The Possibility of Miracles

Recently, polling was done by the National Survey of Religious Leaders to discern the beliefs of pastors about various elements of faith. The research done by this group is not exclusive to Christian pastors, but distinctions are made so that the beliefs of various groups can be determined. From this we can specifically pick out information about the pastors of Christian churches. You can read about this at https://www.graphsaboutreligion.com/p/how-certain-are-clergy-of-their-faith?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web 

You can read more about the polling itself at: https://www.christianpost.com/news/25-percent-catholic-mainline-pastors-firmly-believe-in-adam-eve.html. 

Here are some of the results of that polling.

Belief That Adam and Eve Existed

• Black Protestant - 89%
• Evangelical - 80%
• Mainline Protestant - 24%
• Roman Catholic - 23%

Belief That Hell Exists

• Evangelical - 93%
• Black Protestant - 90%
• Roman Catholic - 70%
• Mainline Protestant - 45%

Belief in Miraculous Healing

• Black Protestant - 92%
• Evangelical - 84%
• Roman Catholic - 78%
• Mainline Protestant - 47%

Belief in God’s Existence

• Evangelical - 98%
• Black Protestant - 89%
• Roman Catholic - 85%
• Mainline Protestant - 70%

Christian pollster George Barna has done polling in a similar vein and found that only 37% of “Christian” pastors hold a biblical worldview. (See https://www.arizonachristian.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/CRC_AWVIRelease_07_Digital.pdf.) This result helps us understand more fully how it is possible that many pastors do not believe in much of what the Bible teaches.

How to Evaluate What Is Going on

In a survey like this, it is difficult to determine specifically what any given pastor might believe because there is not any personally identifiable information. However, it is possible to make certain generalizations. Some of the generalizations are supported by other polling and the writings of diverse clergy who fit into these various categories.

One category of clergy is made up of people who actually don’t even believe in God. While this may seem rather strange, there actually are people who become pastors for reasons other than belief in Christ and a sense of His calling on their life. Some see it only as a career option.

Another category consists of those who hold hybrid beliefs. These are people who believe in God, but hold other beliefs that are not consistent with what is written in the Bible. Of those who deny the truth of various Christian beliefs covered in the survey, hybridization of their beliefs is likely the main reason.

In considering this more deeply, there are a few things that are useful to know about why some pastors do not fully believe what is written in the Bible.

Different Worldview

For those who actually admit that they don’t believe in God, what we have is someone who actually believes a different worldview – someone who actually views reality differently from what is revealed in the Bible.

There are others who have hybridized their worldview beliefs. These are people who believe in God, but have also bought into some of the beliefs of a different worldview – most typically Naturalism (the belief that the natural universe, operating by natural laws, is all that exists). This can manifest in various ways. Some of them, while they believe in God, also believe in naturalistic evolution. Others believe in God, but their understanding of Him is rather vague – which allows them to view morality from a relativistic perspective rather then seeing biblical morality as an objectively true revelation from God.

Authority Source

A person’s ultimate authority source ties in closely with their worldview beliefs. In fact, their worldview beliefs are based on their authority source.

Those who are Atheists acknowledge only human reason as their authority. In that case they basically make up their own beliefs.

Those who say they believe in God but also promote non-biblical moral beliefs, typically give a nod to the Bible, but also look to other sources for their beliefs. Most often, these people will combine a belief in God from the Bible with their own personal moral preferences. This is how you end up with people who claim to be Christians, but approve of such things as abortion, gay marriage, and other moral beliefs that are contrary to what is revealed in the Bible.

Different Theology

Another clue to look for is the form of theology a pastor follows. There are forms that are not based on what the Bible itself teaches, but have incorporated beliefs from other worldview categories – again, most typically from some naturalistic belief source. Some of the more common non-biblical theological forms are seen particularly in many Mainline Protestant and some Roman Catholic churches. These forms include Higher Criticism, Existential Theology, Liberation Theology, Postmodern Theology, and there are others.

So how is a regular Christian to know whether or not their pastor is teaching genuine biblical truth? They can know when they themselves are equipped with an understanding of a biblical worldview. This is one of the reasons every Christian needs to take personal responsibility for studying and laying a solid biblical worldview foundation for their life. It really is important!

 needs to take personal responsibility for studying and laying a solid biblical worldview foundation for their life. It really is important!

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Freddy Davis is the president of MarketFaith Ministries. He is the author of numerous books entitled The Truth Mirage, Rules for Christians Radicals, Liberalism vs. Conservatism, and his latest book Shattering the Truth Mirage and has a background as an international missionary, pastor, radio host, worldview trainer, and entrepreneur. Freddy is a graduate of Florida State University with a BS in Communication, and holds MDiv and DMin degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a popular speaker, particularly on the topic of worldview and its practical implications for the Christian life. He lives in Tallahassee, FL, with his wife Deborah.

You may also contact Freddy at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule him for speaking or leadership engagements.

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