A new survey shows US evangelicals are confused about some core doctrines of the Christian faith, according to researchers.
A LifeWay Research poll, commissioned for Ligonier Ministries‘ two yearly The State of Theology report, found that more than half evangelicals believe most people are basically good, that God accepts worship of all religions and that Jesus was the “first and greatest being created by God the Father” – all of which researchers say are contrary to the historic Christian faith.
Some 52 per cent of evangelicals agreed that everyone sins a little but that most people are good by nature, a finding which the report said “flatly contradicts” the Bible’s teaching – found in Romans 3:10 – that human nature is fundamentally sinful.
While 51 per cent agreed that God accepts worship of all religions – a claim which the report said is at odds with Jesus’ claim that access to God is only possible through faith in Him. And while 97 per cent of evangelicals agreed “There is one true God in three persons”, some 78 per cent said Jesus is the “first and greatest being created by God”, a statement which they noted is contradicted in the first verse of the Gospel of John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (KJV).
While the report said the survey showed that “more positively”, 91 per cent of evangelicals affirmed that people are justified by faith alone in Jesus Christ.
Other findings from the research showed that among US adults overall:
• 69 percent disagreed that the smallest sin deserves eternal damnation;
• 58 per cent said that worshipping alone or with one’s family is a valid replacement for regularly attending church; and,
• 59 per cent said that the Holy Spirit is a force, not a personal being.
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The report also said that, for the first time, more Americans – 45 per cent – agree the Bible’s condemnation of homosexual behaviour doesn’t apply today compared with the proportion that disagreed – 41 per cent.
Chris Larson, president and CEO of Ligonier Ministries, said the findings from the survey highlighted the “urgent need for courageous ministry that faithfully teaches the historic Christian faith”.
“It’s never been popular to talk about mankind’s sinfulness or the exclusive claims of Jesus Christ, but at a time when a darkened world needs the light of the Gospel, it’s disheartening to see many within the evangelical church confused about what the Bible teaches,” he said. “We hope this survey provides local churches with a little more insight into what people in our neighbourhoods and in our pews actually believe.”
Dr Stephen Nichols, chief academic officer of Ligonier and president of Reformation Bible College, added that the results were a “serious cause for concern”.
“It is the depth of man’s sin that led Jesus to die on the cross. How, then, can a majority of evangelicals say most people are good by nature? Down through history, Christians have proclaimed that Jesus is truly God, not some sort of created being. The evangelical world is in great danger of slipping into irrelevance when it casually forgets the Bible’s doctrine.”
The survey of a sample of 3,000 nationally representative Americans was carried out from 24th April to 4th May. Evangelicals were defined as people who agreed that the Bible is the highest authority for what I believe, that it is very important for people personally to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Saviour, that Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin and that only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation.
