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By Aaron Earls

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Politics is important for most evangelicals, but not so important that they question the faith of those who vote differently from them.

A new survey from LifeWay Research and sponsored by the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College explored the voting habits and political motivations of three groups of Americans: evangelicals by belief, self-identified evangelicals and those who are not evangelical by belief or self-identity.

Evangelicals by belief—those who hold to four key theological statements developed by LifeWay Research and the National Association of Evangelicals—were most likely to say politics is at least somewhat important to them (87 percent), with 30 percent saying it is extremely important.

Self-identified evangelicals (85 percent) gave similar overall importance to politics. Non-evangelicals (78 percent) are less likely to see politics as at least somewhat important. But few self-identified (23 percent) and non-evangelicals (18 percent) say politics is extremely important.

“These numbers show evangelicals have a greater passion for politics than most, which could say something about the issues of our day. Some of the biggest political issues today involve evangelicals, which could explain why they are engaged at a higher level than others,” said Ed Stetzer, executive director of the Billy Graham Center.

“Evangelicals care for and tend to be involved in the communities in which they live,” Stetzer said. “We have come a long way from 50 years ago, when many evangelicals thought political involvement was worldly.”

Four in 10 African-American evangelicals by belief say politics is extremely important to them—more than any other ethnicity.

Evangelicals by belief and self-identified evangelicals are more likely than non-evangelicals to belong to one of the two major political parties.

Among evangelicals by belief, 44 percent are Republicans, 32 percent Democrats and 14 percent independents. Self-identified evangelicals are slightly less Republican. Forty-one percent say they are part of the Republican party, 32 percent Democratic party and 15 percent independent. Non-evangelicals are more diverse with 23 percent Republicans, 36 percent Democrats and 23 percent independents.

The 2016 presidential election

Evangelical by belief voters are the most likely to say they felt strong support for their candidate when they voted and are most likely to still feel strong support for that candidate today.

Thinking back to 2016, 9 in 10 evangelicals agree they felt strong support for their preferred candidate, with 69 percent strongly agreeing.

Little has changed when evangelical by belief voters think about who they voted for in the last presidential election. Today, 88 percent agree they feel strong support for who they voted for in 2016, with 70 percent strongly agreeing.

“Given the nominated presidential candidates in 2016, most voters with evangelical beliefs were sure about their choice and few have changed their minds,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research.

Self-identified evangelical voters and non-evangelical voters are less likely to say they felt strong support in 2016 and today.

And among evangelicals who voted, most did so for Donald Trump. More than half of evangelicals by belief (58 percent) and self-identified evangelicals (53 percent) cast their ballot for the Republican nominee. Slightly more than a third of evangelicals by belief (36 percent) and self-identified evangelicals (38 percent) voted for Hillary Clinton.

A majority of non-evangelical voters (53 percent) voted for Clinton, while 36 percent voted for Trump.

African-American voters with evangelical beliefs overwhelmingly voted for Clinton (86 percent), while more than three-quarters of white voters with evangelical beliefs voted for Trump (77 percent).

Around half of younger voters with evangelical beliefs cast their ballot for Clinton—47 percent of those 18 to 49. A majority of voters 65 and over who have evangelical beliefs voted for Trump (72 percent).

Single-issue voters? Not necessarily.

The survey found evangelicals by belief (62 percent) and self-identified evangelicals (59 percent) were most likely to say one of the reasons for their 2016 vote was choosing the candidate with the ability to improve the economy.

Close to half those numbers—36 percent of evangelical by belief and 31 percent of self-identified evangelical voters—listed the candidate’s position on abortion as a factor in their vote. Similar numbers said a likely Supreme Court nominee played a role.

When asked the most important reason for voting the way they did, again evangelicals by belief (17 percent) and self-identified evangelicals (18 percent) chose an ability to improve the economy. That was followed by positions on health care and immigration.

Few evangelicals by belief (5 percent) and self-identified evangelicals (4 percent) said abortion was the most important issue in deciding their 2016 vote. And 7 percent of evangelicals by belief and 6 percent of self-identified evangelicals chose likely Supreme court nominees as the most important reason.

