Ligonier Ministries recently partnered with LifeWay to conduct a survey in Canada to measure the state of theology among professing Christians. When the survey results were released, we sent the same survey questions to our congregation. What follows is a summary of the 35-question survey and how our church is similar, or is different than other Christians in Canada.
As one might expect from Christians in Canada, the results aren’t surprising yet are still disappointing. At the same time, I’m pleased with how our church answered. Some questions revealed a great gulf between the convictions of our family of faith and the broader evangelical world. In the end, it is not the counting of heads that settles the matter, but the word of God. We are reminded that it is the word that outlasts the planet even if God removes his lampstand from churches who were at one time faithful.
With that, let’s consider each question. For each question the survey will be summarized with a graphic showing how the original 3000 survey respondents answered. The “filtered respondents” are those who identify as evangelical and the “group respondents” are people who answered using the link we sent out in an email to Fairview Baptist Church mailing list.
Question #1
The Bible declares that God is perfect (Matt 5:48; Ps 18:30). His work is perfect (Deut 32:4), his way is perfect (Ps 18:30), his law is perfect (Ps 19:7), his gifts are perfect (Jas 1:17), and his will is perfect (Rom 12:2). Those who suggest otherwise must be judging God by their own standards.
Question #2
The Bible is clear, there is only one true and living God (Deut 6:4; John 17:3; 1 Tim 2:5). He is the Creator of all that is. This one God has revealed himself in three persons, Father, Son, and Spirit. The Father, Son, and Spirit share the divine nature, being co-equal, and co-eternal, distinguished only by personal properties. The Father is unbegotten, the Son eternally begotten, and the Spirit proceeding eternally from the Father and the Son (Gen 1:1-2; Ps 110:1; John 1:1, 18; 5:18; 16:7, 13-15; Acts 2:33; 5:3-4). See this sermon series on the Trinity for more details.
Question #3
This question reveals an area of compromise and error in the Canadian church. God is clear that we are to have no other gods before him (Exod 20:3). Since Christ has come, all people everywhere must repent and come to God through Christ and Christ alone (Acts 17:29-31; John 14:6). There is only one mediator between God and men, Jesus Christ (1 Tim 2:5; Heb 7:25; John 4:24; 14:6). Therefore, God does not accept the worship of all religions, but accepts only those who come to him in spirit and truth through Christ.
Sadly, Christians in the West have bought into the lie of religious pluralism and that there are many ways to God. The exclusivity of Christianity is highly offensive, but it is true. The gods and “religions” of this world are the inventions of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Rom 1:18-23). Only by entering the ark of Christ can one be saved from the coming flood of God’s judgment.
Question #4
The Bible says that God does not change (Mal 3:6; Jas 1:17). God cannot grow, improve, or learn. He is perfect, lacking in nothing, and does not change. He does not adapt to his creation, changing his plans, but has established his will and purpose before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4; Isa 46:10; Ps 33:11).
Question #5
It might seem incredible that many people who profess to be Christians do not believe in the physical resurrection of Jesus. The Bible is clear, “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Cor 15:14). We are the most pitiable lot if Jesus has not been physically resurrected (1 Cor 15:19). The historical reality of Jesus’ resurrection is one of the central themes of the Scriptures. All the gospels agree (Matt 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-49; John 20:1-28). The Scriptures bore witness, the eye-witness testimony is overwhelming, and God himself bears witness (1 Cor 11:1-11; Matt 9:9; Luke 1:1-4; John 21:20-24; 1 Cor 15:12-28). One cannot deny the physical resurrection of Jesus and maintain an adherence to the Christian faith.
Question #6
This question reveals a sharp contrast between our church and other evangelicals in Canada. Like the question above on religious pluralism, this question reveals that the contemporary church has bought the lie that God loves all people equally. The love of God is an unquestionable teaching in Scripture (1 John 4:8, 16). However, to say that God loves all people equally is to reject the beauty of his love.
It is true that God loves his enemies by sending rain and sunshine (Matt 5:44-45). Yet at the same time, God is rightfully angry with the wicked and he hates evildoers (Ps 5:5; 7:11; 11:5). He loved Jacob yet hated Esau (Rom 9:13). He loves his bride, the church (Eph 5:25; Rom 8:29-30) in an exclusive, covenantal way. This by no means diminishes God’s love, it magnifies it.
Consider a wife with a loving husband. If her husband loved all women the same way, you would conclude that he is not loving her at all! God’s love is universal to his creation, on account that he made all things, but the glory of his love is that it is particular to his elect, on account that he chose them, sent his Son to die and redeem them, and will keep and preserve them forever. This is love!
Question #7
What an indictment upon the modern church in Canada where many professing Christians, and even many evangelical Christians, deny the deity of Christ. Scriptures testimony is plain. Jesus was a great teacher (Matt 7:28-29; Luke 2:47; 4:32) but he was and remains truly God (Luke 22:70; John 1:1; 10:30; Col 2:9; Rom 9:5; Titus 2:13). The spirit of antichrist is in the church today, “Every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already” (1 John 4:3).
Question #8
I was surprised to see that while so many evangelicals denied the Trinity, the deity of Christ, and the exclusivity of the gospel, that a majority still had a Christian conception of marriage. Of course, when the foundations are destroyed, it is only a matter of time before the whole building collapses. Yet, at least for now, many Christians still hold to a biblical view of marriage. We must remember that the God who created marriage remains the only one who can define it (Gen 2:24; Matt 19:4-6; Eph 5:31-32). Marriage is to be sanctified and held in honor among all (Heb 13:4). The attacks against marriage by the profane LGBTQ+ agenda, are evidence of the world’s hatred of God and will meet with God’s terrifying justice (Heb 13:4, 12:29).
Question #9
By the answers of modern evangelicals in Canada, the men (and women!) behind the pulpits are thereby indicted. God’s people are destroyed for lack of knowledge and it is the clergy that God holds to account for this (Hos 4:1-6). There is clearly very little to no teaching on the doctrine of God, the Trinity, the person of Christ, or the person of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is a person who can be grieved or lied to (Isa 63:10; Acts 5:3; Eph 4:30). He speaks (Acts 13:2; Heb 3:7-11; 10:15-17; 2 Tim 3:16), he teaches (John 14:26), he leads and guides (Rom 8:14). He has a mind (1 Cor 2:11; Rom 8:27) and a will (1 Cor 12:11). He is one like Christ (John 14:16-17), a Helper of the same sort, the personal presence of God in the world.
P.S. Follow these links if you are looking for a sermon series on the Trinity or the Doctrine of God.
Question #10
I would have expected most evangelicals in Canada to answer “false” to this question. It seems to me that the prevailing opinion in the church today is that we first choose Christ through faith and then God responds with the gift of his Spirit and eternal life. While my perception may be wrong on the modern church, there were still several people on the Fairview mailing list that answered this question as “false” when the Bible says that it is “true.”
Jesus taught that you must be born again before you can even see the kingdom of God, let alone enter it (John 3:3-5). The Spirit is required to open blind eyes (2 Cor 4:6) and give a new heart (Ezek 36:26) so that one would believe in Christ (1 John 5:1). Faith is a gift (Acts 11:18; Phil 1:29) that is granted not through human action, but God’s (John 1:12-13). Therefore, the Spirit must give new life before we can believe (Rom 8:1-11; Eph 2:1-10).
Stay tuned for the remaining questions…. More to come.