~4 min read
31%
To take the temperature of America’s theological health,
compare it to that of self-identified Christians, and index
it over time in order to better equip the church to faithfully
preach and teach the whole counsel of God.
God is a perfect
being and cannot
make a mistake
God is the author of Scripture
There is one true God in
three persons: God the
Father, God the Son, and
God the Holy Spirit
The Bible is 100% accurate in all that it teaches
The Bible was written for
each person to interpret as
they choose
The Bible, like all sacred
writings, contains helpful
accounts of ancient myths
but is not literally true
There are many ways to get to heaven
There will be people in
heaven who have never
heard of Jesus Christ
The majority of Americans percei
to be a better description of peop
EP refers to Evangelical Protestants
STATE OF
THE
“There are two primary problems: we don’t
understand who God is, and we don’t
understand who we are. That’s why I’m
constantly emphasizing the character of
God and the holiness of God. The more we
understand who God is, the more our sin
will become apparent to us.”
– R.C. SPROUL
These answers are reflective of our “made-to-order” god.
”Even the smallest sin deserves damnation …
even the smallest sin is cosmic treason.˝
– R.C. SPROUL
THE TAMING OF GOD
SIN IS NOT COSMIC
63%
AGREE
47%
AGREE
71%
Jesus is fully God and
has a divine nature, and
Jesus is fully man and
has a human nature
60%
AGREE
AGREE
God the Father is
more divine than
Jesus Christ
The Holy Spirit is
a force, not a
personal being
The Holy Spirit is less
divine than God the
Father and Jesus
44%
DISAGREE
21%
DISAGREE
60%
DISAGREE
“What comes screaming through this survey is
the pervasive influence of humanism.”
– R.C. SPROUL
Pluralism is rampant within our
PLURALISM:
18%
51%
AGREE
ONLY
OF EP’S AGREE
44%
OF EP’S AGREE
Even the smallest sin deserves damnation
Everyone sins at least a little, but most people are by nature good
67%
AGREE
3,000
SURVEYED
AMERICA’S RELIGION
43% AGREE
45% AGREE
11%
41% AGREE
26%
A person obtains peace with
God by first taking the
initiative to seek God & then
God responds with grace.
64% AGREE
68%
53% AGREE
Salvation is found through Jesus Christ alone
41% AGREE
45% AGREE
An individual must
contribute his/her own effort
for personal salvation
71% AGREE
54%
All
Evangelical Protestants
Our culture is anti-theological—we are in a new dark age.
“These responses show that we have a true mission
for the church, to help the church think through
and proclaim these doctrines.”
– R.C. SPROUL
The state of theology is more important
than we realize. Dr. Sproul has said often,
“Everyone’s a theologian.” This study
demonstrates the stunning gap in
theological awareness throughout our
nation, in our neighborhoods, and even
in the seat next to us at church.
WORSHIPING AL
70%
Worshiping alone or with
one’s family is a valid
replacement for regularly
attending church
52% AGREE
SAID “NO” 27% AGREE
38% DISAGREE
My local church has the authority to declare that I am not a Christian
8% AGREE 82% DISAGREE
30% of Evangelical Protestants Agree
Only 7% of Evangelical Protestants Agree
My pastor’s sermons are not authoritative over my life
56% AGREE 32% DISAGREE
41% of Evangelical Protestants Agree
I recite or use historical Christian creeds in personal discipleship
There is little value in studying and/or reciting creeds and catechisms
“People are cutting
themselves off from 2,000
years of the Holy Spirit’s
ministry of the Word of
God. We never want to
exalt tradition over
Scripture, but we still
need to recognize that we
are part of the historic
body of Christ.”
– STEPHEN NICHOLS
31% of Evangelical Protestants agree
[WHAT TO
The future belongs to
Christians with conviction.
FINDINGS SUMMARY
WRONG THINKING, WRONG LIVING
God has authority over people because
He created human beings
God is unconcerned
with my day-to-day
decisions
The Bible has the
authority to tell us
what we must do
Sex outside marriage is a sin
“A bad theology has a bad ethic.”
– STEPHEN NICHOLS
Right thinking precedes right behavior. The issue is getting
truth right in the heart. In order for that to happen, truth
needs to get into the head first.
So that we will know what we
believe, why we believe it, how to
live it, and how to share it.
HEAVEN? YES! HELL, NO.
Heaven is a
real place, not
just a concept
Hell is a real
place, not just
a concept
God shows His wrath
There will be a
time when Jesus
Christ returns to
judge all people
who have lived
47%
AGREE STRONGLY
ONLY
41%
AGREE STRONGLY
27%
AGREE STRONGLY
61% AGREE
ALL
88% AGREE
EVANGELICAL PROTESTANT
20%
AMERICANS AGREE
49%
A M E R I C A N S A G R E E
ONLY
42%
AGREE STRONGLY
ONLY
ONLY
“Natural man’s sin is precisely this: he wants the
benefits of God without God Himself.”
– R.C. SPROUL
The majority of Americans aren’t convinced of a literal heaven and hell.
ONLY ONLY
ONLY
ONLY
ONLY
ONLY
ONLY
Inform the church Help the pastor Equip Christians
TheStateOfTheology.com
NOTE: The quantitative survey of American adults was conducted using a large, national online panel. Quotas and weights ensure the sample is demographically balanced on
census region, and religious preference. 3,000 surveys were completed between February 25-March 5, 2014. The sample provides 95% confidence that the sampling error fro
A G R E E S T R O N G LY