In John 14:6, Jesus declares, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Tragically, the 2022 State of Theology survey reveals that the majority of American evangelicals seem to reject this teaching from Christ.*
The Bible reveals that God is pleased only by the worship of those who approach Him through Jesus Christ, since He alone is the “one mediator between God and man” (1 Tim. 2:5). It is startling enough that 56 percent of U.S. evangelicals believe God accepts the worship of all religions. Yet more concerning is the fact that this percentage has increased by a soaring 14 percent in only the last two years.
We asked Ligonier Teaching Fellow Dr. Stephen Nichols to address these survey results. Listen as he speaks on the danger of pluralism within the church.
As more professing Christians reject the exclusivity of Christ, it is likely that the necessity of evangelism and discipleship may increasingly be downplayed in congregations. Yet if we are to be faithful to the Great Commission, we must strive to bring the truth and light of God’s Word to a dark and deceived world. It is our hope that the 2022 findings from Ligonier’s State of Theology survey will help equip the church to do just that.
* In this survey, “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.
