Check out my other post two posts down for the initial info.
One sub-group for this poll were people that claimed to be "born again," people that have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ which is important in their life today, and are certian they are going to Heaven because Jesus has forgiven their sins. The answers of this group were what initially made me sad, because these are the people I, at least, would qualify as being Christians.
Less than half (46%) of this group believe in absolute moral truth. This wasn't initially shocking because of the sweeping cultural pressure to embrace relativism or post-modernism. It's no wonder evangelism is so lacking in the church, we don't even believe it absolutely!
79% of this group believe the Bible is accurate in all the principles it teaches. This part of the poll, I'm gathering, was probably worded a bit funny. Do 79% believe the Bible is inerrant (without error in the original manuscripts) or are they simply adhering to the Bible's infallibility (unfailing in everything it teaches). Probably the latter, and 79% is not suprising. I'm sure I would grimace at the numbers revealing an inerrancy question....
40% of this group think Satan is a real being or force. This is totally contradictory to the previous question. If 79% believe the Bible is correct, then why do only 40% believe Satan is real since the Bible clearly teaches of a real Satan? This group is evidently either ignorant to what the Bible says, or very, very poor readers. Or worse, liars.
Similarly, 62% of this group think Jesus lived a sinless life. I wonder what in the world the other 38% are so confident in, regarding Heaven? If Jesus wasn't sinless what's the point? How can He save you when He hasn't saved himself?
All of this adds up to, for me, the conclusion that "born again" Christians are grossly ignorant of their own beliefs and have virtually no concrete worldview. No wonder we can barely keep our junk straight, we don't even know what we believe half the time! It seems half mysticism and half guesses. "Well, I think God..." Fill in the blank. Sheesh. It would be unreasonably foolish to just make up our own worldview with quasi christian parameters but it seems that's what we're doing. Half the time I can't blame atheists for believing Christians are ignorant because maybe we are!
Ok, perhaps that rant went a bit far, but the point remains. We need to read some more C.S Lewis and Francis Schaeffer. We need to listen to Tim Keller and Mark Driscoll because by and large we're woefully ignorant.
"You shall love the Lord you God with are your heart, strength, mind, and soul, and love your neighbor as yourself." Let's embrace the mind.
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