Ready to challenge what you think you know about theology? Get ready to uncover some startling revelations about the shifting landscape of beliefs among American evangelical adults. We're dissecting findings from The State of Theology survey, a thought-provoking study conducted by Ligonier Ministries and LifeWay Research. Prepare to delve into attitudes about God, salvation, the Bible, and how these align with historical Christianity. Here's a promise: you'll leave this episode with a renewed desire to understand your faith better.
We're not stopping there. In the second part of our journey, we'll tackle beliefs about our inherent goodness, sin, salvation, and religious texts. We'll discuss how modern secularisation has influenced traditional theological understanding. This episode is more than just a discussion; it's a call to action. A reminder of the importance of preserving the core doctrines of Christianity and a challenge to devote time to study our beliefs. Join us as we learn and live faithfully for Christ, together.
Do you want to learn how to study the Bible? Check out the YouTube channel Faithfullyliven youtube.com/@faithfullyliven
Do you want to read about how to live faithfully? Check out the blog http://lyfe102.org
Ready to challenge what you think you know about theology? Get ready to uncover some startling revelations about the shifting landscape of beliefs among American evangelical adults. We're dissecting findings from The State of Theology survey, a thought-provoking study conducted by Ligonier Ministries and LifeWay Research. Prepare to delve into attitudes about God, salvation, the Bible, and how these align with historical Christianity. Here's a promise: you'll leave this episode with a renewed desire to understand your faith better.
We're not stopping there. In the second part of our journey, we'll tackle beliefs about our inherent goodness, sin, salvation, and religious texts. We'll discuss how modern secularisation has influenced traditional theological understanding. This episode is more than just a discussion; it's a call to action. A reminder of the importance of preserving the core doctrines of Christianity and a challenge to devote time to study our beliefs. Join us as we learn and live faithfully for Christ, together.
Do you want to learn how to study the Bible? Check out the YouTube channel Faithfullyliven youtube.com/@faithfullyliven
Do you want to read about how to live faithfully? Check out the blog http://lyfe102.org
Welcome to Faithfully Living, the podcast where we learn how to live for Christ in our daily lives. I am Dwan, your host, and I would like to invite you on a journey with me to explore and learn how to be a faithful follower of Christ. Hi everyone, welcome to the first episode. Let me start with asking a question what do you believe about God, salvation and the Bible? Does what you believe align with historic Christianity? We're going to delve into the findings of a survey called the State of Theology, conducted by Ligonier Ministries in partnership with LifeWay Research. I want to lay the foundation for where we are as believers in our current culture, and how well are we living for Christ in our daily lives? How we live is, in part, due to what we believe. What do we believe about God, jesus and the Bible? As believers, we have a purpose to glorify God in all that we do and to make Him known to the world around us. In a nutshell, we should strive to live for Christ faithfully in our lives. So, believe it or not, what we believe matters, because it affects how we live. So what do believers believe? I'm going to briefly explain what the State of Theology survey is and why it's significant. So the State of Theology survey is an extensive bi-annual survey conducted by, like I said, ligonier Ministries in collaboration with LifeWay Research. Its aim is to gaze the theological beliefs and convictions of American evangelical adults across fierce religious backgrounds. The survey is significant because it provides valuable insights into the theological landscape of our society and helps us to understand how beliefs and attitudes toward Christianity have evolved over time. If you want to look at the survey results, it's posted online at the stateoftheology. That's all on wordcom.
Speaker 1:
And then here's a little bit more background about the study. The study was conducted in 2022 for this time, so just a little over a year. The study is the fifth in a series of surveys which started in 2014. So they did one in 2014, 2016, 18, 20, and in 2022. Over the years they have stated they have found and made comparisons about repeat Christians that were answered, and then they've added new Christians. So the sample size was evangelicals, breaking down the categories into religious affiliation, sex, income, education, level, and then the sample size for the study was a little over 3,000 participants.
Speaker 1:
So to sum up, the findings that Ligonier and LifeWay had for the last study, conducted in 2022, revealed several noteworthy trends. They say that one of the striking the most striking findings was the increased theological confusion among the participants. While many express a general belief in God, there is a significant lack of clarity regarding fundamental Christian doctrines. For example, owner a small percentage of the participants could accurately define the Trinity, and there is a growing acceptance of unorthodox beliefs. And then another concerning trend that they found was the prevalence of moral relativism, and that is a large response. Portion of the participants believe that right and wrong were determined by individual circumstances rather than objective moral standards. This challenge is traditional Christian moral teachings and raises important questions about the moral foundation of our society.
