The head of the Scottish Bible Society has told Christians to tell people the deeper story of the birth of Christ this Christmas.

In her Christmas message issued last Friday, Scottish Bible Society Chief Executive Elaine Duncan gave her reaction to research released by theological think tank Theos last week which found that only one in eight people in the UK knows the deeper details of the Christmas story, including the fact that Jesus was born in Bethlehem.

More important than not knowing the key facts of the Nativity story, however, is the fact that most people are failing to grasp the deeper truth about God and His love for mankind that those facts are intended to reveal, Duncan responded.

She wrote in her message: "Many don't know that an angel appeared to Mary and told her that the impossible was about to happen, that she, a virgin, would conceive and give birth to a Son. So what?

"Not knowing this probably means that they don't necessarily know that God can work miracles. That he is willing to deal with ordinary human beings in quite extraordinary ways. Eternity was about to invade time and God was to become human.

"Now that is an important bit of knowledge," she added.

New research released by Theos last week found that only 12 per cent of adults and just seven per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds had a superficial knowledge of the Christmas story but were unable to correctly answer questions on the specifics of the birth of Christ as recorded in the Bible.

Duncan continued: "If people don't know that the baby was visited and worshipped by both shepherds and wise philosophers that's one thing. But then they may miss the point that God calls humans of every sort to worship and relate to him.

"He is not a distant deity but has reached down into time and space in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ, born as one of us. These are big issues to miss out on."

She appealed to Christians to use the Christmas season this year to reveal the "great truths" contained in the Christmas story.

"Pray for an opportunity this Christmas to talk about the story to someone who doesn't know it yet."

In response to the research, Bible Society has launched a new website to tell the real story of Christmas and help people engage with it.

"Because so many people simply don't know the story behind the season they are celebrating, Christmas is just another holiday," said Peter Meadows, Bible Society's Director of Giving and Communication.

"The Theos research shows that most people are aware of the Christmas story, but are they missing out on something really worth celebrating? This website was launched to bridge the gap between people's basic knowledge - and the real and dramatic story of Christmas."

For Bible Society's informative website, go to www.therealstory.org.uk