Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Survey Finds Most American Christians Are Actually Heretics
The Federalist ^ | OCTOBER 10, 2016 | G. Shane Morris

Posted on 10/18/2016 3:08:25 PM PDT by Brookhaven

Evangelicals Didn’t Even Study for This Test

...this year, LifeWay used more stringent criteria for evangelical faith, as defined by some group called the National Association of Evangelicals. Only participants who called the Bible their highest authority, said personal evangelism is important, and indicated that trusting in Jesus’ death on the cross is the only way of salvation, were labeled “evangelical.” They totaled 586 survey-takers.

Everyone expected them to perform better than most Americans. No one expected them to perform worse. Seven in ten evangelicals—more than the population at large—said that Jesus was the first being God created. Fifty-six percent agreed that “the Holy Spirit is a divine force but not a personal being.” They also saw a huge increase in evangelicals (28 percent, up from 9 percent) who indicated that the Third Person of the Trinity is not equal with God the Father or Jesus, a direct contradiction of orthodox Christianity.

As before, it’s really the contradictory answers, not the outright heresies, that should most concern us. By definition, the evangelicals in this survey believed that “only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation.” Yet nearly half agreed that “God accepts the worship of all religions including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.”

Former Newsday religion reporter Kenneth Briggs recently told Religion News Service that the faith he finds in “mega-type churches” is a “Bible-less,” “alternative version of Christianity.” Scripture, he says, has become “a museum exhibit, hallowed as a treasure but enigmatic and untouched.”

(Excerpt) Read more at thefederalist.com ...


TOPICS: General Discusssion; Theology
KEYWORDS: christianity; christians; discipleship; doctrine; evangelicals
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 381-394 next last

1 posted on 10/18/2016 3:08:25 PM PDT by Brookhaven
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Brookhaven

Every Christian is a Heretic with regard to some specific version of Christianity.


2 posted on 10/18/2016 3:11:55 PM PDT by who_would_fardels_bear
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Brookhaven

It’s the predicted “great falling away” from the truth.


3 posted on 10/18/2016 3:12:24 PM PDT by beethovenfan (I always try to maximize my carbon footprint.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Brookhaven

You kind of cant be one unless you are.

That’s the whole point.


4 posted on 10/18/2016 3:13:14 PM PDT by VanDeKoik
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Brookhaven

I blame Joel Osteen and “The Profit-Driven Church”.


5 posted on 10/18/2016 3:16:17 PM PDT by grey_whiskers (The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Brookhaven
Yet nearly half agreed that “God accepts the worship of all religions including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.”

Good grief...

6 posted on 10/18/2016 3:18:09 PM PDT by PROCON (David didn't need to know Goliath's strength because he already knew God's)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: grey_whiskers

Joel Osteen comes from a long line of religious hucksters. He is not unique or alone in his guilt.

In the mid-20th Century, it was the likes of Oral Roberts and others.


7 posted on 10/18/2016 3:20:19 PM PDT by fwdude (If we keep insisting on the lesser of two evils, that is exactly what they will give us from now on.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Brookhaven

Sounds like a case of “holier than thou”.


8 posted on 10/18/2016 3:21:05 PM PDT by ozzymandus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Brookhaven
Jesus was considered a heretic , and still would be today ..
9 posted on 10/18/2016 3:21:32 PM PDT by seastay
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: grey_whiskers

I’m not surprised by the findings. I’ve been criticized by some fellow Christians because I attended a Church of Christ congregation for several years. Told they are too legalistic, etc. What I found to be true is this denomination emphasizes on Scripture. We didn’t attend church to be entertained to make us “feel” good. We attended to honor Jesus Christ. I am also confounded by the # of Christians who are not students of Scripture. They have been going to Church for decades, but have no real knowledge of the Gospel. I admit, that we are all sinners and reminded that Jesus paid the price of sin for us. I often feel that I’m not worthy to worship this great God, but that’s Satan whispering in my ear. But shouldn’t we as God’s children yearn to know more about our Father which he conveniently put into 66 books called the Bible?


10 posted on 10/18/2016 3:27:05 PM PDT by Son-Joshua (son-joshua)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Brookhaven

The churches need to do a better job teaching the congregation and they also need to start sending the congregation into the neighborhoods to spread the gospel instead of sending a few missionaries to other parts of the world.


