Issues@Hand

AFA initiatives, Christian activism, news briefs

April 2016 – Chattanooga, Tennessee, reclaimed its place as America’s most Bible-minded city in 2016, having held that title since 2013, except last year when the top ranking went to Birmingham, Alabama. This year, Birmingham came in second. More than half of the residents in both cities say they read the Bible at least weekly and have high regard for it.

“We’ve seen the same five cities dominate the top five spots consistently,” said Andrew Hood of American Bible Society, the survey’s sponsor. They include Lynchburg/Roanoke, Virginia; Shreveport, Louisiana; and Tri-Cities, Tennessee.

Karen Swallow Prior, a professor at Lynchburg’s Liberty University, testified that there are challenges to living in a Bible-minded city.

“Biblical Christianity permeates everything to the point of, sometimes, simply being assumed,” she said. “Such a far reach of biblical thinking has many positive effects on communities and individuals, but the dangers inherent in assuming a faith rather than actually owning it can be subtle and run deep, too.”

onenewsnow.com, 1/24/16