By: Michael Brown – The Christian Post; christianpost.com
A new Barna poll points to a dramatic drop in biblical beliefs among American Pentecostals and Charismatics. If the findings are accurate, what are the likely causes?
According to the poll, “although we proclaim ‘In God We Trust’ on our currency, a slim 51% majority of Americans believe in a biblical view of God – down from 73% thirty years ago. Increasingly, the research finds mounting evidence that Americans are both redefining – and rejecting – God.
“Stunningly, Americans are more confident about the existence of Satan than they are of God. Overall, 56% contend that Satan is an influential spiritual being, yet almost half (49%) are not fully confident that God truly exists.”
More specifically, “The largest declines in possession of an orthodox, biblical perspective on the nature of God since 1991 were among individuals who attend Pentecostal or charismatic Protestant churches (down by 27 percentage points); people in the 18 to 29 year old category (down 26 points); adults in the Elders generation, (i.e., people born before 1946, down 25 points); and women (down 25 points).”