Dr. Reginald W. Bibby has carefully monitored social trends in Canada for four decades. His surveys and data analyses have covered a wide range of people from many different walks of life.
One study has shown that church attendance is declining rapidly and that atheism is rising. Christian standards are being replaced by secular ones. As a result, some fear that Christians are becoming the persecuted minority.
In actual fact, only about 7 percent of Canadians claim to be atheists. Two-thirds of Canadians claim to be Christians and 64 percent believe the Bible is the Word of God.
However, according to a 2013 Canadian Bible Engagement Study, only 14 percent of Canadians read the Bible at least once a month compared to 28 percent who did so in 1996. As fewer people regularly read (and study) the Bible, fewer are claiming to be Christian. That same study showed that only 18 percent of Canadians strongly believe the Bible is the Word of God and only 13 percent believe it is relevant to modern life. Even among those who proclaimed to be Christians, only 23 percent believed the Bible to be relevant to today!
Conversely, those who strongly believe the Bible is the Word of God are ten times more likely to read it several times a week and more likely to attend weekly religious services. This has led Christian churches to more strongly advocate daily Bible reading.
Reading the Bible daily can, at times, be challenging. In our fast-paced world, it may be hard to find the time. Additionally, while there are sections with interesting story flow, other sections are more difficult to comprehend. Hence there has been a proliferation of Bible Study courses. The United Church of God produces a 12-lesson Bible Study Course [1] that will help anyone wishing to systematically study this most important book.
Links:
[1] http://www.ucg.ca/bible-study-lessons/