From the TeachingtheWord Bible Knowledgebase

Part 3 of a 13-part series. Read part 2.

Research shows that few Evangelical adults can articulate and defend Christian morality from the Bible, the book God declares to be Christians' sole source of authority. But should that surprise us, when only 46% of Evangelical adults believe in the existence of absolute moral truth?

Who Did You Say Wrote the Sermon on the Mount?

Dr. Stephen Prothero, head of the department of religion at Boston University, has done a tremendous amount of research in this area, and has written several books on the subject, including Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know - And Doesn't (HarperOne, 2007).

Dr. Prothero is a liberal Anglican, not a born-again Christian. But his research on the American religious scene has been well constructed to objectively measure what people know and don't know about the actual teachings of Christianity and other religions. His research has discovered some things about the general state of American Biblical illiteracy that range from the sickening to the laughable - including the fact that some Americans actually believe that Billy Graham wrote the Sermon on the Mount!

Unable to Give a Defense

In a recent interview, Dr. Prothero focused on the state of the Evangelical church. He said that his extensive research has shown that when they are asked to do so, most Evangelicals cannot articulate or defend even the most basic Christian doctrines from the Bible - essentials like the authority of Scripture and the rudiments of the Christian Gospel.

Furthermore, he said, most Evangelicals cannot defend Christian moral positions on abortion, homosexuality, euthanasia, sex outside of marriage, etc., from Scripture. Most Evangelicals, Prothero said, know in a vague way that the Bible says these things are wrong. But they cannot tell you exactly what the Bible says on these vital issues, or where it says it. When asked why this is the case, he replied with the chilling observation we quoted in a previous article:

Among Evangelicals there's been this shift over time - from Bible reading to feeling - from knowing what Jesus actually had to say to having a "relationship" with a "Jesus" that they know little or nothing about - from actually reading the Bible to merely revering the Bible...¹

A Minority of Evangelicals Believe in Absolute Moral Truth

Research by other organizations confirms his findings. For example, a recently-released Barna survey reports that while 79% of Evangelical adults "believe that the Bible is accurate in all the principles it teaches," only 46% of Evangelical adults believe in absolute moral truth.² And lest we be encouraged by the 79% figure, we need to remember that saying "the Bible is accurate in all the principles it teaches" is a far cry from saying that "the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God, the exclusive rule of faith and practice given by Christ to His church." That is a statement that at most about one-third of today's Evangelicals would agree with.

Scripture-Driven Christianity in Contrast

One of the seven marks of a Scripture-driven church is that its people and leaders are able to answer anti-Christian positions with apologetics - that is, a clear, Biblical defense of the faith - not with apologies or accommodation.

But in order to be able to answer anti-Christian positions, you have to know your own position. First Peter chapter 3 and verse 15 exhorts us thus: "Sanctify the Lord God in you hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear." "Always be ready" - the idea in the original is, "always be prepared." Always be prepared to do what? "To give a defense." The word translated "defense" or "answer" is the Greek word apologia. It's the word from which we get our English word apologetics. It speaks of a reasoned statement, a reasoned argument, a reasoned explanation.

In other words, always be prepared to give a reasoned explanation of the hope that is within you - your faith in Christ and His written Word: "This is why I believe that the Bible alone is the Word of God. This is why I believe that God exists. This is where I find out how a perfect creation was plunged into chaos. This is why I believe that Jesus Christ is God Himself. This is why I believe that man is a sinner on his way to Hell, and needs to be saved. This is why I believe that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. This is why I believe Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. This is why I believe that no one can come to God the Father except through Christ. This is why I believe that the holy God of the Bible is the Author of absolute moral truth. This is why I believe that all other religions are wrong, and lead men to Hell. This is why you, my unbelieving friend, need to turn to Christ before it is eternally too late."

If we are going to be ready to give such an answer, we need to know the answers. We need to be immersed in the Word of God. The people and leaders of a Scripture-driven church are able to give a reasoned explanation of the Christian faith because they know their Bibles, and they stand on the Bible's authority alone.

Next: How is Today's Evangelical Church Like the Church at Corinth?

References:

1. Dr. Stephen Prothero, C-SPAN television interview May 13, 2007.

2. Barna Survey Examines Changes in Worldview Among Christians over the Past 13 Years, as viewed on 3/9/09 at http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/21-transformation/252-barna-survey-examines-changes-in-worldview-among-christians-over-the-past-13-years.

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