The vast majority of mainline Protestant pastors here in America don’t believe the Bible.
And that’s not hyperbole—according to recent data from the National Survey of Religious Leaders, only 25% of such pastors “say they’re certain that Adam and Eve were real people” (by comparison, the study notes “80% of Evangelical pastors and 89% of black Protestant clergy affirm this belief with certainty”). Only 1 in 4 believe in a literal Adam and Eve! That’s certainly a contrast to the Bible’s view on the first couple (Matthew 19:4-5, Romans 5:12, 1 Corin. 15:21-22, 2 Corin. 11:3).
Yes, the New Testament certainly treats Adam and Eve as literal, historical people.
And yes, a literal Adam is essential to the gospel. Without an Adam who really did sin against God and bring physical death into the world, why do we need the last Adam, Jesus, to die a physical death in our place? Denying a literal Adam denies Scripture, undermines the gospel, and puts fallible man as the authority over God and his clear Word.
But that’s not the only lamentable finding from this study. They also found, regarding these mainline Protestant pastors:
- Only 45% expressed certainty in their belief about hell.
- A few more, 47%, definitely believe in miraculous healing.
- A quarter, 26%, believe in God but have doubts.
- Only 32% “strongly believed in trying to convert others to their faith.”
- And 70% view the Bible as “inspired but not historically accurate in all parts, with some sections reflecting the cultural norms of the time and therefore no longer applicable today.”
What a dismal view of God and His Word from so many so-called pastors! But this isn’t surprising, given the liberal trajectory of the mainline denominations. They abandoned the authority of God’s Word long ago, and that compromise just leads to more compromise (and more doubt!).
What’s the antidote to this slippery slide into unbelief? A firm conviction regarding the authority of God’s Word . . . from the very first verse!
