanders describe themselves as Christian, but only 11 per cent of these Christians read the Bible daily and 13 per cent read it weekly.
Of the Christians, 47 per cent said the Bible influences their lives, but only 26 per cent regularly discuss its teachings with others.
The Bible Society said this research confirms a growing Bible engagement crisis in New Zealand and many other Western nations.
If Christians continue to move away from engaging with the Bible, what will the future of the Church in this country look like? asked the societys chief executive officer, Mark Brown.
To address this crisis, the society recently appointed Stephen Opie as its Bible engagement advocate.
