The Cana in Galilee phenomenon: influences on biblical literalism among rural Anglicans today

Abstract

This study examines the level of belief among rural Anglican churchgoers (N=1,083) that Jesus really turned water into wine, together with the personal and religious characteristics associated with that belief. The data demonstrated that over half of these churchgoers (52%) accepted the account literally, and over a third (35%) were agnostic about it, while only one in eight (13%) clearly rejected the literal account. While biblical literalism was only weakly associated with sex and age, it was strongly associated with frequency of public church attendance and personal prayer. These findings suggest that personal piety and churchgoing may support and be supported by biblical literalism. As a consequence, non-literalists and liberal believers may find themselves in a minority and ill at ease in many rural congregations.