We live in the midst of a culture that is very secular.
Multitudes know little or nothing about the basic teachings of the Christian faith.
There was a time when Christianity so embedded our culture that you could learn Bible stories and Christian theology almost by osmosis, but that time has passed. I'm reluctant to mention Jacob and Esau, the Love Chapter, or even the Prodigal Son without some reference because I realize that many people just don't know those Bible stories. I am reminded of a colleague who claims that he was teaching a New Members' Bible Class on the last week of the earthly ministry of Jesus. A man in his middle thirties who was obviously new to Bible Study interrupted him. It behooves us to clarify those expressions, because they go to the very heart of Christian proclamation.