According to a new survey by Lifeway Research, a majority of Americans believe it is very important to know for certain if they will go to Heaven when they die.
Lifeway Research, which conducted the Evangelism Explosion Study of Americans’ Openness to Talking about Faith from December 8-17, found that 55 percent of Americans said it was important to be sure that they will go to Heaven or have eternal life.
The study also found that African Americans (49 percent) are more certain that they will go to Heaven than White Americans (37 percent) and Hispanics (28 percent).
About 63 percent of all Americans who hold to Christian beliefs asserted that they “will be with God in Heaven,” while 29 percent of those lacking Christian beliefs believed the same thing.
Lifeway Research also found that women (44 percent) were more likely than males (30 percent) to select “I am sure I will be with God in Heaven. Meanwhile, Older Americans were more certain than younger Americans about being with God in the afterlife (44 percent vs. 32 percent, respectively).
When asked how they would respond if God asked them why they should enter Heaven, women (47 percent) and adults ages 50 to 64 (46 percent) were more likely to say because they “trust in Jesus Christ alone” than males (29 percent) and adults ages 18-34 (32 percent) or 35-49 (36 percent).
As reported by The Christian Post, the survey also found that most Americans were open to discussing matters of the faith, though 60 percent said that their professing Christian friends make little mention about their faith.
“Now, perhaps more than ever, people are open to conversations about faith, yet few Christians actually take the opportunity to engage in personal evangelism,” John B. Sorensen, president and CEO of Evangelism Explosion International, said in a statement.
“Our mission at EE is to equip Christians to have the confidence to share the Gospel naturally, lovingly, and intentionally with family, friends, and yes, even strangers,” he continued. “We imagine a world where every believer is a witness for Christ to His glory.”
Lifeway Research Executive Director Scott McConnell also noted that the lack of discussions about Christianity is because Christians are “not bringing it up.”
“It really isn’t about religious liberty, people not wanting to hear, or religion being off-limits,” McConnell said. “The reason conversations are not happening about the Christian faith is that Christians are not bringing it up.”
Related:
Lee Strobel to Release Film Based on His Book The Case for Heaven
'Heaven Is Real': Woman Claims to Have Met Jesus during a Near-Death Experience
Photo courtesy: ©Getty/ArtyFree
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.