“In many ways, evangelical voters are a lot like everyone else when it comes to deciding their vote,” said McConnell.

“The issues often tied to evangelicals—like abortion and the Supreme Court—are further down the average evangelical’s list of deciding factors, behind topics like the economy and health care.”

Political divides in the pews?

Most evangelicals by belief and self-identified evangelicals say the 2016 election brought to the surface some underlying divisions among Christians.

Six in 10 evangelicals by belief (59 percent) and 57 percent of self-identified evangelicals agree the election revealed political divides within the church that have existed for a long time.

Younger and ethnic minority self-identified evangelicals are more likely to say those political divides were exposed during the election. Sixty-three percent of those 18 to 34 agree, compared to 53 percent of those 50 and over. African-American (62 percent) and Hispanic evangelicals (64 percent) are more likely to agree than whites (54 percent).

Yet, most evangelicals by belief and self-identified evangelicals believe someone in the opposing party can be a devout Christian.

Among Republicans, 68 percent of evangelicals by belief and 71 percent of self-identified evangelicals say someone can be a committed Christian and a Democrat. Fewer than a quarter of each disagree—25 percent of evangelicals by belief and 22 percent of self-identified evangelicals.

Among Democrats, 74 percent of evangelicals by belief and 77 percent of self-identified evangelicals say someone can be a committed Christian and a Republican. Fifteen percent of Democratic evangelicals by belief and 13 percent of self-identified evangelicals disagree.

When evangelicals encounter someone using biblical beliefs to justify political views that are opposite of their own, few question their political opponent’s faith. Twenty percent of evangelicals by belief and self-identified evangelicals say they doubt the validity of the other person’s faith.

Evangelicals by belief are most likely to say they are hopeful they can find common ground biblically (40 percent), while self-identified evangelicals are most likely to agree to disagree (38 percent) with the other person.

“Jesus is not coming back on a donkey or an elephant,” said Stetzer. “We have to acknowledge that people vote for different and complex reasons and that Christians can differ on politics and agree on the gospel.”

Other findings in the study include:

• 59 percent of evangelicals by belief, 61 percent of self-identified evangelicals and 56 percent of non-evangelicals say their political support should focus on praising or criticizing issues rather than supporting individual political leaders.
• 27 percent of evangelicals by belief, 30 percent of self-identified evangelicals and 34 percent of non-evangelicals say evangelical Christians are too closely aligned with President Trump.
• 43 percent of evangelicals by belief, 41 percent of self-identified evangelicals and 27 percent of non-evangelicals say when a leader is making important political decisions they support, they should also support the leader when they say or do things they disagree with.
• 57 percent of evangelicals by belief and 54 percent of self-identified evangelicals say the goals conservatives achieve under President Trump will last after his presidency.
• 67 percent of evangelicals by belief and 66 percent of self-identified evangelicals agree committed Christians can benefit from a political leader even if that leader’s personal life does not line up with Christian teaching.

In his new book, Christians in the Age of Outrage, Stetzer said he describes how Christians should “gear down the outrage and turn up the mission. We certainly can’t go to war with people with whom we disagree because you can’t be at war with a people and reach a people at the same time.”

Aaron Earls is online editor of Facts & Trends and a writer for LifeWay Christian Resources.

Methodology:
The study was sponsored by the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College. The online survey of Americans was conducted May 9-16, 2018. The completed sample is 3,000 surveys. A minimum of 1,000 respondents were screened for each of three groups (those qualifying for both evangelical groups are included in the reporting for both:

• 1,000 Americans who are not evangelicals (do not have evangelical beliefs nor self-identify as evangelical or born again
• 1,064 Americans who have evangelical beliefs
• 1,814 Americans who self-identify as an evangelical or born-again Christian

Slight weights were used for each group to balance gender, age, region, ethnicity and education. The sample provides 95 percent confidence that the sampling error from the online panel does not exceed plus or minus 3.2 percent for non-evangelicals, plus or minus 3.1 percent for those with evangelical beliefs, and plus or minus 2.4 percent for self-identified evangelicals. These margins of error account for the effect of weighting. Margins of error are higher in sub-groups.

LifeWay Research is a Nashville-based, evangelical research firm that specializes in surveys about faith in culture and matters that affect churches.

