Study: Bible-Based Worldview Declining Among American Christians

Since 2010, the number of young adult (18–39 year-olds) born again Christians with a basic biblical worldview has dropped by two-thirds, from almost 15% of the population to near 5%, according to Probe Ministries’ Religious Views & Practices Survey—a comprehensive study of the results of numerous surveys conducted in the last decade by Pew, Barna, GSS (General Social Survey), and Probe.

“The Probe survey shows that even born again Christians can have a false view of Jesus Christ and embrace a pluralistic worldview,” says Kerby Anderson, Probe Ministries president and host of the nationally-syndicated Point of View radio program. “Pastors and church leaders just can’t assume any longer that members of their church or Christian organization have a biblical worldview.”

Two questions were used to categorize people as born again:
1. Have you ever made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in your life today?
Answer: Yes.

2. What best describes your belief about what will happen to you after you die?
Answer: I will go to heaven because I confessed my sins and accepted Jesus Christ as my savior.

[Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, Study: Gen Z Has a Precarious Relationship with the Bible]

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Four questions were used to identify someone with a Christian basic biblical worldview:
1. Which of the following descriptions comes closest to what you personally believe to be true about God:
Answer: God is the all-powerful, all knowing, perfect creator of the universe who rules the world today.

2. The Bible is totally accurate in all of its teachings
Answer: Strongly Agree.

3. If a person is generally good enough or does enough good things for others during their life, they will earn a place in heaven.
Answer: Disagree Strongly.

4. When he lived on earth, Jesus Christ committed sins like other people.
Answer: Disagree Strongly.

Approximately 90% of people with a basic biblical worldview have a proper biblical understanding of Jesus.

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Survey Highlights:

• When faced with the question of whether during his life on earth, Jesus sinned like other people, nearly one-third (30.4%) of born again Protestants either weren’t sure or agreed. The number of born again Christians to hold these beliefs has increased by nearly 25% in the last ten years.

• 79% of young adult Catholics are not positive that Jesus lived a sinless life on earth

• Self-proclaimed born again Christians are increasingly pluralistic in their worldview, with over 60% between the ages of 18-39 now agreeing that Buddha, Muhammad, and Jesus are all valid paths to salvation. Only a slightly smaller number between the ages of 40-55 agreed.

• Less than half of 18-39 year-olds strongly agreed that Jesus died to redeem us, will come again to save us, and lived a sinless life on earth.

• Between 1988 and 2018, among the category of Emerging Adults (18-29), the ‘Unaffiliated’ population nearly tripled (from 13% to 35%). And Emerging Adults who claim an affiliation with an evangelical church have declined from 28% in 2007 to 20% in 2019, according to multiple surveys.

• The current number of adults under the age of 40 who select Atheist, Agnostic or ‘Nothing in Particular’ when polled about their position on faith or affiliation with the church is approaching (quickly) an unprecedented 50%.

[Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, Latest Bible-Related Research]

“We have to continue to explain the cost of salvation; that there is no way to salvation other than through the sacrificial and atoning death of a sinless Christ; that no one can come to the Father except through the Son, but also that anyone may come through him,” Anderson says. “These statistics show that not everyone in our pews or who claims to be a Christian knows, understands, or believes this, as hard as that may be for us to hear.”

Read the full report and statistical summary.

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