Two in Three Churchgoers Fail Lifeway Bible Quiz; Daily Readers Score Far Higher
Asked dozens of basic Bible questions, U.S. churchgoers averaged 51%. Many could not name Israel's first king or place Philemon in the New Testament, but those who read Scripture every day did much better.
See where this is ›NASHVILLE, Tenn. —
Nearly two in three American churchgoers failed a Bible knowledge quiz, with an average score of 51%, according to a Lifeway Research study released Nov. 3. Those who read the Bible every day scored far better than those who seldom open it.
Lifeway surveyed 2,012 Protestant, nondenominational, Catholic and Orthodox churchgoers online Aug. 12-29, 2026, asking dozens of questions in eight categories. Sixty-five percent scored below 60, an F. Nine percent earned a D, 9% a C, 8% a B and 9% an A. The margin of error is plus or minus 2.2 percentage points.
Churchgoers' grades on Lifeway's Bible quiz
Source: Lifeway Research, survey of 2,012 U.S. churchgoers, Aug. 12-29, 2026
Some answers came easily: 94% knew Moses received the Ten Commandments, and 80% could fill in the missing word in John 3:16. Others did not. Only 45% named Saul as Israel's first king; 32% said David. Just 11% could put Deborah, David and Goliath, Jonah and Esther in order. Fifty-five percent did not know Philemon is in the New Testament, 67% thought Hezekiah is a book of the Bible, and 44% thought the Gospel of Thomas is in the Bible.
“The goal was not to trick anyone but to understand their recall of what they have read and been taught,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research.
Reading habits made the biggest difference. Daily Bible readers averaged 66% and rare or never readers 36%; reading every day added nearly 14 points in Lifeway's analysis. Yet only 21% of churchgoers read the Bible personally every day, while 22% rarely or never do. Those who attend church four or more times a month averaged 55%, and churchgoers with evangelical beliefs averaged 55%, compared with 47% for those without them.
“Bible literacy comes with both reading and studying the Bible,” McConnell said. Lifeway has posted a version of the quiz online for anyone who wants to test their own knowledge.
