Introduction to the Surveys of Biblical Commitment

The aim of the following surveys is to encourage people to read important and clearly understood passages in the Bible, and then judge for themselves if they believe them, if they influence their lives (thoughts, words and deeds), and if they hope the messages will influence their lives (more) in the future.

By means of the following surveys we hope to target as wide and audience as possible as most Canadians either do not read the Bible, while many of those who do, do not read it with reflection on its meaning for their life, family and work. Even many who read the Bible with care may miss or misinterpret its central messages or relationship to the whole subject area.

The surveys may be used in many ways. We have used them in a limited way with Bible study and other groups mostly with committed Christians - those from different denominations have been in agreement with the surveys' messages.

We have also sought the views of well-informed Christians from Protestant, Orthodox and Roman Catholic denominations. The response has been favorable with some excellent suggestions for content. This suggests that the surveys could be a force for Christian unity.

We have further used the surveys with non-Christian friends, some of whom often misunderstand Christianity. Sometimes in communications with our friends we may notice false understandings - we can try to clear these up by our own words, but the power of the Bible verses is more convincing. The surveys give some context of our basic beliefs as well as the basic teachings.

We propose to reach different audiences by posting the surveys on websites. Wide distribution might also be achieved by publishing them in church journals, and we may approach some soon.

One other hope for the future would be to administer the surveys, or at least one, by means of an opinion polling organization. Funding for this would be sought. This is the only way that we could get an assessment of the whole Canadian population concerning their degree of conformity with central teachings of the Bible. Individuals or groups completing the survey on their own could then compare their beliefs on each question with those of all Canadians, or major sub-groups, which we would provide.

Those filling out the survey would be encouraged to keep their survey form, their "Biblical conformity profile", then repeat the survey every year or two, perhaps as a New Year's or birthday project, and see how their spirituality is changing over time.

The basic assumptions of the surveys have been accepted by all reviewers to date. These are:

1. The verses on most basics are easily understood and their meaning clear: The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple - Psalm 119:130.
2. The key verses relating to each survey topic can be determined from many resources, such as the booklet Answers to questions about salvation, by The Bible League, Thirty discipleship exercises: The pathway to Christian maturity, and J.I. Packer and colleagues' The NIV thematic study Bible. These resources were our starting point, though several reviewers suggested additions to or deletions from our original choice of verses.
3. We decided to use an authoritative modern translation of the Bible and chose the New King James Bible. The popular children's devotional, Jesus Wants All of Me, uses this translation.
4. We assumed that the context of many verses in the Bible is not needed for its meaning to be clarified - J. C. Ryle has addressed this point and has noted that Jesus and Paul often quoted single verses in order to instruct both the disciples, and non-believers.
5. We assumed these surveys could be offered to non-Christians and in fact to exclude them would not honor the Bible, which is intended for all peoples. A considerable portion of the Bible's lessons is found in non-Christian religions - Stephen Neil cites a source claiming that Islam adheres to perhaps one third of the Apostles Creed for example (Christian faith and other faiths: The Christian dialogue with other faiths, p. 65). C. S. Lewis, in The Abolition of Man, shows that many ethical teachings are similar in Hindu, Ancient Indian, Chinese, ancient Roman, Babylonian, Ancient Egyptian, Ancient Greek, Anglo-Saxon, Old Norse, North American Indian, Australian Aborigine, Jewish, and Christian writings.
6. Many without any religion may still recognize the truth of many verses and be stimulated to explore the Bible in greater depth. The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Psalm 19:1.
7. Finally, we remain open to suggestions for additions and deletions that will be considered for any future edition of these surveys.

Dr. Frank Jones,
Managing Director, Christian Commitment Research Institute
Ottawa, Canada
April 2008

The CCRI Surveys of Biblical Commitment

1. Where are you spiritually? (April 2008)    pdf format  ·  MS Word format
2. Family Matters Survey (May 2008)    pdf format  ·  MS Word format
3. Work Matters Survey (July 2008)    pdf format  ·  MS Word format
4. Who Were We? A Survey on belief transitions (August 2008)    pdf format  ·  MS Word format
5. Why do we suffer? (September 2008)    pdf format  ·  MS Word format
6. Near Christian Survey (February 2009)    pdf format  ·  MS Word format