--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a great superficiality in…" description: "\"“There is a great superficiality in today's evangelical world. Many Bible-believing Christians share the contemporary case for self-gratification, emot..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/556/gene-edward-veith-jr-30940_anti-intellectualism_there-is-a-great-superficiality-in-today_1260852.jpg" --- # There is a great superficiality in today's evangelical… ![“There is a great superficiality in today's evangelical world. Many Bible-believing Christians share the contemporary case for self-gratification, emotionalism, and anti-intellectualism. Many people who believe in the Bible have never read it.” quote by Gene Edward Veith Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/556/gene-edward-veith-jr-30940_anti-intellectualism_there-is-a-great-superficiality-in-today_1260852.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/556/gene-edward-veith-jr-30940_anti-intellectualism_there-is-a-great-superficiality-in-today_1260852.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/556/gene-edward-veith-jr-30940_anti-intellectualism_there-is-a-great-superficiality-in-today_1260852.jpg) > ““There is a great superficiality in today's evangelical world. Many Bible-believing Christians share the contemporary case for self-gratification, emotionalism, and anti-intellectualism. Many people who believe in the Bible have never read it.”” [Gene Edward Veith Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-edward-veith-jr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Many modern believers prioritize personal experience over scriptural study, leading to shallow faith. **In simple terms:** Faith can become surface‑level without reading the source. Key Takeaway Engage deeply with sacred texts. Themes faith superficiality intellectualism Mood critical reflective Type theological observational When to use this quote - Bible study groups - personal reading plans - theological education Key Concepts scripture study critical thinking Questions to Reflect On - Why do people favor feeling over reading? - How can churches encourage deeper scriptural engagement? A Different Perspective Not everyone has access or desire to read complex texts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anti-intellectualism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anti-intellectualism/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Evangelical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evangelical/) [Superficiality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superficiality/) ## Related quotes > [There is a breeze blowing. I see it in the deep discontent that is being voiced with the threadbare state of the evangelical world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-f-wells/there-is-a-breeze-blowing-i-see-it-in-the-deep-discontent-that-is/) [David F. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-f-wells/) > [“Bible-believing Christians cannot accept any evolutionary interpretation. Dinosaurs and humans were definitely on the earth at the same time and may have even lived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-r-batdorf/bible-believing-christians-cannot-accept-any-evolutionary/) Brad R. Batdorf > [There were three kinds of evangelical leaders: The dumb or idealistic ones who really believed. The out-and-out charlatans. And the smart ones who still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-schaeffer/there-were-three-kinds-of-evangelical-leaders-the-dumb-or-idealistic/) [Frank Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-schaeffer/) > [It's important for people in the Church to realize that the way they talk and think about the Bible isn't the way Bible scholars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-s-heiser/it-s-important-for-people-in-the-church-to-realize-that-the-way-they/) [Michael S. Heiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-s-heiser/) > [I found some peace in the Bible and in believing in Christ. To me it doesn't really matter if it's technically true. It just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrick-brennan/i-found-some-peace-in-the-bible-and-in-believing-in-christ-to-me-it/) [Fredrick Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrick-brennan/) > [“In the evangelical world, prying can be an indicator of compassion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-roose/in-the-evangelical-world-prying-can-be-an-indicator-of-compassion/) [Kevin Roose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-roose/) > [The open secret of many Bible believing Churches is that a vanishingly small percentage of those talking about prayer and Bible reading are actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/the-open-secret-of-many-bible-believing-churches-is-that-a/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [I felt like I was in a unique position, or I am in a unique position, to show the evangelical world in a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-holmes/i-felt-like-i-was-in-a-unique-position-or-i-am-in-a-unique-position/) [Pete Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-holmes/) > [I am a Bible-believing Christian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-johnson/i-am-a-bible-believing-christian/) [Mike Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-johnson/) > [I thought the evangelical church was living out true unity in Christ without regard for race. That has certainly been my experience in every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/i-thought-the-evangelical-church-was-living-out-true-unity-in-christ/) [John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/) > [“I grew up believing Christians didn’t just believe in Jesus. To be saved, people had to look and speak a certain way. They followed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-white/i-grew-up-believing-christians-didn-t-just-believe-in-jesus-to-be/) [Anna White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-white/) > [“To be really Bible-believing Christians we need to practice, simultaneously, at each step of the way, two biblical principles. One principle is that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-a-schaeffer/to-be-really-bible-believing-christians-we-need-to-practice/) [Francis A. Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-a-schaeffer/) > [“The book is intended to help believing Christians “who today have been made insecure by scientific research and critical discussion, so that they may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-book-is-intended-to-help-believing-christians-who-today-have-been/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [“True believing Christians are sheep among wolves, sheep for the slaughter. They must be baptized in anxiety, distress, affliction, persecution, suffering, and death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-roscoe-step/true-believing-christians-are-sheep-among-wolves-sheep-for-the/) William Roscoe Step > [There are three things that are important for you to grow in God, first pray often, second read the Holy Bible every day, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-three-things-that-are-important-for-you-to-grow-in-god/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Gene Edward Veith Jr > [“Our mediator claims all of our sins and has paid for them with His blood. He provides all of the good works we need,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-edward-veith-jr/our-mediator-claims-all-of-our-sins-and-has-paid-for-them-with-his/) [Gene Edward Veith Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-edward-veith-jr/) > [“Psychology either tends to glorify human beings or trivialize them, leaving out the complexity of the human soul and the demands of God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-edward-veith-jr/psychology-either-tends-to-glorify-human-beings-or-trivialize-them/) [Gene Edward Veith Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-edward-veith-jr/) > [“God is hidden in vocations that bear authority. But that puts the pressure on human beings exercise that authority to act with God's justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-edward-veith-jr/god-is-hidden-in-vocations-that-bear-authority-but-that-puts-the/) [Gene Edward Veith Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-edward-veith-jr/) > [“Luther says that vocations are a “mask from God. That is, God hides Himself in the workplace, the family, the Church, and the seemingly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-edward-veith-jr/luther-says-that-vocations-are-a-mask-from-god-that-is-god-hides/) [Gene Edward Veith Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-edward-veith-jr/) > [“The Church does not depend on power, social prestige, rhetorical manipulation, or human-designed programs. All it has are the Word and Sacraments, which, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-edward-veith-jr/the-church-does-not-depend-on-power-social-prestige-rhetorical/) [Gene Edward Veith Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-edward-veith-jr/) > [“But the Law is the prelude to the Gospel. 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Our faith is in Jesus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-edward-veith-jr/it-should-not-be-possible-for-christians-to-be-disillusioned-we/) [Gene Edward Veith Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-edward-veith-jr/) > [“Lutheran spirituality begins with the insight that all human effort to reach God is futile. The will, to use Luther’s term, is in bondage—not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-edward-veith-jr/lutheran-spirituality-begins-with-the-insight-that-all-human-effort/) [Gene Edward Veith Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-edward-veith-jr/) > [“Secular humanists of every type may ridicule the Bible, but they cannot escape it; and in their obsession with change, calls for reform, doomsday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-edward-veith-jr/secular-humanists-of-every-type-may-ridicule-the-bible-but-they/) [Gene Edward Veith Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-edward-veith-jr/) > [“There is a certain mysticism in the Christian's affirmation of the physical universe. There is a confidence that whatever is discovered conforms with Jesus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-edward-veith-jr/there-is-a-certain-mysticism-in-the-christian-s-affirmation-of-the/) [Gene Edward Veith Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-edward-veith-jr/) > [“Anticipating the collapse of secular reason, Hamann thus brings us to a decidedly postmodern crossroads, at which point one can take the road of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-edward-veith-jr/anticipating-the-collapse-of-secular-reason-hamann-thus-brings-us-to/) [Gene Edward Veith Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-edward-veith-jr/) > [“Christians should be cultural and intellectual thermostats, exulting in opposition, iconoclasm,and balancing insights.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-edward-veith-jr/christians-should-be-cultural-and-intellectual-thermostats-exulting/) [Gene Edward Veith Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-edward-veith-jr/) > [“Heaven built on earth by human hands is not the same as eternal life. Again, Christianity always has to be more than a cultural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-edward-veith-jr/heaven-built-on-earth-by-human-hands-is-not-the-same-as-eternal-life/) [Gene Edward Veith Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-edward-veith-jr/) > [“Many modern artists, philosophers, and theologians reject the knowledge of the past. Thus they must continually start over again from ground zero, their vision…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-edward-veith-jr/many-modern-artists-philosophers-and-theologians-reject-the-knowledge/) [Gene Edward Veith Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-edward-veith-jr/) [Explore all 17 Gene Edward Veith Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-edward-veith-jr/) ## More Anti-intellectualism quotes > [“The specific use of folks as an exclusionary and inclusionary signal, designed to make the speaker sound like one of the boys or girls,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/the-specific-use-of-folks-as-an-exclusionary-and-inclusionary-signal/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [“I love your body 'cause I've lost my mind If you want someone to talk to, you're wasting your time If you want someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarvis-cocker/i-love-your-body-cause-i-ve-lost-my-mind-if-you-want-someone-to-talk/) [Jarvis Cocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarvis-cocker/) > [“Since the time of Voltaire and two-chamber Government, which is at bottom simply distrust and personal self-examination, and gives the popular mind that bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/since-the-time-of-voltaire-and-two-chamber-government-which-is-at/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) > [“As long as the acquisition of knowledge is rendered habitually repugnant, so long will there be a prevailing tendency to discontinue it when free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/as-long-as-the-acquisition-of-knowledge-is-rendered-habitually/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [“The fact that the stupid person is often stubborn must not blind us to the fact that he is not independent. 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