Articles
The Bible ABCs
Richard Dawkins, a prominent naturalist, popular author and outspoken critic of religion, cites basic ignorance of the Bible as proof that Christians are insincere. He referred to a poll taken by the Irish Times in which two out of three self-professed Christians could not identify the first book of the New Testament. In Dawkins’ mind, all scientific evidence unquestionably points to natural processes at work and leaves no room for deity.
However, in a case of “turnabout is fair play,” Dawkins was put on the spot on BBC radio and challenged to recite the whole title of the evolutionist’s bible, Darwin’s "On the Origin of the Species." Given that this work is the “holy grail” of evolutionists and that Dawkins condemned Christians as frauds for not knowing the book of Matthew, surely he would know at least the title of the book that began the modern philosophy of naturalism. The interview went like this:
Giles Fraser (former canon chancellor of St. Paul’s Cathedral): Richard, if I said to you what is the full title of “The Origin Of Species,” I'm sure you could tell me that.
Richard Dawkins: Yes I could.
Giles Fraser: Go on then.
Richard Dawkins: "On The Origin Of Species." ... Uh. With, Oh G--. “On The Origin Of Species.” There is a subtitle with respect to the preservation of favored races in the struggle for life.
Giles Fraser: You're the high pope of Darwinism. ... If you asked people who believed in evolution that question and you came back and said 2 percent got it right, it would be terribly easy for me to go, “They don't believe it after all.” It's just not fair to ask people these questions. They self-identify as Christians, and I think you should respect that.
Dawkins was close; the full title reads: “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life.” But how much slack do you suppose he would give a believer if he only got “close” to a fundamental fact of Bible knowledge? (By the way, did you notice that Dawkins, the quintessential atheist, took God’s name in vain when searching his memory for the title of the book? Why do unbelievers do that?!)
But while noting Richard Dawkins’ hypocrisy, I do believe he has a point. A large part of the reason that Christianity is effectively dead in Great Britain is the complete lack of knowledge of the scriptures. This, of course, is a byproduct of indifference toward God. Being a faithful child of God is more than “self-identification” as a Christian.
So in keeping with our theme for 2012 -- strengthen our commitment -- and with the emphasis this quarter on making Bible study a habit, I invite you to take the short quiz below on “the first principles of the oracles of God” (Heb. 5:12). This is for your own edification; no one (in this world) will check your work.
1. How many books are in the New Testament?
a. 27
b. 23
c. 29
d. 24
2. How many books did Paul sign his name to?
a. 15
b. 13
c. 17
d. 12
3. How many books of the New Testament did John write?
a. 3
b. 4
c. 5
d. 1
4. Who replaced Judas as an apostle?
a. Paul
b. Barnabas
c. Matthias
d. Luke
5. Of whom is it said “the voice of one crying in the wilderness”?
a. The shepherds in the field
b. John the Baptist
c. Jesus
d. Elijah
6. The city in Galilee Jesus frequented more than others in His ministry was:
a. Capernaum
b. Nazareth
c. Cana
d. Bethsaida
7. What ruler beheaded John?
a. Pontius Pilate
b. Annas
c. Nero
d. Herod
8. How many elements of temptation followed Jesus’ fast?
a. 4
b. 3
c. 1
d. 0
9. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount ends with:
a. the Pharisees trying to stone Him
b. the Transfiguration
c. feeding the 5,000
d. the parable of the wise/foolish man
10. Which is not a prison epistle?
a. Revelation
b. Colossians
c. Ephesians
d. Philemon
11. Who was not on the first preaching journey among the Gentiles?
a. Luke
b. Mark
c. Barnabas
d. Paul
12. The first city in Macedonia Paul preached at was:
a. Athens
b. Corinth
c. Philippi
d. Troas
13. What church was troubled about dead Christians being left out of the resurrection?
a. Smyrna
b. Thessalonica
c. Ephesus
d. Jerusalem
14. Peter’s vision of the unclean animals was in reference to:
a. Gentiles
b. the dispersion
c. the healing of lepers
d. an angel releasing him from prison
15. Who baptized the first African?
a. Barnabas
b. Philip
c. Stephen
d. John
Answer key: a, b, c, c, b, a, d, b, d, a, a, c, b, a, b