Download the research

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Evangelical and Non-evangelical Voting and Views of Politics in America is a study sponsored by the Billy Graham Center Institute and conducted by LifeWay Research.

The study addresses numerous aspects of politics in America today including:

• Reasons Americans voted for the 2016 presidential candidate they did
• Support levels two years later for the candidate they voted for
• Political dialogue today
• Whether people feel they should support everything a political leader says and does if the leader is making important decisions they do support.
• Perceptions of evangelical Christians

The online survey of 3,000 Americans compares 1,000 who are not evangelicals, 1,814 who self-identify as evangelical, and 1,064 who have evangelical beliefs. LifeWay Research conducted the survey May 9-16, 2018.

The study’s findings are being released in multiple parts:

• Why Evangelicals Voted Trump: Debunking the 81% by Ed Stetzer and Andrew MacDonald, Christianity Today
• Download the Research (Part 1)

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By Carol Pipes

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Six in 10 Americans say religious belief is a matter of personal opinion. For 7 in 10 Americans, such religious beliefs include one true God existing in three persons—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And a similar number who say God is perfect. But an increasing majority of Americans deny Jesus has always existed and many say the Holy Spirit is a force rather than a personal being.

Those are among the findings of a new study of American views about Christian theology from Nashville-based LifeWay Research.

“When the majority of Americans believe religious belief is more personal opinion than objective truth, then we expect to see contradictory beliefs and beliefs that change over time,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research.

The survey of 3,000 Americans was sponsored by Orlando-based Ligonier Ministries. The 2018 State of American Theology Study is the third in a series of surveys of American adults examining their theological beliefs. Previous surveys were conducted in 2016 and 2014.

Survey questions focused on key doctrinal beliefs and included a number of areas where Americans often differ from historic and orthodox Christian views. Among the findings:

Character of God
A majority of Americans (70 percent) believe there is one true God in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Eighteen percent disagree. Twelve percent are not sure. This has remained consistent since researchers began asking the question in 2014.

Sixty-nine percent of Americans say God is perfect and cannot make a mistake. This is higher than both the 2016 (65 percent) and 2014 (63 percent) surveys.

Two-thirds believe the biblical accounts of the physical (bodily) resurrection of Jesus are completely accurate. Twenty percent disagree. Fourteen percent are not sure.

Fifty-seven percent of Americans say Jesus Christ is the only person who never sinned. Twenty-nine disagree. Fifteen percent are not sure.

A similar number say Jesus is a created being. Fifty-seven percent agree with the statement “Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God.” Twenty-eight percent disagree, and 15 percent are not sure. That’s a slight increase from 2016 when 52 percent agreed Jesus was created by God.

Almost 6 in 10 (59 percent) say the Holy Spirit is a force rather than a personal being. Twenty-five percent disagree. Sixteen percent are not sure.

A quarter of Americans (26 percent) say God is unconcerned with their day-to-day decisions. Sixty-one percent disagree. Thirteen percent are not sure.

The Bible
Researchers found Americans are split on their views of the Bible. More Americans believe the Bible is completely accurate, however, a growing number say the Bible is not literally true.

In 2018, half of Americans say the Bible is 100 percent accurate in all that it teaches. That’s up from 47 percent in 2016 and 43 percent in 2014.

Fewer than half (47 percent) of Americans agree the Bible contains helpful accounts of ancient myths but isn’t literally true. Forty-three percent disagree. In 2016, 44 percent agreed the Bible isn’t literally true, and 41 percent said the same in 2014.

Researchers also found 36 percent of Americans say modern science disproves the Bible, while 48 percent disagree.

“The last writing included in the Christian Bible was completed nearly 2,000 years ago,” McConnell said. “Yet Americans’ beliefs around this book are shifting more than most other theological beliefs.”

Sin and Punishment
More than 6 in 10 Americans (62 percent) expect Jesus to return and judge all people. However, fewer expect people to be punished in a place called hell. Fifty-four percent of Americans agree hell is a real place where certain people will be punished forever. Thirty percent disagree.

According to the study, a majority of Americans (66 percent) admit everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature. Twenty-seven percent disagree, while 7 percent aren’t sure.

