I just learned of a Chicago Tribune editorial on poor biblical literacy in America. The paper argues, “Trying to understand American literature and history without some knowledge of the Bible is like trying to make sense of the ocean despite a complete ignorance of fish.”
I doubt regular readers for Collected Misc. are deficent in biblical knowledge, but who knows who drops by here to read something; so I wrote this quiz on basic ideas and stories from the Bible. I tried to use one of the online test/quiz makers to make this a bit interactive, but the three I tried weren’t working for me. Sorry, but here it is in simple, unadorned text.
If you’re interested in this sort of thing, let me know and whether you would like to see a few more of them.
1. The rainbow comes from what historical account?
a. Moses and the Red Sea
b. Joshua and the River Jordan
c. Noah and the Great Flood
d. Ezekiel and the fiery wheels
2. The rainbow symbolizes
a. God’s protection of his people
b. God’s promise to never flood the earth again
c. God’s presence
d. God’s direction
3. Where was Jesus when he was tempted by Satan?
a. Jesus was not tempted by Satan
b. In the city
c. In his home
d. In the desert
4. What is Eden?
a. Paradise on earth
b. The city where Jesus was born
c. The capital of ancient Israel
d. The promised land
5. Who wrote, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity”?
a. Jesus
b. Adam
c. David
d. Solomon
6. Who was Joshua?
a. He lead the Israelites after Moses
b. He fought with Jacob over a promise
c. He was a great example of the faithful follower
d. He helped Judah with his land
7. Who was the Good Samaritan?
a. A traveler who helped a wounded man
b. A priest who obeyed God
c. A pagan who trusted God
d. A teacher who gave to the poor
8. A “David and Goliath” situation is one in which
a. Opponents are evenly matched
b. One side is small and the other big
c. Both sides will lose miserably
d. Only one side stands to win anything
9. What is the root of all evil?
a. Satan
b. The love of money
c. Selfishness
d. Money
10. How many apostles are there?
a. 10
b. 9
c. 11
d. 12
Answers:
c, b, d, a, d, a, a, b, b, d
Phil,
Did you see the David Gelenter article I mentioned in a a post a while back? (Click on the link for my name if you missed it)
This is an education gap that is likely getting bigger. Those committed to eradicating religion from public life are intent on making America, like Europe, a post-Christian culture.