Pastors and Congregants Don’t Know Christian Basics

Wow!…but not surprised.  I’ve had enough conversations with folks who identify as Christians but believe the most un-Christian stuff.  How many Christians think Islam is another fine path to salvation?  A lot!  Tragic.  Continue reading the latest survey results and you can understand why Jesus asks, “Will I find any faith on the world when I return?”  It’s going to be very, very few.  “Narrow is the path…”

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Well, the results of the new State of Theology survey from Ligonier Ministries and Lifeway Research is now available, and it’s as disappointing as the 2022 version. The answers were an inconsistent mess, highlighting US Evangelicals’ lack of knowledge regarding what the Word of God teaches regarding doctrine and theology. Biblical illiteracy is an epidemic.

I’ll give you just a sampling of the results, filtered for Evangelicals, but first, here is their definition of an Evangelical:

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.

So what do these Evangelicals believe beyond those four basic beliefs?

Well,

• 64% believe that “Everyone is born innocent in the eyes of God.”
• 53% agree that “Everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature.”
• 53% think that “The Holy Spirit is a force but is not a personal being”—compare this with the fact that 98% agreed with the statement: “There is one true God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.” Talk about inconsistent!
• 47% agree that “God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.”
• 28% say that “Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God.”
• 17% believe that “The Bible, like all sacred writings, contains helpful accounts of ancient myths but is not literally true.”
• 19% affirm that “Modern science disproves the Bible.”
• 16% likewise say that “The Bible’s condemnation of homosexual behavior doesn’t apply today.”
• 28% think that “Religious belief is not about objective truth”—and another 19% aren’t sure how to answer this question.

 https://harbingersdaily.com/pastors-need-to-stop-assuming-their-congregations-know-the-basics-of-the-christian-faith/