Bible engagement spurs ‘massive engine’ of generosity among Christians, report finds

“It is more blessed to give than to receive,” Jesus is quoted as saying in Acts 20:35 – a promise his followers appear to be fulfilling more than 2,000 years later.

A recent report found Christians who regularly engage with the Bible rank as “the most charitable people in the United States” and report higher happiness and life satisfaction scores, according to the Baptist Standard.

“People who consistently read the Bible and live by its teachings are more likely to give to charity,” explained John Plake, chief innovation officer of the American Bible Society, which released the study. 

“Our data shows that they also give far more – not only to their churches, but also to religious and non-religious charities. At a national level, we could say that scripture-engaged people form a massive engine of generosity and philanthropy.” 

Giving proportions vary by income levels 

The report found evangelical households gave the most in categories such as percentage of people donating, average donation amount, and percentage given to their church or religious charity. 

“We recognize that many non-Christians donate to their religious communities, and many of them support non-religious charities,” researchers wrote. “But, as a group, they donate the least.” 

While donation amounts varied according to household income, lower-income earners tended to give more as an overall percentage of their revenue. 

“Families earning under $20,000 a year give as much as 11% of their income to charity. But percentage giving largely decreases as income increases, dropping to 5.4% for families that earn just under $50,000,” the Baptist Standard noted. 

Researchers also emphasized the proportional difference, recalling Luke 21 where Jesus praised the widow’s donation of two copper coins – a stark contrast to the abundant offerings from the rich. 

“Nonprofits naturally look first to the top-line dollars donated, but God looks at the heart. And giving proportions may be a better window there,” the study noted. “Those blessed with great wealth often give from their surplus. It takes a deeper commitment to give sacrificially.” 

Interestingly, the more sacrificial givers enjoyed a greater “payoff” in terms of self-reported happiness and life satisfaction scores, according to researchers. 

“We broke down the scores by four income quadrants and, as you might expect, the Happiness & Life Satisfaction score increases with greater household income. Yet in each quadrant, we see givers far outpacing non-givers. … You might say the joy of giving is better than getting a $50,000 raise.” 

The survey’s writers warn against putting too much emphasis on numbers instead of focusing on the “joy of giving,” which they describe as “worth infinitely more than any dollar amount.” 

“Ultimately, this chapter is not about money,” they noted. “It’s about the miracle of generosity in people’s hearts.”