Speaker 1:
I want to get into some of the details of the study so you can have a better understanding of the results. There's no way for me to look at all of these results, so I'm just going to touch on a few of the categories in a bit of detail. The survey characterized people as having evangelical beliefs if they strongly agree 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 who 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. And then, lastly, only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their savior receive God's free gift of eternal salvation. So those four Christians are what categorize evangelical beliefs, and these people strongly agree with these statements. The Christians fail under certain categories. So belief about God, goodness and sin, salvation and religious texts, judgment and punishment, the church and then beliefs about authority. We're just going to go over the first three a little bit of detail in the first three beliefs about God, beliefs about goodness and sin, and then beliefs about salvation and religious texts.
Speaker 1:
So the findings of this study gave their analysis of the data and then compared the results from previous years. First one is about belief about God. So across all five studies there was a consistent seven out of ten that believed in one true God in three persons. So 71% believe that there is one true God in three persons Father, son and Holy Spirit. 67% agree that God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, judaism and Islam. 66% believe that God is a perfect being and can't make a mistake.
Speaker 1:
51% agree God learns and adapts to different circumstances. And then, looking at Jesus, two thirds consider the resurrection of Jesus and actual occurrence, but a majority denied the deity of Christ and that Jesus has always existed. So 55% agree that Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God. 53% agree that Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God. So let's just take a closer look at the belief about God. So they believe that God changes and learns. That was 51%. So that basically means that God is similar to us because we, as humans, learn and adapt to different situations. In 2022, there was 32% that agreed with this person.
Speaker 1:
If God learns and adapts to different considerations, can we fully trust him in our future? The answer to this question reveals our need to learn more about the character and attributes of God that are revealed in the Bible. God operates in a certain way based on his character, and one of them is that God is immutable, meaning that God does not change. Scripture tells us that God knows all it and is unchanging. Malachi, 3.6 says For I, the Lord, do not change. Hebrews 13.11 tells us Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. And then James 1. 17 says Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God, our Father, who created all lights in the heavens. He never changes our cast, a shifting shadow. So God does not learn new information or adapt to different events in heaven or in earth. So now there is a belief that God accepts the worship of all religions. 67% agreed with this statement and in 2022, 43 strongly believed. So you might have heard this statement said in a different way. Like all roles lead to God.
Speaker 1:
Christianity might be one of my ways, but Islam might be someone else and unfortunately, this contradicts what Jesus told his disciples in the Bible. But if we want to look at John 14.6, and this part of John in chapter 14, jesus is teaching his disciples as is leading up to his crucifixion. I start in verse one, so you can kind of get context for verse six. It says Let not your heart be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house are many rooms. If it were not, so what? I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself. That where I am, you may also be, and you know the way to where I am going. Thomas said to him Lord, we do not know where you're going. How can we know the way? Jesus said to him I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also From now on. You do know him and have seen him. So Islam, judaism, can't save people. Jesus is the only way.
Speaker 1:
So let's kind of shift to beliefs about Jesus. 33% of the five surveys believe that Jesus is a great teacher, but he wasn't God In 2022, 31% strongly agree with this statement and then 27% strongly disagree. So the view about Jesus today has reduced him to a mere human like you and me. But scripture tells us something different and John 1 1-4 tells us in the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. He was in the beginning with God and all things were made through him, and without him was nothing Anything was, and without him was not anything made. That was made in him was life, and the life was the light of men. And, jumping down to verses 14 and 15, and the word became flesh and doled among us. And we have seen his glory, the glory as of the only son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John Boyd witnessed about him. This is John the Baptist and cried. This was he of whom I said he who comes after me ranks before me because he was before me.
Speaker 1:
And then you have Hebrews, chapter one, which is talking about the supremacy of Jesus Christ. So Hebrews one, one, two, four says long ago, in many times, in many ways, god spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, to whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the power of his word. After making purification for sin, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels, as the name he has inherited is more excellent than ours. So what we believe about Jesus is going to have eternal implications. The Bible clearly tells us that Jesus is God. This category of question is from beliefs about goodness and sin, so they say.
Speaker 1:
Another consistency across all five surveys is that two thirds of the findings is about most people. Heanya, καلما과 اليمن. يالها كانوا على النسان. 2 3rds thought that people were good by nature. So more than 7, and 10 believe everyone is born innocent. 71% agree that everyone is born innocent in eyes of God. 66 believe everyone sins a little, but most are good by nature. This despite this fathering view of mankind. More than half believe God measures resonance by faith in Jesus Christ rather than one's works. 51% agree got counts a person righteous not because of one's work but only because of faith in Jesus Christ. And then a quarter of Americans believe any sin deserve deserve eternal punishment.
