Shreveport Named America’s 4th Most Bible-Minded City

A newly-released study from the American Bible Society ranks Shreveport as the #4 Bible-minded city in the U.S.

The study shows our area's residents expressed a strong belief in the Bible's accuracy and reported high levels of regular Bible reading. Chattanooga, Tennessee, took the title of America's most Bible-minded city this year.

State Representative Mike Johnson of Bossier City told KEEL News Shreveport-Bossier actually dropped a couple of spots from two years ago, when we were the 2nd-most Bible-minded city, but we're still doing well.

"I think it's telling about our community and the values everyone here espouses," Johnson said. "We're a very traditionally-minded people. God and country are still important to us and I think that's reflected in the poll."

ABS research found that cities in the south, the Bible Belt, continue to perform strongly in Bible friendliness. Birmingham/Anniston/Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Roanoke/Lynchburg, Virginia; and Tri-Cities, Tennesses, round out the top five.

While Birmingham-Anniston/Tuscaloosa, Alabama, moved down one spot this year -- from number one to number two -- several other cities moved up in the rankings. Shreveport was ranked #5 last year, and Chattanooga, Tennessee, sat at #2.

According to an American Bible Society news release, to be considered Bible-minded, respondents must say they read the Bible in the past seven days and they believe strongly in the accuracy of the Bible. Nationally, only 25% of the population was considered Bible-minded.

"We've seen the same five cities dominate the top five spots consistently," said ABS Managing Director of Communications Andrew Hood. "We continually seek opportunities to support local churches across America by equipping leaders to help people encounter the life-changing message of the Bible. We commend local pastors who encourage congregants to read the Bible regularly."

Here are the Top 10 Most Bible-Minded Cities, with their rankings from the previous year's study:

1. Chattanooga, Tenn. (2)
2. Birmingham/Anniston/Tuscaloosa, Ala. (1)
3. Roanoke/Lynchburg, Va. (4)
4. Shreveport, La. (5)
5. Tri-Cities, Tenn. (3)
6. Charlotte, N.C. (8)
7. Little Rock/Pine Bluff, Ark. (10)
8. Knoxville, Tenn. (11)
9. Greenville/Spartanburg/Anderson, S.C.; Asheville, N.C. (9)
10. Lexington, Ky. (15)

Conducted by Barna Group, the study analyzes the Bible-mindedness of the top 100 cities by Nielsen media markets across the United States. Bible-mindedness is calculated based on combined levels of regular Bible reading and residents’ belief in the Bible’s accuracy. To view the full list of city rankings, follow this link.