American theology in disarray, survey shows

A recent survey by Ligonier Ministries shows how inexact the label “Christian” can be. Among Americans, 77 percent say they are Christian. But what does that mean?

To try to answer that question, Ligonier Ministries, the teaching fellowship of popular theologian R.C. Sproul, conducted a benchmark study to try to discern “The State of Theology” in the United States.

Ligonier notes that, while more than two-thirds of Americans agree on a few biblical truths, often more than half of Americans disagree with many statements expressing orthodox Christian doctrine. One such statement is the scriptural belief that humans are, by nature, sinful and under the judgment of God for sin.

“Here we have Americans, the majority of which are thinking that we are by nature basically good,” said Stephen Nichols, the chief academic officer of Ligonier. “And from there, you’re going to spin off into your doctrine of Christ and what he did on the cross and your doctrine of salvation, really touching all of the other doctrines.”

Ligonier partnered with LifeWay Research to survey 3,000 Americans from all walks of life. The sample included churchgoers, born-again Christians, and nonbelievers.

“On those generic questions about God, Americans, rather surprisingly, answer in what we would say are healthy answers,” Nichols said. “When you start asking the deeper questions, then you see the wheels start to fall off the wagon.”

For example, most Americans believe in the trinity or triune God. But they think Jesus is less divine than the Father, and they think the Holy Spirit is a force instead of a distinct person.

“In broad strokes, we see this sort of affirmation of Christianity, but in the particulars, well, that’s another story,” Nichols said.

The survey also found that evangelical Protestants can demonstrate cognitive dissonance just as much as cultural progressives on core theological matters. And some of them conflate conservatism with orthodoxy. Two-thirds of those surveyed said they believed in God’s sovereignty, but two-thirds said they think they contribute to their own salvation.

“So we have two-thirds saying, ‘God’s in control,’” Nichols said. “Then we have two-thirds saying, ‘But his control stops at the boundaries of my life. And I’m actually in control of my life.’”

Listen to Nick Eicher and Stephen Nichols discuss The State of Theology survey on The World and Everything in It: