Jesus' resurrection: Two-thirds of Americans say biblical accounts are accurate
Most Americans believe Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the first Easter Sunday, although many are unsure of the significance of this event in their daily lives, according to the results of a study released during Holy Week.
While 66% of U.S. adults believe the biblical accounts of Jesus’ physical resurrection are accurate, 23% disagree and 11% are uncertain, Lifeway Research said, sharing the results of the 2022 State of Theology study.
Lifeway Research noted that the percentage of Americans who affirm the bodily resurrection of Jesus, as described in the Bible, has remained consistent since 2018 and within two percentage points of the first State of Theology survey in 2014.
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Acceptance of Jesus’ resurrection is highest in the Midwest and South (70% each), but majorities in the West (62%) and Northeast (60%) also believe in the event, the study revealed. It also showed that younger Americans aged 18-34 are the least likely to believe in Jesus' resurrection, although 58% still accept it as fact.
The survey also revealed that a higher percentage of self-identified Evangelicals (90%) and black Protestants (89%) believe in Jesus’ resurrection compared to Catholics (79%) and mainline Protestants (74%). Further, those who hold Evangelical beliefs are more likely to accept the resurrection than individuals without such convictions (98% as opposed to 58%).
Furthermore, nine out of 10 Americans who attend religious services at least once a month (90%) believe in the biblical accounts of Jesus’ resurrection. However, less than half (48%) of those who attend services less frequently hold this belief.
Even though many Americans accept the biblical narratives of Jesus’ resurrection, they often have contradictory opinions about the Bible and its relevance to their everyday lives, Lifeway found, sharing that 53% of participants stated that the Bible, similar to other holy texts, includes ancient myths and should not be taken literally, while 40% believed that modern science refutes the contents of the Bible.
However, for the first time, a majority (51%) claim the Bible is 100% accurate in all it teaches, and 52% acknowledge its authority to instruct on what must be done, Lifeway said, adding that about 62% consider the Bible to be the highest authority for their beliefs.
In December 2021, a Lifeway study showed that less than half of Americans, including 63% of churchgoing Christians, believed Jesus existed before His virgin birth in Bethlehem.
That study showed that only two in five or 41% of American adults, in general, believed Jesus existed before His Bethlehem birth. Some 32% disagreed with the idea that Christ existed before His Bethlehem birth, while 28% said they were not sure.
In August 2020, Lifeway found that more than half of American adults, including 30% of Evangelicals, said Jesus wasn’t God, but most agreed He was a great teacher.
Findings of an earlier Barna study this year also showed that only 51% of Americans consider God to be "all-powerful, all-knowing, perfect and just creator of the universe who still rules the world today.” In 1991, 73% of Americans believed that to be true.
