The Plain Truth: It looks to us, that many so-called Christians really are not that at all!
On Wednesday, the Center for Biblical Worldview at Family Research Council released the results of a nationwide study analyzing the beliefs of American churchgoers. Of the 1,009 survey participants, 72% reported weekly church attendance, while the other 28% said they go to church at least monthly. Regular church attendance was a prerequisite for participation in the survey to ensure better insight into the beliefs of America’s most devout Christians.
The FRC survey covered an area of theological and worldview issues. A portion of the study specifically looked at what churchgoers believe about abortion and the Bible’s teaching on life. What follows are 10 survey findings related to abortion that merit our attention. Although these results feature some discoveries we consider encouraging, some disconcerting findings underscore American Christians’ ongoing need for instruction in a biblical worldview, particularly on abortion and the value of human life.
About one out of every six respondents (16%) admitted to having ever paid for, encouraged, or chosen to have an abortion. Among these, 56% indicated they read the Bible weekly, and 62% attend church weekly. Additionally, 50% of those who have participated in an abortion said the Bible was “clear and decisive” on the topic of abortion (only 26% said the Bible was “unclear or ambiguous”). Intriguingly, of those who have actively participated in an abortion, 20% said the Bible teaches that abortion is “always wrong.”
Christians might be surprised to learn that around 17% of female churchgoers have had an abortion, and 15% of male churchgoers have paid for or actively encouraged someone to get an abortion. However, Family Research Council’s findings track with similar studies, including one by Lifeway Research in 2015 that showed 16% percent of all women who have had an abortion identified as evangelical Christian.
To put these percentages into perspective, consider the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. In 2023, the total membership across 47,198 SBC churches was 13.2 million. If we were to apply the 16% figure from the FRC and Lifeway surveys, approximately 2.1 million Southern Baptists have, at some point, actively participated in an abortion. In other words, we can conclude that millions of theologically conservative Christians have a personal history with abortion, even if they do not talk about it.
How many regular churchgoers self-identify as pro-life or pro-choice? Read the rest here>>>>