{"id":31056,"date":"2022-09-10T15:15:05","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:15:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/what-do-americans-actually-believe-about-the-resurrection\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T15:15:05","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T20:15:05","slug":"what-do-americans-actually-believe-about-the-resurrection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/what-do-americans-actually-believe-about-the-resurrection\/","title":{"rendered":"What Do Americans Actually Believe About the Resurrection?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Pisit Heng photo – Unsplash <\/p>\n

By Aaron Earls<\/em><\/p>\n

The truthfulness of the resurrection is not as controversial today as many Christians may assume. The bigger issue, however, may be helping Americans recognize the relevance of Jesus rising from the dead.<\/p>\n

Two-thirds of American adults (66%) say they believe the biblical accounts of the physical resurrection of Jesus are completely accurate, according to the 2020 State of Theology from Lifeway Research. One in 5 (20%) disagree, and 14% are not sure.<\/p>\n

Two-thirds of American adults (66%) say they believe the biblical accounts of the physical resurrection of Jesus are completely accurate. Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

Most believe in Jesus\u2019 resurrection<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For Christian author and apologist Rebecca McLaughlin this is a good news, bad news situation. \u201cThe fact that two-thirds of Americans say they believe that Jesus literally rose from the dead makes me feel two things: hopeful and heartbroken,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst, I feel hopeful, because it suggests that twice as many Americans as attend church weekly might be open to doing so if they were invited. This is a huge opportunity,\u201d said the author of Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World\u2019s Largest Religion<\/em>. \u201cChurch attendance isn\u2019t the ultimate goal, of course. But connecting these people who must on some level think they are Christians with regular Bible teaching and real Christian community would be a major step toward them trusting in Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adults who attend church services at least once or twice a month are more likely to say they believe in the resurrection (89%). Even among those who don\u2019t attend as frequently if at all, however, almost half (48%) agree Jesus\u2019 bodily resurrection happened just as the Bible describes it.<\/p>\n

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\u201cBut I also feel heartbroken,\u201d McLaughlin said, \u201cbecause the idea that someone would say they believe Jesus actually rose from the dead but that this belief would have so little impact on their life that they weren\u2019t even part of a church is truly tragic. This exposes the danger of \u2018cultural Christianity\u2019\u2014the vague assent to Christian beliefs without any evidence of actual faith in Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n

"The idea that someone would say they believe Jesus actually rose from the dead but that this belief would have so little impact on their life that they weren\u2019t even part of a church is truly tragic." \u2014 @RebeccMcLaugh Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

This may change how Christians think about apologetics and evangelism. \u201cTraditionally, one big focus of apologetics has been arguments for the bodily resurrection of Jesus,\u201d she said. \u201cBut the 66% of Americans who say they believe this don\u2019t need those arguments. Instead, they need to understand what difference it makes that Jesus rose from the dead. We need to show them that it makes all the difference in the world, and that if Jesus is risen, He is also Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some aren\u2019t sure about Jesus’ resurrection<\/strong><\/h3>\n

McLaughlin said we may find those doubting (14% of Americans) both outside the church walls and sitting in the pews on Sunday. \u201cThose who say they\u2019re not sure if Jesus rose from the dead may be non-churchgoers who feel on the fence, or they may be churchgoers who have not been taught the vital importance of the resurrection to everything else a Christian believes. This final group needs to see that the stakes are high,\u201d she said. \u201cAs the apostle Paul put it, if Christ has not been raised, our faith is useless (1 Corinthians 15:14).<\/p>\n

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Some don\u2019t believe in Jesus’ resurrection<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Despite the seemingly low numbers of Americans who outright reject the resurrection, that doesn\u2019t mean apologetics arguments are no longer needed, according to McLaughlin. \u201cThe 20% of Americans who say they don\u2019t believe in the resurrection still need to hear why it might just be true,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut they also need to hear what difference it would make. And they need to see it in our lives. If we\u2019re not living as if Jesus is truly Lord, which means both proclaiming the gospel and caring for the poor and oppressed, our unbelieving friends won\u2019t have any motivation to wish the resurrection was true\u2014which is often the first step to believe that it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

"If we\u2019re not living as if Jesus is truly Lord, our unbelieving friends won\u2019t have any motivation to wish the resurrection was true\u2014which is often the first step to believe that it is." \u2014 @RebeccMcLaugh Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

One group that is more likely to deny the resurrection is the next generation. A majority of 18- to 34-year-olds (59%) say they don\u2019t believe the biblical accounts of Jesus bodily resurrection. \u201cYoung adults are less likely to be cultural Christians than their parents or grandparents, partly because identifying as a Christian isn\u2019t seen as positively by folks outside the church as it once was,\u201d said McLaughlin, author of 10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) About Christianity<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Because Christianity no longer has the cultural cache it had in previous generations, McLaughlin said Christians today need to be concerned with living out their faith, including on issues of racial injustice where the church has undermined its moral credibility. \u201cIt is important for this generation to understand that the Jesus in whose resurrection we believe is a brown-skinned, Middle Eastern Jew who broke through every racial and cultural barrier of His day,\u201d she said, \u201cand that the global church today represents the most diverse and widespread belief system in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is important for this generation to understand that the Jesus in whose resurrection we believe is a brown-skinned, Middle Eastern Jew who broke through every racial and cultural barrier of His day." \u2014 @RebeccMcLaugh Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

McLaughlin issued a warning for modern Christians wanting to convince the next generation of the resurrection apart from living out biblical ethics. \u201cIf we don\u2019t go back to the Bible itself on ethical questions, and if we\u2019re not ready to repent when we find our tribe has sinned when it comes to racial injustice, this generation is unlikely to be interested in what we have to say about the central, historical truth-claim of the Christian faith: that Jesus literally rose from the dead,\u201d McLaughlin said.<\/p>\n

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Aaron Earls<\/h2>\n

@WardrobeDoor<\/p>\n

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Aaron is a writer for LifewayResearch.com.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n