Most Americans express little discomfort with doctrines such as hell or Jesus’ future judgment, yet many assume these teachings apply only selective.
The latest installment of The State of Theology—a biennial national survey conducted by Lifeway Research and sponsored by Ligonier Ministries—polled more than 3,000 U.S. adults to assess current attitudes about God, Scripture, sin, and the Christian faith.
According to the findings, 2 in 3 Americans (65 percent) say the biblical accounts of Jesus’ bodily resurrection are “completely accurate,” agreeing that the event truly happened. Roughly a quarter (24 percent) remain unconvinced.
Researchers noted that public acceptance of Christ’s resurrection has held steady since 2016, showing little movement despite cultural and political upheaval.
The study also reports that more than 3 in 5 Americans (62 percent) believe there will be a time when Jesus Christ returns to judge all the people who have lived.
Meanwhile, nearly 57 percent say hell is a literal place of eternal punishment for some people—but less than a quarter (23 percent) accept that “even the smallest sin deserves eternal damnation,” signaling tension between doctrinal belief and personal intuition.
When assessing human nature, two-thirds (66 percent) of Americans agree that “everyone sins a little but most people are good by nature,” and an even larger share—74 percent—maintain that “everyone is born innocent in the eyes of God.”
Opinion remains sharply divided over the nature of Scripture: 49 percent call the Bible “100 percent accurate in all that it teaches,” while an almost identical 48 percent view it as containing “helpful accounts of ancient myths” rather than literal truth.
Skepticism toward Scripture’s compatibility with science has slightly declined. Today, 36 percent say “modern science disproves the Bible,” down from 40 percent in the previous survey.
Beliefs about biblical authority also split respondents: half (50 percent) say the Bible “has the authority to tell us what we must do,” while 44 percent reject that claim. Notably, 16 percent believe “the Holy Spirit can tell them to do something forbidden in the Bible.”
Trinitarian belief appears strong—71 percent affirm “one true God in three Persons”—but confusion remains. A majority (57 percent) describe the Holy Spirit as merely a force, not a personal being, and nearly half (49 percent) view Jesus as “a great teacher but not God.”
Pluralistic attitudes also appear widespread: 65 percent say God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Almost half (46 percent) believe that religious belief “is not about objective truth.”
Shifts in worship habits continue following the pandemic. Sixty-three percent now say personal or family worship can replace church attendance—down slightly from the 2022 peak but still far above pre-pandemic norms.
The survey further shows that most Americans do not see church membership as essential. Only a third (33 percent) believe Christians have a duty to join a local congregation.
