ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A major new
survey released today reveals that evangelicals are confused about
some core doctrines of the Christian faith.
Ligonier Ministries' 2018 State of Theology survey was conducted
by LifeWay Research, which interviewed a representative sample of
3,000 Americans. The full survey results are available online at
TheStateOfTheology.com.
Evangelicals
A majority of evangelicals said (1) that
most people are basically good, (2) that God accepts the worship of
all religions, and (3) that Jesus was the first and greatest being
created by God the Father. However, all these beliefs are contrary
to the historic Christian faith.
- Some 52 percent of evangelicals agreed that everyone sins a
little, but most people are good by nature. This contrasts with the
Bible's teaching that human nature is fundamentally sinful (Rom.
3:10).
- A majority of evangelicals (51 percent) agreed that God accepts
the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and
Islam. However, Jesus insisted that access to God is only possible
through faith in Him (John 14:6). (The proportion of those who
agree is an increase from the 2016 survey, when 48 percent of
evangelicals agreed.)
- Almost all evangelicals (97 percent) agreed that there is one
true God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the
Holy Spirit. But more than three-fourths (78 percent) also said
that Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God. The idea
that Jesus was the first and greatest being created by the Father
is contradicted by the Bible (John 1:1) and has been rejected by
the church down through the centuries.
More positively, 91 percent of evangelicals affirmed that people
are justified by faith alone in Jesus
Christ alone.
U.S. adults
Overall, U.S. adults appear to have a superficial attachment to
well-known Christian beliefs. For example, a majority agreed that
Jesus died on the cross for sin and that He rose from the dead.
However, they rejected the Bible's teaching on (1) the gravity of
man's sin, (2) the importance of the church's gathering together
for worship, and (3) the Holy Spirit.
- More than two-thirds (69 percent) of Americans disagreed that
the smallest sin deserves eternal damnation.
- A majority of U.S. adults (58 percent) said that worshiping
alone or with one's family is a valid replacement for regularly
attending church.
- A majority of U.S. adults (59 percent) say that the Holy Spirit
is a force, not a personal being.
Other revealing results from the survey, covering ethical issues
and age variations, will be released separately at later dates.
Chris Larson, president and CEO
of Ligonier Ministries, said:
"The State of Theology survey highlights 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. We hope
this survey provides local churches with a little more insight into
what people in our neighborhoods and in our pews actually
believe."
Dr. Stephen Nichols, chief
academic officer of Ligonier and president of Reformation Bible
College, said:
"These results are 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."
LifeWay Research interviewed a demographically balanced online
panel of American adults and received 3,002 completed responses.
The survey was carried out from April 24 to
May 4, 2018.
Ligonier's previous State of Theology surveys took place in 2014
and 2016. More information can be found at
TheStateOfTheology.com.
Evangelicals were defined by LifeWay Research as people who
strongly agreed with the following four statements:
- The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe.
- It is very important for me personally to encourage
non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ
as their Savior.
- Jesus Christ's death on the
cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my
sin.
- Only those who trust in Jesus
Christ alone as their Savior receive God's free gift of
eternal salvation.
About Ligonier Ministries
Ligonier Ministries exists
to proclaim, teach, and defend the holiness of God in all its
fullness to as many people as possible. To that end, Ligonier's
outreach today is manifold and worldwide. Founded by Dr. R.C.
Sproul in 1971, teaching fellows now continue and help lead
Ligonier's work of discipleship that Dr. Sproul began more than
forty years ago. These teaching fellows are Drs. Sinclair B. Ferguson, W. Robert Godfrey, Steven
J. Lawson, R. Albert Mohler
Jr., Stephen J. Nichols, Burk
Parsons, and Derek W.H. Thomas.
Ligonier publishes Renewing Your Mind broadcasts, the
Reformation Study Bible, Tabletalk magazine, books
through the Reformation Trust Publishing division, and hundreds of
teaching series. The ministry also offers an undergraduate
degree program through Reformation Bible College. In addition,
Ligonier hosts national and regional conferences, provides an
online learning community through Ligonier Connect, answers
biblical and theological questions through Ask Ligonier, streams
twenty-four-hour Christian Internet radio through RefNet, pursues
numerous translation efforts in other countries, and makes
available thousands of unique educational resources online at
Ligonier.org.
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/evangelicals-deeply-confused-about-core-christian-beliefs-300731811.html
SOURCE Ligonier Ministries