Speaker 1:
Genesis 3 tells us what happened and how sin entered the world because a rebellion of Adam and Eve and humanity became corrupt. Romans 5 12 says just as sin into the world came into the world through one man and death through sin, so death spread to all men because all sinned since the fall. Every human being has a sin nature from the time of their conception. We sin because we are sinners. None of us are good. Romans tells us in 3 23, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Then in Psalms 14, 1, 2, 1, 2, 3 says the fool says in his heart there is no God, they're corrupt, they do abominable deeds. There is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of men, of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They all turn aside. Together. They have become corrupt. There is none who does good, not even one. Everyone sins and we're not good by nature. We're not born innocent in the eyes of God. It's only through the saving grace of Jesus Christ that we are innocent and righteous before God.
Speaker 1:
The last category we will look at in detail is beliefs about salvation and religious texts. Half of Americans believe the Bible is completely accurate, but almost the same numbers say say that the Bible is not literally true. 51% agree that the Bible is 100% accurate. All that it teaches. 53 agree that the Bible, like all sacred writings, contains helpful accounts of ancient myths, but is not literally true. The study found that doubt about the Bible has slowly grown since they started the survey in 2014.
Speaker 1:
Scripture tells us in the Bible that every word of God proves true. He is a shield to those who take refuge in him, and that's in Proverbs 35, because the Bible is God's word and God is true truth. He and his word can be trusted. God's word has a purpose. In 2 Timothy 3, 16, it says all scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for a proof, for correction and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. And then the number of people that reject the divine nature of the Bible is increased, increasing. And what we believe about the Bible is important. If we are followers of Christ. God's word was written for us. It's our roadmap to know God better and to live of life, to live a life honoring to him. When we reject what God has said in his word, we are directing God. You know, we can't pick and choose. The parts that we like are the parts that we want to ignore, and we can't twist scripture to, you know, suit our lives.
Speaker 1:
So we'll wrap up briefly in touch on the last three categories of the study. So we have beliefs about judgment and punishment. That's Christians like. Is hell a real place where certain people will be punished forever? And then where will a time, will there be a time when Jesus Christ returns to judge all the people who have lived? And then the category beliefs about the church. They found that one in three think Christians must join a local church. So one person out of three think that Christians should belong to a local church and then about authority. Six and ten believe that religious belief is about opinion rather than objective truth. And then they also ask other Christians in this category about gender, sexuality and then abortion.
Speaker 1:
These results point to a shift of the culture to modern secularization. So the rise of the internet we have social media, changes in educational system have played a role in shaping people's belief. The influence of popular culture and a desire for personal autonomy are factors that may have contributed to the erosion of traditional theological understanding. This lack of comprehensive theological education has resulted in theological ignorance. People are less exposed to systematic theological teachings, leaving them vulnerable to theological confusion and unorthodox beliefs. So you're probably thinking why should I care?
Speaker 1:
Now my question to you is how is your theology? What do you believe about God Jesus in the Bible? As you heard that people from the study their theology is from, over time has varied from believing in sound doctrine to believing in not sound Christian doctrine. It's important that if we claim to be followers of Christ, we have a foundation of a biblical worldview. Studying the Bible to know and understand will help us learn how to be faithful Christians to historic Christianity. Have you struggled with studying and understanding the Bible. Do you wish you can get some help. We'll go check out the Faithfully Living YouTube channel. There is a library of videos to help you learn how to study and understand the Bible better. There are videos on various topics, such as Bible study tools and how to use them, understand context and more. You can find a link to the channel in the show notes Happy studying.
Speaker 1:
It's clear that we, as believers, have some work to do. I hope you recognize the importance of understanding and preserving the core doctrines of Christianity. These beliefs have been part of Russian civilization for centuries. Hopefully this gives you a context for the world that we live in right now. Among those who claim to be claim Christ as their savior, I would encourage you that, if you have not already, go and study what you believe and why, and then apply it to the world around you. Now. Every Christian should be a theologian, a student of the Bible. In later episodes we will explore how to study the Bible and understand it better and apply it to our lives to remain faithful to God in order to bring glory to him. So I pray that you will keep listening and learning with me how to live faithfully for Christ, grace and peace. Thank you for listening to the podcast. Do me a favor by following the podcast and leaving a review to help spread the word. I look forward to hearing from you.