Evangelicals Are Fewer Than You May Think
Evangelicals “are far fewer in number than typically reported, often are far less biblical in their thinking than one might think, and tend to vote in far fewer numbers than expected,” according to a new report by Christian sociologist George Barna from the Cultural Research Center of Arizona Christian University.
This latest release of the American Worldview Inventory 2024 notes, “Most statistics regarding the incidence of evangelicals are based on self-reporting,” resulting in an inflated number. “Media reports commonly cite that anywhere from 25% to as many as 40% of American adults are evangelicals.”
By contrast, “only 10% of adults qualify as evangelicals, using survey data consistent with the NAE description of evangelicals.”
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The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) “defines evangelicals as people who recognize their sinful life, rely upon Jesus Christ for their redemption, and receive practical life guidance and wisdom from the Bible in their quest to live under the lordship of Jesus.”
Apparently, even with the smaller sample, “most evangelical[s] do not possess a biblical worldview—only about one-third do.”
Perhaps most concerning of all, “the data strongly suggests that evangelicals are more likely to be shaped by the culture around them than they are to influence or ‘evangelize’ it.”
That one-third of evangelicals with a biblical worldview may do well to remember the words of the apostle Paul:
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.
This article is an excerpt from Project 18:15.
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