Good and Bad News about the Good News - Breakpoint

Summary5 min read

Episode Overview

Title: Good and Bad News about the Good News
Host: John Stonestreet, Colson Center
Date: November 20, 2025

This episode of Breakpoint addresses the paradoxical trends in American Christianity, namely the simultaneous increase in Bible reading and a decline in the belief in its authority. John Stonestreet explores recent survey data, historical parallels, and the challenge of a faith shaped on personal terms rather than by biblical authority. The message is both hopeful and cautionary, calling listeners to a genuine engagement with Scripture and warning against the dangers of shaping God to suit individual preferences.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Recent Bible Reading Trends

Survey Results:
- “According to a new survey conducted by GLU and the Barna Group, Americans are reading their Bibles. More… Approximately 50% of self-identified Christians report reading the Bible weekly, the highest level of Bible reading among Christians in more than a decade. …the trend is especially pronounced among millennial and Gen Z men. And it represents a 12% rebound from the lowest point of Bible reading in 2024. This is good news.” (John Stonestreet, 00:14–00:38)
Bible reading habits have notably increased, especially among younger men, marking a reversal from prior decline.

2. Decline in Belief in the Authority of the Bible

Contrasting Bad News:
- “However, according to the very same study, only 36% of Americans believe that the Bible is 100% accurate. That’s a number significantly down from 2000 when it was 43%. …just 44% of self-identified Christians strongly affirm the accuracy of the [Bible]; that is not good news.” (John Stonestreet, 00:39–01:01)
Despite more frequent engagement, confidence in the Bible’s complete accuracy has plummeted.

3. Historical and Cultural Context

Carl F.H. Henry’s 1952 Insight:
- “The vast majority of Americans today may believe in a ghost God, a phantom God, a God who makes very little difference in the great decisions of life and even less in the cares of everyday existence.” (Carl F.H. Henry, quoted by John Stonestreet, 01:10–01:23)
Henry’s skepticism about belief without substance is shown to have lasting relevance.
Moralistic Therapeutic Deism:
- Stonestreet references Soul Searching by Christian Smith and Melinda Denton, describing how American young people believe in a “caricature” of God: “a God who existed on their terms and was involved in their lives primarily to make them happy.” (01:30–01:45)

4. The Temptation to Create God in Our Own Image

“It’s a tendency of fallen humans, after all, to create God in our image. This is a tendency that is at the root of all idolatry. To paraphrase the Apostle Paul, we want the blessings of reading the Bible without its authority.” (John Stonestreet, 01:48–02:00)
Stonestreet draws on the biblical stories of the golden calf (Exodus) and the misuse of the Ark of the Covenant (1 Samuel) to illustrate humanity’s recurring impulse to define God—and Scripture—according to our preferences rather than divine authority. (02:01–02:40)

5. Abusing Scripture for Personal Ends

Usurping Scripture for personal or cultural justification is an old problem:
- “Those who use the Bible for their own ends rather than to submit to its authority are like the theologians of the 19th century who used the Bible to justify slavery or those today who claim that the Bible somehow backs the murder of the unborn through abortion. But God’s word is not our plaything, neither personally nor culturally. God will not be mocked, nor will he be controlled.” (John Stonestreet, 02:41–02:58)

6. Hope in Increased Bible Engagement

“Still, because the Bible carries the authority of God, any increased engagement with it is still good news. Throughout history, the great works of God in revivals and reformations always came because of a renewed love and study of the Bible.” (John Stonestreet, 02:59–03:13)
Even as motives may not align perfectly, God’s Word has a unique, unstoppable impact.
Notably, Stonestreet flips a C.S. Lewis metaphor: “To reverse the image from C.S. Lewis’s The Last Battle, the new Bible readers who are calling on God might be surprised when he actually shows up. They may wish to keep him at arm’s length, but his word does not return void and this time it won’t either.” (John Stonestreet, 03:14–03:28)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Carl F.H. Henry's 1952 Warning:
- “The vast majority of Americans today may believe in a ghost God, a phantom God, a God who makes very little difference in the great decisions of life and even less in the cares of everyday existence.”
  (01:10–01:23, quoted by John Stonestreet)
Diagnosis of American Teen Faith:
- “Even those who claimed to believe in God, which was the majority, believed in a caricature instead, a God who existed on their terms and was involved in their lives primarily to make them happy.”
  (01:36–01:45, John Stonestreet on Soul Searching)
The Heart of Idolatry:
- “It’s a tendency of fallen humans, after all, to create God in our image. …We want the blessings of reading the Bible without its authority.”
  (01:48–02:00, John Stonestreet)
On Misusing the Bible:
- “But God’s word is not our plaything, neither personally nor culturally. God will not be mocked, nor will he be controlled.”
  (02:54–02:58, John Stonestreet)
Scripture’s Power to Transform:
- “They may wish to keep him at arm’s length, but his word does not return void and this time it won’t either.”
  (03:25–03:28, John Stonestreet)

