'The Results Are Concerning': Franklin Graham Expresses Concern over Results of New Pastoral Survey

Milton Quintanilla | Contributor for ChristianHeadlines.com | Updated: Sep 12, 2022
'The Results Are Concerning': Franklin Graham Expresses Concern over Results of New Pastoral Survey

'The Results Are Concerning': Franklin Graham Expresses Concern over Results of New Pastoral Survey

Evangelist Franklin Graham expressed concern over a recent survey that found that over one-third of senior pastors believe good works can earn a person their salvation.

As Christian Headlines previously reported, the survey was conducted by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University earlier this year as part of its annual American Worldview Inventory. About 1,000 senior pastors across various denominations took part in the study.

Graham, the CEO and president of Samaritan's Purse and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, reacted to some of the survey's findings in a series of tweets on Monday, according to Faithwire.

"I don't know which 1,000 pastors this group surveyed, but the results are concerning," he wrote. "39 percent of 'evangelical' pastors they asked said there is no absolute moral truth & that 'each individual must determine their own truth.' What a lie."

"The survey also said that 30 percent of evangelical pastors do not believe that their salvation is based on having confessed their sins & accepting Jesus Christ as their Savior. This kind of false teaching is what is leading people & churches astray," Graham argued.

"The Bible is God's Word, from cover to cover," he concluded. "It is the absolute truth — it is what counts, not our opinion."

The study, conducted between February and March 2022, also found that at least one-third of the senior pastors surveyed believe that the Holy Spirit is "a symbol of God's power" rather than a "living entity." They also said they believe "sexual relations between two unmarried people who believe they love each other is morally acceptable."

Further, the pastors said that socialism is preferable to capitalism, the Bible is "ambiguous" when it comes to abortion, and reincarnation is "a real possibility."

The survey follows earlier data released by the Cultural Research Center, which found that just 37 percent of Christian pastors in the U.S. have a biblical worldview.

Related:

Survey: More Than 1/3 of Senior Pastors Believe Being a 'Good Person' Can Earn You Salvation

'Shocking' New Poll: Only 37 Percent of U.S. Pastors Hold a Biblical Worldview

Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Drew Angerer/Staff


Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for Christian Headlines 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.



'The Results Are Concerning': Franklin Graham Expresses Concern over Results of New Pastoral Survey