11 posted on 10/18/2016 3:29:45 PM PDT by dragonblustar
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Brookhaven

“... Fifty-six percent agreed that “the Holy Spirit is a divine force but not a personal being.”

Like the Jehovah’s who come aknocking at my door - they all deny the Most Holy Trinity, rather; they believe only in the Dynamic Duo ~ I believe over the years I have converted more Jehovas than Jehovas have converted devout Catholics!

Whatever...


12 posted on 10/18/2016 3:30:22 PM PDT by heterosupremacist ((Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God ~ Thomas Jefferson)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Brookhaven

Mary had a little lamb...

And we killed him.


13 posted on 10/18/2016 3:31:44 PM PDT by Darteaus94025 (Can't have a Liberal without a Lie)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Brookhaven

Not surprising. I’ve spoken with many people who claim to love Jesus and claim to be Christian and when I ask them a few probing questions their replies are way off base and not biblically based.

I’ve seen a pattern many times over the years when talking or attempting to witness to two people or friends. Often the person initially hostile to Christianity or a discussion about the truth of the Bible is after some time more sympathetic and appears closer to a correct understanding than the person who claimed to be a Christian. The person who claimed to be Christian gets hostile if not downright angry and possibly demonically influenced.


14 posted on 10/18/2016 3:33:07 PM PDT by Sheapdog (Chew the meat, spit out the bones - FUBO - Come and get me)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: seastay

So, you put store in the views of the people who killed Jesus?


15 posted on 10/18/2016 3:33:30 PM PDT by Arthur McGowan (https://youtu.be/IYUYya6bPGw)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Brookhaven

I could be wrong, but I looked through Bishop Barron’s coffe-table book CATHOLICISM, I didn’t find any mention of the Trinity.

Here’s the greatest modern book on the Trinity: http://tinyurl.com/mindofthemaker


16 posted on 10/18/2016 3:42:18 PM PDT by Arthur McGowan (https://youtu.be/IYUYya6bPGw)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Brookhaven
I place blame squarely on all Christian Church congregations who have thrown away God's preserved word the KJV and have accepted all the NWO translations of the Bible. Those translations have accomplished the mission they were sent by Satan to do.

Pray for a Bible Revival in the Church houses!

17 posted on 10/18/2016 3:48:17 PM PDT by WhatNot (The Gospel doesn't promise the American dream, it promises Eternal life in the Kingdom of God.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sheapdog

I assume my mother was raised Southern Baptist, I don’t know.
What I do know is that we kids went to Southern Baptist churches once, and often twice a week until we were old enough to leave home.

She went to church with us, so it was a surprise how upset she got with me, to the extent of tears coming into her eyes, when I assured her the Holy Trinity is God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, not God, Jesus, and Mary.

How she could sit through years of sermons and remain misinformed only lends credence to Obama’s insistence that he was unaffected by sitting for 27 years in Wright’s pew.


18 posted on 10/18/2016 3:50:45 PM PDT by sparklite2 (When they play the race card, play the Trump card.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Son-Joshua
I think what gets erroneously conflated is church "culture," which can change with the times (what Christian woman now covers all of her body except for face and hands?), and Christian doctrine. I know the CoC does not use instruments in their church/worship music, and that is perfectly fine, but it is cultural, not doctrinal.

We must live in a coherent, orderly culture while in our moral bodies in order to better comprehend truth, and therefore I heartily endorse such for Christian groups. Modest, un-obnoxious clothing, clean language, hard work - all bolster the Christian ethic.

19 posted on 10/18/2016 3:53:25 PM PDT by fwdude (If we keep insisting on the lesser of two evils, that is exactly what they will give us from now on.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: who_would_fardels_bear
Every Christian is a Heretic with regard to some specific version of Christianity.

Perhaps, but there is a basic core of beliefs required to be considered a Christian. I don't know if this article means that, though, and I'm too lazy to read it..

20 posted on 10/18/2016 4:07:05 PM PDT by Jeff Chandler (Everywhere is freaks and hairies Dykes and fairies, tell me where is sanity?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 381-394 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson