According to a new Lifeway Research survey, a majority of Americans believe in the biblical accounts of the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Lifeway’s 2022 “State of Theology” found that 66 percent of Americans said, “Biblical accounts of the physical resurrection of Jesus are completely accurate.” Conversely, 23 percent disagreed, and 11 percent were unsure.
The number of those affirming the resurrection remained “unchanged since 2018,” and the majority of people in all geographical areas of the nation accept it, CBN News. In the northeast, which is considered more secular, 60 percent affirm the biblical account while 58 percent of younger Americans between 18 and 34 are more likely to accept it.
The survey also found that, for the first time, 51 percent of Americans said the Bible is “100 percent accurate in all it teaches,” with 62 percent holding to God’s Word as their most authoritative source.
Another first-time finding was that 53 percent said the Bible includes “helpful accounts of ancient myths but is not literally true.” On the other hand, only 40 percent believe Scripture can be disproved by modern science, with 32 percent contending God is unconcerned with their daily decisions.
In response to the findings, author and apologist Rebecca McLaughlin noted that she felt “hopeful” and “heartbroken” in light of both positive and negative trends in the survey.
While she acknowledged that many Americans believe in the resurrection, she lamented that they were disconnected from the church and other faith-based activities in their lives.
“This exposes the danger of ‘cultural Christianity’ — the vague assent to Christian beliefs without any evidence of actual faith in Christ,” she said.
The 2022 Lifeway research survey, sponsored by Ligonier Ministries, surveyed 3,011 Americans and explored the theological awareness of Americans using six doctrinal areas including beliefs about God, beliefs about Goodness and Sin, beliefs about Salvation and Religious Texts, beliefs about Judgement and Punishment, beliefs about the Church, beliefs about Authority.
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Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
