Are Sydney Anglicans losing interest in their Bibles? Disturbing statistics released by the National Church Life Survey reveal a slump in the number of people picking up the greatest story ever told.
Almost two thirds of church attenders say they read their Bible "occasionally' or "hardly ever or never' according to the most recent NCLS information.
The Retail Manager of Bible Society NSW Bookshop, Kathryn Curtis says these figures are alarming.
"I'm saddened. God's word is a living and active word. It won't do much good sitting on the bookshelf gathering dust," she says.
The fear is that Bible reading will be going the way of the dinosaurs with only 19 per cent of church attending Australians reading their Bible five days or more a week.
As Retail Manager of the Bible Society NSW Bookshop, Ms Curtis knows which Bibles Christians are reading.
The "the plain NIV (New International Version) study Bible is at the top of Sydney’s reading list.
"Over the counter, it is the NIV for adults and the CEV (Contemporary English Version) for children. We also have a large percentage of churches wanting to buy CEV Bibles at cost price to give out for evangelism which is probably about a third of our sales."
Ms Curtis says she recommends the CEV or the Good News Bible for those not familiar with the Good Book.
"Some customers simply come in for "a Bible' and haven't heard of the different versions. The Good News or CEV are the best to help people grapple with new "biblical' words."
Ms Curtis says Australians have no excuse for not taking the time to read their Bibles.
"In some countries, you're lucky to get your hands on a Bible of any translation. We’re spoilt in what we have available to us. It's a shame that we're not reading the Bible ourselves and giving it away to other people."
Averting the crisis
Bible Society NSW Communications Manager Martin Johnson says the Bible Society is already involved in strategies aiming to address this crisis.
"We launched a DVD resource for schools last month called The Bible " Alive and Active. It deals with the problem of the Bible not being read at an early age."
"We are giving this product away to scripture teachers in our primary schools. It's part of our ongoing strategy to keep the Bible relevant."
To help increase Bible reading amongst Christians, seven organisations including The Bible Society, Bible League Australia and Scripture Union have contacted over 7400 congregations Australia-wide.
Each group of believers will set aside one week a year to focus on helping individuals develop the discipline of reading the Bible on a daily basis.
A Daily Bible Reading Guide can be ordered through the Bible Society website.
