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Blog / Do You Live in a “God Has a Plan” State or an “I Can Do All Things” State?

Do You Live in a “God Has a Plan” State or an “I Can Do All Things” State?

The most-popular Bible verses on Bible Gateway for 2017 divide the United States into two camps: states in which the most-popular verse (aside from John 3:16) is Jeremiah 29:11 (“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,” NIV), and states in which the most-popular verse is Philippians 4:13 (“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me,” KJV).

[Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, Bible Gateway 2016 Year in Review]

If Jeremiah 29:11 were a US presidential candidate, its 32 states would carry the election with 302 electoral votes, or two fewer than President Trump received in 2016.

[Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, The Three Kinds of Popular Keyword Searches on Bible Gateway]

Here’s the breakdown by state:

Southeastern and Western states mostly show Jeremiah 29:11, while Southwestern and Northeastern states mostly show Philippians 4:13. Washington, DC, had Jeremiah 29:11.

This data excludes John 3:16, which was the most-popular verse in every state except Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina.

In all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the top three verses were, in some order, John 3:16, Jeremiah 29:11, and Philippians 4:13. So the above map exaggerates divisions—in reality, the reading of popular Bible verses is remarkably uniform across the country.

Filed under Bible Gateway, Bible Gateway Anniversary, Infographics, News