{"id":32711,"date":"2022-09-10T16:20:11","date_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:20:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/most-open-to-spiritual-conversations-few-christians-speaking\/"},"modified":"2022-09-10T16:20:11","modified_gmt":"2022-09-10T21:20:11","slug":"most-open-to-spiritual-conversations-few-christians-speaking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/most-open-to-spiritual-conversations-few-christians-speaking\/","title":{"rendered":"Most Open to Spiritual Conversations, Few Christians Speaking"},"content":{"rendered":"
2H Media photo – Unsplash <\/p>\n

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

Americans are curious about the religious devotion of others and are willing to discuss the topic, but most say they rarely have conversations about faith with their Christian friends.<\/p>\n

An Evangelism Explosion study conducted by Lifeway Research found Americans are widely receptive to spiritual conversations in a variety of settings.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, perhaps more than ever, people are open to conversations about faith, yet few Christians actually take the opportunity to engage in personal evangelism,\u201d says Dr. John B. Sorensen, President and CEO of Evangelism Explosion International.\u00a0\u201cOur mission at EE is to equip Christians to have the confidence to share the gospel naturally, lovingly, and intentionally with family, friends, and yes, even strangers. We imagine a world where every believer is a witness for Christ to His glory.\u201d<\/p>\n

51% of Americans say they\u2019re curious as to why some people are so devoted to their faith, including 60% of the religiously unaffiliated, according to an @EEvangelism and @LifewayResearch study. Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

\u201cThis study reveals that most Americans are open to talking about faith,\u201d said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. \u201cIt really isn\u2019t about religious liberty, people not wanting to hear, or religion being off-limits. The reason conversations are not happening about the Christian faith is that Christians are not bringing it up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Half of Americans (51%) say they\u2019re curious as to why some people are so devoted to their faith, including 60% of the religiously unaffiliated. Curiosity is also more likely among younger adults. Those 18 to 34 (61%) and 35 to 49 (55%) are more likely than those 50 to 64 (43%) and those 65 and older (40%) to say they\u2019re curious about others\u2019 religious devotion.<\/p>\n

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Amid this curiosity, however, most say their Christian friends don\u2019t often bring up their religious beliefs. Six in 10 (60%) Americans say many of their friends who claim to be Christians rarely talk about their faith, including 52% of the religiously unaffiliated.<\/p>\n

Most Americans (61%) say the pandemic has not changed their interest in spiritual matters. For a third of Americans (32%), however, COVID-19 has made them more interested. Few (7%) say they are less interested now compared to before the pandemic. One in 5 religiously unaffiliated Americans (20%) say they are more interested in spiritual matters now.<\/p>\n

60% of Americans say many of their Christian friends rarely talk about their faith, according to an @EEvangelism and @LifewayResearch study. Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

Still, for many, religion is not something they think about unless others broach the subject. Two in 5 Americans (40%) say they wouldn\u2019t think about faith on their own unless a friend or family member brought it up. The religiously unaffiliated (50%), young adults 18 to 34 (49%) and men (47%) are among those more likely to say they do not think about matters of faith unless others bring up the topic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a quiet chasm between the religiously devoted and those who have no religion in the U.S.,\u201d said McConnell. \u201cThe irony is that religious devotion intrigues many people, yet many avid Christians fail to share why faith is so important in their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Heavenly certainty<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Most Americans (55%) say it\u2019s very important to be sure they will go to heaven or have eternal life, and another 19% say it\u2019s important. Fewer say it\u2019s somewhat important (9%) or not important at all (12%). Even among the religiously unaffiliated 1 in 5 (19%) say it\u2019s very important.<\/p>\n

Despite how important most Americans say eternal life is, few say they have such certainty. Slightly more than a third (37%) say they are sure they will be with God in heaven. Another 11% say they are somewhat sure, while 23% say they hope they\u2019ll be in heaven. Few (4%) don\u2019t expect to make it, and 6% are sure there is no God or heaven. According to 17% of Americans, no one can know if they\u2019ll go to heaven.<\/p>\n

When contemplating a conversation with God about getting into heaven, Americans are split between pointing to their goodness or trusting in Jesus. Considering the question, \u201cIf God asked you, \u2018Why should I let you into my heaven?\u2019 what would you say?\u201d 38% say they would respond that they trust in Jesus Christ alone, while 34% say they would respond that they are a good person. Few (4%) say they would bring up that they\u2019ve been a very religious person. Some don\u2019t know (12%) or prefer not to answer (5%). Another 7% don\u2019t believe God exists.<\/p>\n

55% of U.S. adults say it\u2019s very important to be sure they will go to heaven or have eternal life, but just 37% say they have such certainty, according to an @EEvangelism and @LifewayResearch study. Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

