Scripture engaged Americans gave $145 billion to churches and other charities last year

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A new study published by the American Bible Society shows that Scripture engaged Americans donated $145 billion to churches and other charitable causes last year, giving much more than Americans in the “movable middle” and Americans that are Scripture disengaged, the Christian Post (CP) reports.

Released last month in the eighth chapter of ABS’ annual “State of the Bible,” the study was based on responses from 2,598 American adults collected from January 20-28.

The report shows that Scripture-engaged Americans donated an average of $2,941 to churches and other charities in 2021, compared to those in the “movable middle” who gave an average of $649, and those in the Scripture-disengaged category who gave an average of $924 to charity last year, CP said.

A majority of donations from Scripture-engaged Christians went to their church, parish, or temple, with individuals in this group giving an average of $2,124 to their place of worship, CP said. Those in the “movable middle” gave an average of $335 to their place of worship; the Scripture disengaged gave $163 to their place of worship.

The report found that 81% of practicing Christians donated to churches and other charities in 2021, compared to 61% of non-practicing Christians and 52% of non-Christians.

In a statement about the findings, John Farquhar Plake, director of ministry intelligence for the American Bible Society, noted: “Year after year, our research shows there is a strong correlation between charitable giving and human flourishing, suggesting that people find a sense of meaning when they give to a cause they believe in. Engaging with the Bible and actively living out our faith doesn’t simply mean reading the words in the pages of Scripture–rather, it is a transformation of the heart that inspires us to love and live well.”

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