Key Timestamps

00:01–00:38 — Survey: Increase in Bible reading among Christians, especially young men.
00:39–01:01 — Sharp decline in those affirming the Bible’s full authority.
01:10–01:23 — Carl F.H. Henry quote on cultural superficial faith.
01:24–01:45 — Moralistic therapeutic deism and faith on personal terms.
02:01–02:40 — Biblical examples: Israel’s golden calf and misuse of the Ark.
02:41–02:58 — Misuse of Scripture throughout history and today.
02:59–03:13 — Historical link between revivals, reformation, and renewed Bible study.
03:14–03:28 — God’s Word guarantees an impact, even if not welcomed.

Conclusion

John Stonestreet provides a nuanced perspective on encouraging trends in Bible reading amidst declining belief in Scripture’s authority. He argues that genuine transformation comes only when we surrender to the unchanging truth of God’s Word, rather than reading it on our own terms. History and Scripture both warn against using God as a tool, but also show His power to work through honest engagement with His word. The episode closes with a hopeful note: even those wishing to keep God at arm’s length may find themselves changed by His Word, for it “does not return void.”

(Co-authored by Dr. Timothy Padgett. For more resources, visit BreakPoint.org.)

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[00:01]
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Welcome to breakpoint, a daily look at an ever changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stonestreet. According to a new survey conducted by GLU and the Barna Group, Americans are reading their Bibles. More As a recent article in the Christian Post summarized, Approximately 50% of self identified Christians report reading the Bible Weekly, the highest level of Bible reading among Christians in more than a decade. End quote. And the trend is especially pronounced among millennial and Gen Z men. And it represents a 12% rebound from the lowest point of Bible reading in 2024. This is good news. However, according to the very same study, only 36% of Americans believe that the Bible is 100% accurate. That's a number significantly down from 2000 when it was 43%. In fact, and I quote from the article, just 44% of self identified Christians strongly affirm the accuracy of the that is not good news. On a radio broadcast back in 1952, the eminent theologian Carl F.H. henry commented on a poll from his day that found 99% of Americans believed in God. With a justified cynicism. However, he said this the vast majority of Americans today may believe in a ghost God, a phantom God, a God who makes very little difference in the great decisions of life and even less in the cares of everyday existence. End quote. Well, his concern proved correct. It was years later in their book Soul Searching the Religious and Spiritual Eyes of American Teenagers, that Christian Smith and Melinda Denton described the dominant worldview of American young people as moralistic, therapeutic deism. In other words, even those who claimed to believe in God, which was the majority, believed in a caricature instead, a God who existed on their terms and was involved in their lives primarily to make them happy. So if people today are reading the Bible more than they have in years, but believe less in its authority, then Henry's claim about America's fickle religiosity still applies. It's a tendency of fallen humans, after all, to create God in our image. This is a tendency that is at the root of all idolatry. To paraphrase the Apostle Paul, we want the blessings of reading the Bible without its authority. After the Exodus, only weeks after God had inflicted the plagues on Egypt and miraculously opened the Red Sea, the Israelites begged Aaron to make for them gods. He produced a golden calf to which they proclaimed, and I quote, these are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Aaron then announced, tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord in other words, rather than bow before God as he had revealed Himself to them, they chose instead to apply to God what was unworthy of Him. And of course, it did not end well. A few generations later, facing an invasion by the Philistines, the corrupt sons of the High Priest Eli took the Ark of the Covenant to the battlefield. However, they were not supposed to do this, and God was not a tool to be used or controlled. Instead, they lost the battle. They lost the ark. They lost their lives. Those who use the Bible for their own ends rather than to submit to its authority are like the theologians of the 19th century who used the Bible to justify slavery are those today who claim that the Bible somehow backs the murder of the unborn through abortion. But God's word is not our plaything, neither personally nor culturally. God will not be mocked, nor will he be controlled. Still, because the Bible carries the authority of God, any increased engagement with it is still good news. Throughout history, the great works of God in revivals and reformations always came because of a renewed love and study of the Bible. To reverse the image from C.S. lewis's The Last Battle, the new Bible readers who are calling on God might be surprised when he actually shows up. They may wish to keep him at arm's length, but his word does not return void and this time it won't either. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stonestreet with Breakpoint. Today's Breakpoint was co authored by Dr. Timothy Padgett. If you're a fan of Breakpoint, leave us a review wherever you download your podcast. And for more resources like this one, go to BreakPoint.org.
[04:18]
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