Bill Leonard, a professor of church history at the Wake Forest University School of Divinity, has written an article on the sociology of Sunday School.  In his article, Leonard provides a brief review of the history of the Sunday School movement and its influence in the life of the church.

Below is an excerpt from Leonard’s article in which he describes the problem of Biblical illiteracy in American churches today:

These days, clergy and laity, professors and students alike generally agree that basic knowledge of the Bible is fast disappearing among Americans conservative, moderate and liberal. Indeed, in recent years I have occasionally received notes from undergraduate and graduate students reminding me that they “did not grow up studying the Bible,” and are not always clear as to the meaning or context of such phrases as “prodigal son,” “woman at the well” or “rich young ruler.” Such comments take me back to Sunday school, past and present.

Leonard’s article goes on to discuss the several contributions of the Sunday School to Christians over the years.  Some of these contributions include teaching the content of the Bible to generations of believers and instructing Christians on the basic teachings of the Bible.

He also provides several reasons why the Sunday School is losing its influence in the education of Christians.  Some of these reasons include the increase of biblical illiteracy inside the church, the decision of some churches to eliminate Sunday School for certain groups, and the intermittent participation of church members in regular Bible study.

I have written several posts on the problem of Biblical illiteracy.  See below a list of posts dealing with the problem of Biblical illiteracy.

The problem will not go away as long as Christians do not recognize the importance of regular, in-depth Bible study. Many churches have eliminated Sunday School in order to develop multiple worship services. The result is that a person can come to church to worship God without ever bringing his or her Bible to church.

Many years ago, a church of which I was a member announced that they had a box full of Bibles that were left in church over a period of several months. The pastor announced that people should come by the church office and claim their Bibles.  After several weeks of making the same announcement in church, not one Bible was claimed.  People had lost their Bible in church and never missed it.

I still believe that the Sunday School is one of the most effective ways to combat the problem of Biblical illiteracy that is so evident in America today. But since the Sunday School’s influence is waning, the church must find a substitute for the Sunday School, and find it fast.

Posts on Biblical Illiteracy:
Religious Illiteracy in America
The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy
The Problem of Theological Ignorance
Talk About Ignorance!
The Bible Comes to Disney World
How Much Bible Do You Know?
The Book of Hezekiah Again
Hezekiah 3:16
The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy
The Relevance of the Old Testament
If Your Mother Says She Loves You
The Looting of New Orleans