The State of Theology

What do Americans believe about God, salvation, ethics, and the Bible? Ligonier Ministries and LifeWay Research partnered to find out. These are the fundamental convictions that shape our society.

What do Americans think about Jesus Christ, the Bible, truth, and ethics? Ligonier Ministries’ State of Theology survey provides insights. Every two years, we take the theological temperature of the United States to help Christians better understand today’s culture and equip the church with better insights for discipleship. Read some of our key findings from 2020 below and explore the data for yourself. This survey was completed in early March as concern related to COVID-19 began to rise.

Who Is Jesus?

The identity of Jesus of Nazareth has been a source of controversy through the centuries. He personally claimed to be the Son of God and equal with God (Matt. 11:27; Mark 14:61–62; John 10:33). That is why His enemies sought His death.

The Bible and the historic creeds of the Christian church plainly declare that Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man. But critics have often said that Jesus was a great teacher and nothing more. The State of Theology survey now reveals that a majority of adults in the United States hold this view.

However, if Jesus’ claim to be God is false, then He was either delusional or deceptive, but He could not have been a great teacher.

Statement No. 7

Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God.

U.S. adult respondents in 2020

Finding: 52% agree vs. 36% disagree

0%
10%
20%
30%
40%

27%

10%

12%

23%

28%

StronglySomewhat Disagree
Not Sure
SomewhatStrongly Agree

Historically, evangelicals have affirmed the authority of the Bible and salvation by Jesus Christ. The Bible testifies often to the deity of Christ; He is God incarnate, the Word made flesh (John 1:1; 8:58; Rom. 9:5; Heb. 1:1–4). It may be unsurprising that the majority of the general U.S. population rejects the deity of Christ, but now almost a third of evangelicals agree that He was merely a great teacher.

Statement No. 7

Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God.

U.S. evangelical respondents in 2020

Finding: 30% agree vs. 66% disagree

0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%

62%

4%

4%

4%

26%

StronglySomewhat Disagree
Not Sure
SomewhatStrongly Agree

These results suggest a significant need for Christians to be taught Christology, the doctrine of the nature and identity of Jesus Christ. The Ligonier Statement on Christology has been formulated to articulate the biblical teaching on the person and work of Christ with accuracy and simplicity.

God’s Plan of Salvation

At the heart of the Christian gospel is the declaration that God saves sinners from judgment through His Son Jesus Christ. Moreover, He saves people according to His sovereign purpose and design. The Bible teaches that God decided who would be saved before He even created the world (Rom. 9:23; Eph. 1:4; Titus 1:2). But this view, which tends to humble man and exalt God, is widely rejected by the U.S. population.

Statement No. 22

God chose the people he would save before he created the world.

U.S. adult respondents in 2020

Finding: 26% agree vs. 50% disagree

0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%

35%

15%

23%

14%

13%

StronglySomewhat Disagree
Not Sure
SomewhatStrongly Agree

The sovereignty of God in salvation is not rejected merely by the American population at large. Only a minority of U.S. evangelicals agree with this biblical doctrine, showing that the influence of Arminian theology remains strong in American evangelical churches. One negative consequence is the undermining of Christian assurance of salvation.

Statement No. 22

God chose the people he would save before he created the world.

U.S. evangelical respondents in 2020

Finding: 38% agree vs. 44% disagree

0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%

32%

12%

17%

11%

28%

StronglySomewhat Disagree
Not Sure
SomewhatStrongly Agree

Learning about God

Theology is the study of God. America’s increasingly secular culture often gives the impression that studying the truth of God is no longer relevant and should be confined to the ivory towers of academia, but a large majority of U.S. adults disagree.

While many people deny basic tenets of the Christian faith, it may be the case that they still desire to have some understanding of who God is, even if it is their own self-constructed theology apart from biblical revelation. Particularly with the fears and concerns occasioned by COVID-19, people may now be giving more thought to ultimate matters of eternal significance.

Statement No. 26

Learning about theology is for pastors and scholars only.

