Approximately 6 in 10 churchgoers say Christianity is the only way to obtain eternal life, according to a new study from LifeWay Research.
The survey, which queried nearly 3,000 adults who report that they attend a Protestant church at least once a month, examined doctrinal positions for part of what LifeWay calls “the largest discipleship study of its kind.” It found that “plenty of churchgoers still struggle with basic truths about God, the Bible, and salvation.”
When it comes to Heaven, for example, more than 25 percent of those surveyed disagreed with traditional Christian doctrine, saying instead that a person who is “sincerely seeking God … can obtain eternal life through religions other than Christianity.” The survey goes on to examine other beliefs about life after death.
That’s not exactly surprising, since Americans are used to “having endless combinations of choices,” says LifeWay Research president Ed Stetzer. “Biblical truth is radical because it teaches that eternal life is a relationship with God through Jesus Christ alone.”
Meanwhile, 82 percent said they believe that the Bible is the “written word of God and is totally accurate in all that it teaches.”
CT routinely writes about heaven, life after death, and what it will be like. In addition, CT recently featured an essay on the “false god of limitless choices.”
