News

How 100 Cities ‘Rank and Tank’ at Embracing the Bible (Colorado Springs? No. 56)

(UPDATED) Christian college towns do well, as Barna and American Bible Society identify ‘Bible-minded’ cities for second time.

Chattanooga and Providence

Chattanooga and Providence

Christianity Today January 22, 2014
Courtesy of Flickr

Update: One theory as to why certain cities "embrace the Bible" more than others: 19 of the top 20 most "Bible-minded" cities host sizable Christian colleges. (List added below.)

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For the second time, the American Bible Society (ABS) has partnered with The Barna Group to identify America's most "Bible-minded" cities, based on "combined levels of regular Bible reading and belief in the Bible's accuracy." (Full list of 100 cities is below.)

After interviewing more than 46,000 adults nationwide over a seven-year period, their No. 1 pick? Chattanooga, Tenn., which ranked third in last year's inaugural list.

ABS notes:

An inverse relationship exists between population density and Bible friendliness. Of the top 25 Bible-minded markets, only three have a population of greater than 1 million households: Charlotte, N.C.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Dallas.

The complete Top 10:

10. Knoxville, Tenn.
9. Jackson, Miss.
8. Little Rock, Ark.
7. Greenville/Spartanburg, S.C./Asheville N.C.
6. Charlotte, N.C.
5. Shreveport, La.
4. Springfield, Mo.
3. Roanoke/Lynchburg, Va.
2. Birmingham, Ala.
1. Chattanooga, Tenn.

By contrast, the least Bible-minded cities:

10. Portland, Maine
9. Burlington, Vt.
8. Phoenix, Ariz.
7. Hartford/New Haven, Conn.
6. Buffalo, N.Y
5. Cedar Rapids, Iowa
4. San Francisco
3. Boston, Mass.
2. Albany, N.Y.
1. Providence, R.I./ New Bedford, Mass.

Barna identifies "Bible minded" people as "respondents who report reading the bible within the past seven days and who agree strongly in the accuracy of the Bible."

CT noted last year's top and bottom cities (sorry, Colorado Springs), as well as contrasted Barna's list with Gallup's list of America's most religious cities and a separate ranking of America's most saintly cities.

ABS/Barna's full ranking of 100 cities is below. Of interest: 19 of the top 20 cities are Christian college towns, including but not limited to (per collegestats.org):

City Institution Name Religious Affiliation Students
Chattanooga Tennessee Temple University Baptist 885
Birmingham Samford University Baptist 4,758
Lynchburg Liberty University Baptist 64,096
Springfield Evangel University Assemblies of God Church 2,168
Shreveport Centenary College of Louisiana United Methodist 891
Charlotte Queens University of Charlotte Presbyterian Church (USA) 2,491
Spartanburg Wofford College United Methodist 1,568
Little Rock Arkansas Baptist College Baptist 1,193
Jackson Belhaven University Presbyterian Church (USA) 3,071
Knoxville Johnson University Christian Churches/Churches of Christ 1,031
Charleston University of Charleston Baptist 1090
Huntsville Oakwood University Seventh Day Adventists 2,006
Nashville Belmont University Interdenominational 6,395
Nashville Lipscomb University Churches of Christ 4,010
Nashville Trevecca Nazarene University Church of the Nazarene 2,478
Lexington Transylvania University Disciples of Christ 1,023
Wichita Newman University Roman Catholic 3,021
Oklahoma City Mid-America Christian University Church of God 2,255
Oklahoma City Oklahoma City University United Methodist 3,575
Louisville Bellarmine University Roman Catholic 3,432
Louisville Spalding University Roman Catholic 2,432
Louisville Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Southern Baptist 3,137
Jacksonville Edward Waters College African Methodist Episcopal 751
Jacksonville Trinity Baptist College Baptist 278
Greensboro Greensboro College United Methodist 1,200
High Point High Point University United Methodist 4,205
Winston Salem Salem College Moravian Church 1,130

(Chattanooga images courtesy of SeeMidTN.com and hankinsphoto.com – Flickr)

(Providence images courtesy of Jef Nickerson and Reading Tom – Flickr)

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