In 2011, the Lilly Endowment granted over $500,000 to the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis for a three-year project to gauge the ways in which Americans use Bibles in their daily lives outside of worship services. This funding allowed the center to commission questions that subsequently appeared on the General Social Survey, which is conducted annually by the National Opinion Research Center; to place questions on the 2012 iteration of the National Congregations Study; to bring together scholars for a 2014 national conference that was held in Indianapolis; and to produce this book. The volume contains an introductory essay by the editors that analyzes and summarizes survey results, twenty-six contributions from scholars in academic disciplines ranging from history to anthropology to religious studies to political science, and a thoughtful afterword by senior scholar Mark Noll that places the findings in a broader sociohistorical context.

Academics likely will not find the survey results generated by this project especially surprising, as the data confirms many widely held impressions and assumptions. Roughly one-half of all Americans regularly read scripture outside of a worship context. Women, the elderly, southerners, poorer people, the less educated, conservative Protestants, and African Americans read the Bible much more regularly than others. Race especially emerges as a significant factor, as approximately 70 percent of African Americans read the Bible outside worship in a given year, compared with 44 percent for whites and 46 percent for Hispanics. Bible readers tend to consult the scriptures for devotional study and to learn about their faith much more than for guidance in negotiating political or culture war issues. Despite the proliferation of high-profile alternative translations in recent years, the King James Version maintains its popularity by a wide margin over more contemporary competitors. Bible memorization remains a widespread practice, Psalm 23 and John 3:16 retain their status as perennially favorite passages, and less than fifty percent of Bible readers seek interpretive assistance from clergy or commentaries. The internet and e-device applications have recently become popular Bible reading sources, especially for younger, more affluent, and better-educated Americans. The editors present all of this data clearly and forthrightly, resisting the urge to overstate their findings. Their most significant contribution may lie in creating a statistical benchmark that will fuel future studies.

The twenty-six short essays range over a wide terrain, with most authors having previously presented their interpretations in lengthier monographs. A few intriguing themes recur. First, many authors consider the ways in which individuals and groups have read the scriptures in the past to question conventional orthodoxies and reach occasionally radical conclusions. Emerson Powery documents a powerful interpretive tradition among African Americans that challenged the “curse of Ham” motif and equated the origins of “whiteness” with leprosy in 2 Kings 5. Amy Easton-Flake illustrates how Mormon women, writing in the Women's Exponent, used and interpreted the Bible to promote gender equality, expand their sphere within the church, and defend polygamy. And Linford Fisher explores the manner in which John Eliot's Indian Bible of 1663 took on unanticipated uses for Native Americans as a symbolic object, a valuable rare book, and ultimately a force for language revitalization. Second, several essays relate the history of various English language translations, placing them in the lively and eclectic American Bible marketplace. Garrett Spivey's work on the rarely studied Orthodox Study Bible, Sylvester Johnson's examination of the Circle Seven Koran and its centrality to the Moorish Science Temple of America movement, and Daniel Vaca's careful consideration of a popular paraphrase, The Living Bible, all fall into this category. Finally, some researchers argue for a more expansive definition of Bible reading itself. Paul Harvey elucidates the ways in which Southern blues, gospel, and country artists interpret sacred texts for their audiences in fresh and innovative ways. James S. Bielo examines a creationist theme park in Kentucky that combines fundamentalist theology and creative license to relate the story of Noah's ark. And Sara M. Peterson turns her attention to Salvation Mountain, perhaps best described as an idiosyncratic art installation near California's Salton Sea that relies heavily on the tactile experiences of visitors to connect emotionally with the Creator's biblical message.

The Bible in American Life's essays tend to concentrate on conservative evangelical readings and products, which leave some themes underexplored. Both the introductory chapter and the afterword by Mark Noll, for example, note that there has been a remarkable shift in Roman Catholic Bible reading practices. Perhaps owing to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, Catholics now appear to be studying the scriptures outside worship services at much higher rates. Though the historic differences between Catholics and Protestants seem to be narrowing, virtually none of the essays reflect on this trend. Similarly, Jewish reading practices remain absent from the book, which more accurately might be titled The Bible in American Christian Life. Further, the survey research suggests that people who do not identify with any religious tradition still read their Bibles on a fairly regular basis, perhaps more often than many Christians who consider themselves devout. This surprising trend may relate to the growing number of Americans who view themselves as “spiritual but not religious,” and deserves further scrutiny. Finally, given the significance of race in the survey results, I had hoped for a more sustained consideration of this theme throughout the book. Chapters concerning slave narratives, gospel music, and the Seven Circle Koran provide good historical points for discussion, but the more contemporary case studies have little to say concerning this major finding about African Americans. Hispanics and Asians receive virtually no attention. Despite these caveats, this book serves as a fascinating overview of the ways in which Americans grapple with sacred scripture, and constitutes perhaps our most comprehensive survey of contemporary Bible-based reading practices.