The Church Uncertain

The church unplugged has become the church uncertain - unsure of what it believes, and unable to articulate and defend even the core truths of the Christian faith.

Independent surveys have found that when they are asked to do so, most Evangelicals cannot articulate or defend the most basic Christian doctrines from the Bible - essentials like the authority of Scripture and the rudiments of the Christian Gospel.

Moreover, these studies reveal that most Evangelicals cannot defend Christian moral positions on abortion, homosexuality, euthanasia, sex outside of marriage, etc., from Scripture. They know in vague ways that Scripture says these things are wrong. But they cannot tell you exactly what God says on these vital issues, or where He says it.

When asked why this is the case, a leading researcher made this chilling observation:

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...

The results are disastrous - for church leadership, for the membership, and for lost souls in our communities. Consider these statistics:

37% of adults in Evangelical churches do not believe the Bible is totally accurate
45% of Evangelicals do not believe Jesus Christ was sinless
52% of Evangelicals do not believe Satan is real
57% of Evangelicals do not believe that Jesus is the only way to eternal life
57% of Evangelicals believe that good works play a part in gaining eternal life

Next: The Church Ineffectual