\u201cA quarter of Americans see heaven as a question mark or less,\u201d said McConnell. \u201cBut the rest are evenly divided between relying on someone else\u2014Jesus Christ\u2014 or themselves to be admitted. There\u2019s a stark difference between heaven being a badge of affirmation for your human life or a mark of God\u2019s ownership of your current life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Willing to talk<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Around two-thirds of Americans say they are open to different types of spiritual conversations with a friend. Two in 3 (66%) say they\u2019re at least open to having a conversation about faith with a friend, including 41% who say they are very open. Similarly, 66% of Americans are at least open to specifically discussing the Christian faith with a friend, including 40% who are very open. And 65% are at least open, including 36% who are very open, to talking with a friend about having a relationship with God.<\/p>\n

Even among the religiously unaffiliated, few say they\u2019re not open to having spiritual conversations with a friend at all. One in 5 (20%) aren\u2019t at all open to a conversation about faith with a friend. One in 4 (26%) say they are not open to having a conversation with a friend about the Christian faith or having a relationship with God, yet 20% say they\u2019re very open to either.<\/p>\n

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See also  The New Front Door to Your Church<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Fewer Americans are open to these types of conversations with people they don\u2019t know, but still, at least half will talk about spiritual matters with a stranger. Half of Americans (51%) say they\u2019re at least open to faith discussions with a stranger, with 26% saying they\u2019re very open. When asked about having conversations with a stranger about the Christian faith specifically, 52% say they\u2019re at least open, with 27% saying they\u2019re very open. Slightly more than half say they are open (24%) or very open (30%) to talking with someone they don\u2019t know about having a relationship with God.<\/p>\n

Two in 3 Americans say they\u2019re at least open to having a conversation about faith with a friend, including 41% who say they are very open, according to an @EEvangelism and @LifewayResearch study. Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

The religiously unaffiliated are less open than others, but still most have some level of openness to religious conversations with strangers. Fewer than 2 in 5 (38%) say they\u2019re not open at all to having a conversation about faith with a stranger. Almost half of religiously unaffiliated Americans (45%) are not open to talking with a stranger about the Christian faith, but 14% are very open. More than 2 in 5 (43%) say they have no openness to talking with a stranger about having a relationship with God, but 15% of the religiously unaffiliated are very open.<\/p>\n

\u201cReligion is a taboo topic for some, but actually very few people feel this way if it is between friends,\u201d said McConnell. \u201cThere is typically no way of knowing ahead of time if someone hates the subject of faith, but the majority are open to you bringing it up even if they don\u2019t know you.\u201d<\/p>\n

When meeting someone new, 71% of Americans are at least open to hearing about that person\u2019s life story. A similar number (69%) say they\u2019re at least open to hearing the life story from someone new if it includes faith.<\/p>\n

Compared to in-person conversations, Americans are less likely to want to have a spiritual discussion on social media. Fewer than half (48%) say they\u2019re at least open to having a conversation about faith on social media, including 26% who say they are very open. A third (33%) say they are not open at all to that type of conversation on social media.<\/p>\n

Compared to in-person conversations, Americans are less likely to want to have a spiritual discussion on social media, according to an @EEvangelism and @LifewayResearch study. Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

As most Americans are already open to spiritual conversations, there aren\u2019t many tools or tips that would make them more likely to engage in those discussions.<\/p>\n

Almost half of Americans said it would not change their level of interest in continuing a conversation about faith if the other person shared a pamphlet or brochure (45%), showed information via an app (45%) or quoted from their religious text (49%). Similarly, around half (49%) say they wouldn\u2019t be more willing to listen to someone else\u2019s religious beliefs if the other person first listened to their beliefs.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany differences between potential types of religious conversations have no impact on people\u2019s attitude about engaging in those conversations,\u201d said McConnell. \u201cThe biggest thing that influences people\u2019s willingness to talk about faith is the presence of a relationship with that person or faith being tied to their life story. If your relationship with God isn\u2019t impacting your life, why would someone else want to hear about it?\u201d<\/p>\n

Very important needs<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Americans of all religious convictions want certain things to be part of their lives. Most say it is very important to have peace (74%), hope (71%), and purpose and fulfillment (66%) in their lives. Religious Americans are more likely to agree these are very important aspects to have in their lives, but a majority of the religiously unaffiliated also say it\u2019s very important their lives contain peace (63%), hope (54%), and purpose and fulfillment (55%).<\/p>\n

Most religiously unaffiliated Americans are open to hearing about faith when someone can show it matters or when it is shared by someone who matters to them. \u2014 @smcconn Click To Tweet <\/p>\n

As most consider these to be essential aspects of life, Americans may be more interested to hear how someone\u2019s religious beliefs contribute to obtaining these. Around 7 in 10 Americans (69%) say they want to hear why someone thinks their faith helps meet a core human need. Close to 1 in 5 (21%) disagree. The religiously unaffiliated are more likely to disagree (32%), but the majority still say if someone they knew thinks their faith helps with a core human need, they want to hear more about why that person thinks that.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Americans with no religious affiliation, faith is not a goal or a destination,\u201d said McConnell. \u201cWhile some have reached a firm conclusion that they are not interested in faith, most are open to hearing about faith when someone can show it matters or when it is shared by someone who matters to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information, view the complete report.<\/em><\/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