Lifeway Research released a survey on the state of theology in the US.

What do Americans actually believe? The State of Theology data set is rich with information useful for discerning the beliefs of Americans about God, salvation, ethics, and the Bible in a way that goes beyond simple labels and religious affiliations.

The survey asked questions ranging from who God is, to man's role in salvation, and the state of man.

I enjoy reading these surveys, but this one, their way of displaying data is a pain. But after sogging through it, these are the questions that got my attention.

God is perfect and cannot make a mistake - 97% Evangelicals agree

That makes sense, though I wonder how those 3% are evangelicals.

But what is an evangelical? In this survey, instead of self-identifying, they based it on one's support for 4 questions.

• The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe
• It is very important for me personally to encourage nonChristians 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

God knows everything that occurs in the world but does not determine all that happens - 65% Evangelicals agree

This doesn't bother me as much as I figure both Armenians and Calvinists are Christian and pry both wrong.

God will always reward true faith with material blessings. - 37% of Evangelicals agree

You don't get much more American than Joel Osteen.

Everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature - 54% of Evangelicals agree

This is beginning to get concerning. This goes against an Armenian and Calvinist perspective that man is inherently sinful and born in need of a savior.

Jesus is truly God and has a divine nature, and Jesus is truly man and has a human nature. - 83% of Evangelicals agree

Jesus is the first and greatest creature created by God - 71% of Evangelicals agree

These have been pretty well established in Christian doctrine for about 2,000 years. The Nicene creed, like the 325 original version, has Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made and came down and was incarnate and was made man;

The Holy Spirit is a force but is not a personal being - 55% of Evangelicals agree

I can only blame Star Wars.

If you want to check it out: http://thestateoftheology.com/

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Everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature - 54% of Evangelicals agree

This is beginning to get concerning. This goes against an Armenian and Calvinist perspective that man is inherently sinful and born in need of a savior.

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As I was reading the following and your response to it, the following thought popped in my head between the end of 'This is beginning to get concerning.' and the next sentence.

KV's thought bubble: "It is concerning! I can't believe that many people have such a cynical view of humanity"

Anyway. . . seems we were alarmed by the survey results for very different reasons.

Depending on how the survey was administerered, I could see myself even answering the 'good by nature' the same way. Yeah, I agree that everyone has sinned and is in need of a savior...but I can also see that most people are good by nature.

Same with the "first and greatest creature created by God".

I'll give you the Holy Spirit one. That makes no sense that half don't think he's a person.

diehard03 said:

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Depending on how the survey was administered, I could see myself even answering the 'good by nature' the same way. Yeah, I agree that everyone has sinned and is in need of a savior...but I can also see that most people are good by nature.

Same with the "first and greatest creature created by God".

I'll give you the Holy Spirit one. That makes no sense that half don't think he's a person.

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I get that. And I understand that those that said humans were not good by nature are not self hating cynical misanthropes. . . I just found the juxtaposition of Sandy's reaction and my own to be funny.

"created" seems pretty key in the Jesus question. If he is God, he can't be created

diehard03 said:

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Depending on how the survey was administerered, I could see myself even answering the 'good by nature' the same way. Yeah, I agree that everyone has sinned and is in need of a savior...but I can also see that most people are good by nature.

Same with the "first and greatest creature created by God".

I'll give you the Holy Spirit one. That makes no sense that half don't think he's a person.

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I was raised southern baptist, and I don't know that I ever thought of the Holy Spirit as a person.

God sure, he was the huge white guy with the muscles and flowing hair. Jesus? Yep, his white son with the blond hair, sandles, who's always carrying a sheep around.

The Holy Ghost? Well his name is a bit of a giveaway that he might be more ephemeral. Not like the force per se, although I wouldn't have batted an eye if that was the lesson before casserole time.

State of Theology?

Turrible

A lot of this seems to be the result of Americans tending to have very low religious knowledge in general. Rather than a high degree of independent heretical thought.

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"created" seems pretty key in the Jesus question. If he is God, he can't be created

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I don't disagree...my point is that, depending on how the survey was administered, one might not be trying to find all the "gotcha" clauses in the question.

One might simply run John 3:16 through their heads and say "sure, why not".

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I was raised southern baptist, and I don't know that I ever thought of the Holy Spirit as a person.

God sure, he was the huge white guy with the muscles and flowing hair. Jesus? Yep, his white son with the blond hair, sandles, who's always carrying a sheep around.

The Holy Ghost? Well his name is a bit of a giveaway that he might be more ephemeral. Not like the force per se, although I wouldn't have batted an eye if that was the lesson before casserole time.

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I'm with you, but im sure you'd choose "person" over "force" though..so the question skews you towards the the person side.

Maybe the question is just worded wrong. Individual spirit might be the best understanding of how I was taught. "Person" doesn't seem to jive with something that could inhabit your soul. (Or posses you and make you speak in tongues or be immune from snakes )

I thought the same thing about the wording; however, I found a survey from a few years ago that found similar things.

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Much like their perceptions of Satan, most Christians do not believe that the Holy Spirit is a living force, either. Overall, 38% strongly agreed and 20% agreed somewhat that the Holy Spirit is "a symbol of God's power or presence but is not a living entity." Just one-third of Christians disagreed that the Holy Spirit is not a living force (9% disagreed somewhat, 25% disagreed strongly) while 9% were not sure.

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https://www.barna.com/research/most-american-christians-do-not-believe-that-satan-or-the-holy-spirit-exist/

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Jesus is the first and greatest creature created by God - 71% of Evangelicals agree

These have been pretty well established in Christian doctrine for about 2,000 years. The Nicene creed, like the 325 original version, has Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made and came down and was incarnate and was made man;

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They must have thought he got a promotion along the way. It says a lot about biblical illiteracy. The Holy Spirit part was very troubling as well and points to the complete lack of doctrinal education in the churches today.

Anybody that says that Jesus was "created" is a heretic. Jesus always was, always is, and always will be.