wfn.org | Barna Group reports drop in number of mainline evangelicals

[ENS@ecunet.org]

2001-178

Barna Group reports drop in number of mainline evangelicals

by Jan Nunley

     (ENS) A study of more than 6,000 randomly sampled adults by the Barna 
Research Group reports a drop in the overall number of mainline American 
Christians who are considered to be "evangelical" Christians.

     The Barna Group's classification model, which does not rely on self-
description, church affiliation or attendance, indicates that only 8% of the 
adults surveyed are evangelicals, compared to 12% a decade ago. Only three 
denominations had at least one-quarter of their adherents qualify as 
evangelicals: the Assemblies of God (33%), non-denominational Protestant (29%), 
and Pentecostal (27%) churches. Churches that have the lowest proportion of 
evangelicals were the Roman Catholic, Episcopal, and Mormon churches, each of 
which has just 1% of its people in this category.

     Barna classifies about four out of every 10 U.S. adults as "born again 
Christians," based on the stated belief that they have "made a personal 
commitment to Christ" and "know they will go to Heaven solely because they have 
confessed their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their savior." They range from 
a high of 81% among the Assemblies of God to a low of 25% among Roman Catholics, 
with Episcopalians at 34%. 

     The study also showed that during the last five years there has been 
substantial growth in the percentage of "born-again" adults in four of the twelve 
groups examined: Mormons (+26%), Presbyterians (+26%), Protestant non-
denominationals (+12%) and Methodists (+11%). The percentage of born again adults 
remained relatively unchanged in the other eight denominations.

Beliefs vary by denomination

     One out of five Episcopalians surveyed agreed with the statement "the Bible 
is totally accurate in all that it teaches." Nationally, less than half of all 
adults (41%) agree with that statement.

     Acceptance of evangelism as a personal responsibility was most widely 
adopted by those who attend Pentecostal churches (73%) and least widely accepted 
among Episcopalians (12%) and Roman Catholics (17%).

     Mormons are the group most likely to accept the reality of the existence of 
Satan (59%) while Roman Catholics, Episcopalians and Methodists are the least 
likely (20%).

     Three out of every 10 Americans embrace the traditional Protestant 
perspective that good works cannot earn a person salvation. Less than half of all 
adults (40%) are convinced that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life. Those most 
likely to describe Jesus' life as sinless attend Pentecostal, Assemblies of God, 
and Mormon churches, while those least likely to agree with that statement attend 
Episcopal, Roman Catholic and Lutheran churches.

     Seven out of 10 Americans perceive God to be "the all-powerful, all-knowing, 
perfect creator of the universe who still rules the world today," in contrast to 
96% of those attending the Assemblies of God and 59% of Episcopalians. 

     Asked to estimate their level of commitment to Christianity, those 
"absolutely committed" were largely associated with Pentecostal, Assemblies of 
God and Protestant non-denominational churches. Those reporting the lowest levels 
of commitment were affiliated with Roman Catholic, Episcopal, and Lutheran 
churches, according to Barna.

     "It is important to remember that we are not reporting the official teachings of these 
churches. The data reflect what the people within those churches believe," commented 
George Barna, president of the Barna Research Group, Ltd., an independent marketing 
research company located in southern California.

--The Rev. Jan Nunley is Deputy Director of Episcopal News Service.