Rigorous catechesis was prevalent in the early church and again during the Reformation. These days, many pastors downplay doctrine in a misguided effort to fill pews or avoid conflict. Congregations don’t require a lengthy formation, and often welcome new members after an hour of instruction, if that.

My family watches Jeopardy! every night. My husband, a well-read man with an excellent memory, gets most of the answers (er, questions) correct. But I struggle with trivia.

Even if I’ve read the Shakespeare play, I cannot remember the characters’ names. I can picture the map but can’t recall the mountain range.

So far be it from me to overreact to a Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life survey that showed that Americans are not religion experts. Still, it was embarrassing. [Editor’s note: the original URL (link) referenced is no longer valid, so the link has been removed.]

Fewer than half of those surveyed could name the Gospels or identify who launched the Reformation. Only 16 percent knew that Protestants traditionally teach that salvation comes through faith alone. While white evangelicals knew this in greater numbers than other groups, nearly twice as many of those surveyed knew that the Qur’an is Islam’s holy book as knew what Protestants teach about salvation.

The results weren’t all dispiriting. Over 70 percent of Americans know Jesus was born in Bethlehem—a question even CNN’s Wolf Blitzer missed while on Celebrity Jeopardy! in 2009. It’s not that Americans are particularly ignorant about religion. They have about the same command of science, literature, and history facts.

Jews, atheists, and Mormons did slightly better than other Americans. But they still would have received Ds had they been taking an actual test, noted Boston University religion professor Stephen Prothero.

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