30% of Evangelicals Say Jesus is “Good Teacher, but He Was Not God”

Such a belief has been condemned as heresy by the church for centuries because it runs contrary to what God’s Word clearly teaches.

A recent survey from LifeWay Research for Ligonier Ministries found that a shocking 30% of those considered evangelical believers said Jesus was a “good teacher, but he was not God”—in stark contrast to what the Bible teaches! Perhaps even more shocking, 65%—that’s right 2 in 3—“evangelicals” answered that “Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God.” Such a belief has been condemned as heresy by the church for centuries because it runs contrary to what God’s Word clearly teaches (see, for example, John 1). And yet more than 2 in 3 believers chose that option. What a mess the church is in!

When you think that so many churches have told generations they can reinterpret Genesis to make it agree with man’s evolutionary beliefs, this in itself creates an environment of giving people a low view of Scripture itself. Yes, much of the church is in a mess.

We need to be presenting a truly biblical worldview, emphasizing God’s Word as our starting point and as our ultimate authority.

Parents, churches, teachers—you can’t just assume those in your church pews have good theology, even about the most basic of Christian teachings. We’re living in an increasingly post-Christian age with shocking biblical illiteracy, the invasion of secularism, and very little knowledge of a truly biblical worldview. And yet so many churches just focus on moral things or spiritual things. Instead, we need to be presenting a truly biblical worldview, emphasizing God’s Word as our starting point and as our ultimate authority. We need to be imparting a biblical worldview to the next generation from the foundation (God’s Word) up—not just assuming they have it and adding moral/spiritual things to it! After all, if they don’t have a proper foundation, the moral and spiritual things won’t stand (and that’s exactly what we’re seeing happening in our churches!).

Learn more about the vital necessity of a truly biblical worldview in this presentation I gave at the Answers Center for our 2019 Answering Atheists conference:

Watch the video on YouTube.

Exposing Lies Wrapped Up in “Christianese”

The more we know the truth, the easier it is to spot the fake.

Satan is crafty—he mixes truth with error to confuse, distract, and derail Christians. So many believers today have bought into lies that come wrapped in a thin veneer of “Christianese” to make them sound biblical, but they are far from it. But the more we know the truth, the easier it is to spot the fake. That’s why the theme for our 2021 Answers for Women conference is “Truth: Uncovering the Lies We Believe.” Ladies, get equipped to shine the light of God’s truth on error at this thought-provoking conference, March 19–20, 2021, at the Ark Encounter in Northern Kentucky.

You’ll hear from Kay Arthur of Precepts Ministries International, Justin Peters, AiG’s Dr. Georgia Purdom and me, and many other excellent speakers. Together, we’ll tackle these questions and more:

• Can we redefine holiness to make certain sins more acceptable?
• Can we pick and choose which parts of the Bible we accept as truth?
• Does saying a certain practice is “Christian” really make it so?
• Does the gospel message need to be updated with new and additional teachings about prosperity and judging others?
• Can we separate sinful desires from the actual act?
• Are out-of-context Bible verses appropriate as motivational encouragements?
• Is there power in positivity?

Your conference registration comes with free admission to the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum, and there’s even a free pre-conference with Kay Arthur on March 18. Don’t miss this faith-strengthening event—we desperately need discerning Christians who can help others, including their own families, navigate this world with the light of biblical truth.

Register at AnswersforWomen.org—and be sure to register soon: super-early-bird pricing (a savings of $60!) ends September 30.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.