U.S. adult respondents in 2020

Finding: 15% agree vs. 75% disagree

0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%

50%

25%

10%

9%

6%

StronglySomewhat Disagree
Not Sure
SomewhatStrongly Agree

An even greater majority of U.S. evangelicals affirms that theology is not exclusively the task of specialists and ministers but a calling on all of our lives.

Statement No. 26

Learning about theology is for pastors and scholars only.

U.S. evangelical respondents in 2020

Finding: 10% agree vs. 85% disagree

0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%

73%

12%

5%

4%

6%

StronglySomewhat Disagree
Not Sure
SomewhatStrongly Agree

Although a significant percentage of the U.S. population concedes that the knowledge of God has a place in the lives of everyday people, our survey data suggests a great need for teaching that is grounded in the historic Christian faith and based in the truth of the Bible.

U.S. Adults: Trends

The State of Theology survey has been conducted every two years since our first U.S. survey in 2014. Over the past six years, a number of noteworthy trends have emerged in our findings, revealing a profound unfamiliarity with core teachings of Christian orthodoxy and a confusion about the objective nature of truth.

The Bible

The most consistent and concerning trend is the increasing rejection of the literal truth of Scripture among the U.S. population. The inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture is clear from the Bible itself (Prov. 30:5; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19–21) and is affirmed by the historic Reformed confessions of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Statement No. 14

The Bible, like all sacred writings, contains helpful accounts of ancient myths but is not literally true.

U.S. adult respondents in 2014

U.S. adult respondents in 2016

U.S. adult respondents in 2018

U.S. adult respondents in 2020

Finding: 2014: 41% agree
2016: 44% agree
2018: 47% agree
2020: 48% agree

0%
10%
20%
30%
40%

32%

30%

28%

26%

17%

15%

15%

15%

10%

11%

10%

11%

24%

27%

28%

28%

17%

17%

19%

20%

StronglySomewhat Disagree
Not Sure
SomewhatStrongly Agree

Truth

A majority of U.S. adults assume that all truth is relative. More than half of respondents to the State of Theology survey say that religious belief is not about objective reality. However, fewer people expressed this view in 2020 than in 2018. It isn’t clear why this is the case, but it may be that our chaotic cultural moment has prompted more people to turn to religion for objective truth.

Statement No. 31

Religious belief is a matter of personal opinion; it is not about objective truth.

U.S. adult respondents in 2018

U.S. adult respondents in 2020

Finding: 2018: 60% agree
2020: 54% agree

0%
10%
20%
30%
40%

17%

20%

13%

14%

10%

12%

30%

28%

30%

26%

StronglySomewhat Disagree
Not Sure
SomewhatStrongly Agree

U.S. Evangelicals: Trends

While evangelicals tend to express great concern for the gospel, trends in our findings reveal that many evangelicals also express erroneous views that mirror the broader U.S. population. A substantial minority of evangelicals deny the deity of Jesus Christ (noted above), and many U.S. evangelicals exhibit confusion over who takes the initiative in God’s salvation of sinners.

The latest survey shows a decline in the number of professing evangelicals who have an accurate understanding of the Holy Spirit’s work in salvation.

Statement No. 9

The Holy Spirit gives a spiritual new birth or new life before a person has faith in Jesus Christ.

U.S. evangelical respondents in 2016

U.S. evangelical respondents in 2018

U.S. evangelical respondents in 2020

Finding: 2016: 62% agree
2018: 63% agree
2020: 57% agree

0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%

18%

25%

30%

11%

6%

5%

9%

6%

8%

11%

8%

8%

51%

55%

49%

StronglySomewhat Disagree
Not Sure
SomewhatStrongly Agree

Other trends among U.S. evangelicals are more encouraging. Responses to other statements may show a growing acceptance of the authority and trustworthiness of the Bible among evangelical Christians. Since God is the perfect author of creation and of Scripture, there can be no conflict between the Bible and science.

Statement No. 16

Modern science disproves the Bible.

U.S. evangelical respondents in 2018

U.S. evangelical respondents in 2020

Finding: 2018: 25% agree
2020: 17% agree

0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%

60%

69%

7%

5%

8%

9%

11%

8%

14%

9%

StronglySomewhat Disagree
Not Sure
SomewhatStrongly Agree

Another positive trend among U.S. evangelicals is falling support for the idea that people are good by nature, an idea that cannot be reconciled with the emphatic teaching of the Bible that all people are sinners in need of salvation (Rom. 3:23).

