Britain knows not the Bible

Despite 75% of all Britons owning a Bible, there is apparently a serious dearth of actual scriptural knowledge. This is not only an issue for Christians, but for anyone who wants to really understand Western literature, which is deeply steeped in Biblical themes.

Researchers found that 57 per cent of people knew nothing about Joseph or his brothers despite the hit musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and 60 per cent were ignorant of the story of the Good Samaritan.

The Reverend David Wilkinson, from St John's, said the consequences of ignorance went far beyond being unclear about what church leaders might preach. He said a good grounding in the stories and characters of the Bible was essential to understanding history and culture because so much of art, music and literature was bound up with religious themes.

It is easily to feel self-righteous because we are Bible quizzers. But how much Bible reading have you done outside of the books we study?