Almost a quarter (23 percent) of Americans say even the smallest sin deserves eternal damnation. Sixty-nine percent disagree, and 8 percent aren’t sure. However, Americans are more likely to agree now than four years ago about the consequences of sin. In 2014, only 18 percent of Americans said even the smallest sin deserves eternal damnation. Nineteen percent agreed in 2016.

Americans with evangelical beliefs are the most likely to agree (49 percent) the smallest sin deserves eternal damnation.

Salvation
A majority of Americans believe Jesus is the only way to eternal salvation. Six in 10 (62 percent) agree Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of sin from their lives. Thirty-eight percent disagree.

Fifty-seven percent of Americans say only those who trust in Jesus alone as Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation. Forty-three percent disagree. Those who identify with an evangelical (88 percent) or black Protestant (83 percent) denomination are more likely to agree than mainline Protestants (65 percent) and Catholics (58 percent).

And slightly more than half (53 percent) believe righteousness comes only through faith in Jesus Christ not because of one’s actions. A third disagree, while 14 percent aren’t sure.

Morality and moral authority
The share of Americans who believe the Bible has authority to govern our actions grew to a slim majority in 2018. Fifty-three percent agree “the Bible has the authority to tell us what we must do.” This is higher than both the 2016 and 2014 surveys with 50 percent and 49 percent agreeing, respectively.

Six in 10 (62 percent) Americans say the Bible is the highest authority for what they believe. Thirty-eight percent disagree. Americans from an evangelical (92 percent) or black Protestant (90 percent) denomination are more likely to agree than mainline Protestants (74 percent) and Catholics (67 percent).

Americans are fairly split on whether sex outside traditional marriage is a sin. Half (51 percent) say they believe sex outside traditional marriage is a sin including 33 percent who strongly agree. And 41 percent disagree including 27 percent who strongly disagree.

Slightly more than half (52 percent) of Americans say abortion is a sin. Thirty-eight percent disagree, while 10 percent are not sure.

Americans’ views of homosexuality continue to shift away from historically orthodox Christian views. Forty-four percent agree the Bible’s condemnation of homosexual behavior doesn’t apply today. Forty-one percent disagree. And 15 percent are not sure. In 2016, 42 percent agreed, while 44 percent disagreed, and 14 percent weren’t sure.

LifeWay Research asked Americans about gender identity. The study found 38 percent believe gender identity is a matter of choice, while 51 percent say it is not a choice. Eleven percent are not sure.

Worship
Almost 6 in 10 Americans see valid alternatives to worshiping in a church with other believers. And more than a third say worship services should be entertaining if churches want to be effective.

Fifty-eight percent of Americans agree that worshiping alone or with one’s family is a valid replacement for regularly attending church. Thirty percent disagree. Twelve percent are not sure.

Americans with evangelical beliefs are more likely to disagree (54 percent) that worshiping alone or with family is a valid alternative to corporate worship.

Thirty-seven percent of Americans say churches must provide entertaining worship services if they want to be effective. Half (51 percent) disagree. Americans ages 18-34 are the most likely to agree (46 percent). Americans with evangelical beliefs are more likely to disagree than those without evangelical beliefs (61 percent vs. 49 percent).

“Church attendance has long been a measure of religious activity and devotion,” McConnell said. “Today, less than half of religious service attendees see regularly gathering for worship with other believers at church as essential.”

Carol Pipes is director of communications for LifeWay Christian Resources.

Methodology:
A demographically balanced online panel was used for interviewing 3,002 American adults. The surveys were completed April 24 – May 4, 2018. The sample provides 95 percent confidence that the sampling error from the online panel does not exceed +1.9 percent. Margins of error are higher in sub-groups. Slight weights were used to balance gender, age, ethnicity, income, region and religion. Comparisons are made to studies conducted by LifeWay Research in 2016 and 2014 using the same methodology.

LifeWay Research is a Nashville-based, evangelical research firm that specializes in surveys about faith in culture and matters that affect churches.

Those with evangelical beliefs were determined using the National Association of Evangelicals and LifeWay Research evangelical beliefs research definition.

Download the research
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TheStateOfTheology.com

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