Statement No. 11

Everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature.

U.S. evangelical respondents in 2016

U.S. evangelical respondents in 2018

U.S. evangelical respondents in 2020

Finding: 2016: 54% agree
2018: 52% agree
2020: 46% agree

0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%

27%

27%

34%

16%

17%

15%

3%

3%

5%

30%

25%

27%

24%

28%

19%

StronglySomewhat Disagree
Not Sure
SomewhatStrongly Agree

Although more professing evangelicals seem to be embracing a biblical understanding of sin, there has been an alarming decrease in the percentage of those who express clear views on how sinful man can be justified in the sight of God. Given the centrality of this doctrine in the Bible, these results reinforce the need for clear teaching about the gospel and the doctrine of justification in local churches.

Statement No. 13

God counts a person as righteous not because of one’s works but only because of one’s faith in Jesus Christ.

U.S. evangelical respondents in 2018

U.S. evangelical respondents in 2020

Finding: 2018: 91% agree
2020: 84% agree

0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%

4%

7%

3%

5%

2%

4%

10%

9%

81%

75%

StronglySomewhat Disagree
Not Sure
SomewhatStrongly Agree

Scripture teaches that “there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5). But in recent decades, it has been popular to claim that adherents of various religions all worship the same God, even if that worship is not offered through Jesus Christ. While the 2020 State of Theology survey reveals an improving understanding of evangelicals in this area, nearly half of professing evangelical Christians still affirm some notion of religious pluralism.

Statement No. 3

God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

U.S. evangelical respondents in 2016

U.S. evangelical respondents in 2018

U.S. evangelical respondents in 2020

Finding: 2016: 48% agree
2018: 51% agree
2020: 42% agree

0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%

33%

36%

38%

10%

6%

11%

8%

7%

9%

14%

14%

9%

35%

37%

33%

StronglySomewhat Disagree
Not Sure
SomewhatStrongly Agree

The unbiblical concept of relative truth has influenced every sphere of life in the United States, including the ethical issues that continue to be at the forefront of public debate. In 2020, a large percentage of U.S. evangelicals reject the arguments of “gender fluidity,” and this has been trending in a positive direction. Yet it remains concerning that one in five evangelicals still appears to reject the Bible’s teaching that our gender as male or female is given by God our Creator (Gen 1:27).

Statement No. 29

Gender identity is a matter of choice.

U.S. evangelical respondents in 2016

U.S. evangelical respondents in 2018

U.S. evangelical respondents in 2020

Finding: 2016: 32% agree
2018: 30% agree
2020: 22% agree

As these ethical discussions and other social issues are featured prominently in political discourse, this raises the question of how Christians should be involved in politics. In this U.S. presidential election year, evangelicals express strong support for the freedom of Christians to join the debate.

Statement No. 21

Christians should be silent on issues of politics.

U.S. evangelical respondents in 2020

Finding: 16% agree

Evangelicals were defined by LifeWay Research as people who strongly agreed with the following four statements:

• The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe.
• It is very important for me personally to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior.
• Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin.
• Only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation.

Respondents can also be identified as evangelical in the State of Theology data explorer based on their supplied church affiliation.

Conclusion

The 2020 State of Theology survey reveals widespread confusion in the United States about the Bible’s teaching. While the American population in general appears to be drifting away from accepting the truth claims of the Christian faith, the growing and imminent health and social concerns at the time of this survey in March 2020 may be partly responsible for leading some to reconsider their views. Evangelicals, while exhibiting some hopeful movement in the direction of biblical fidelity, also seem to be influenced by the culture’s uncertainty about what truth is, who Jesus is, and how sinners are saved.

These results reveal an urgent need for clear biblical teaching on the person of Christ, the gospel of grace, and the way that the truth of God informs our ethical decisions in everyday life. There is much work to be done in this age of confusion, but we hope the findings of this survey will serve the church in its calling to reach more people with the faithful proclamation of God’s Word.