The State of Theology
The Urgent Need for Theological Literacy
Every year in the USA, a State of the Union address is given by the president to Congress and the watching nation. Some react indifferently, perhaps knowing in their heart of hearts that one day—maybe even one day soon—America, like Rome, will fall. Others are desperately hanging on every word as they make passionate pleas for justice and reform. Some might simply be throwing things at their TV. All of these may even remind you of members of your church.
If someone asked you “What do you think the state of theology is across the broader church in America?” What do you think you’d say? If Church leaders in America were to give a sort of state of the union of the Church, how do you think you would respond?
The State of Theology
Every two years, Ligonier Ministries and LifeWay Research partner to conduct a poll of Americans on basic theological questions. They aim to find out what Americans believe about God, salvation, ethics, and the Bible to get a pulse on broader theological trends in the culture.1
If you look at their findings, it’s clear that Bible literacy in America is at an all-time low, particularly among evangelicals.
Some staggering results from the 2022 survey:
65% of evangelicals—nearly two-thirds—agree that “everyone is born innocent in the eyes of God”, despite the Bible’s clear teaching on original sin
58% of evangelicals agree that “Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God,” an ancient heresy known as Arianism
56% of evangelicals agree that “God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam,” despite the Bible’s clear teaching that Jesus is the only way to salvation
43% of evangelicals agree that “Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God,” despite the Bible’s clear teaching on Jesus’s divinity
42% of evangelicals agree that “the Holy Spirit is a force but not a personal being,” despite the Bible’s clear teaching that the Holy Spirit is a distinct person
These results are simply shocking. Evangelicals aren’t reading their Bible, and churches aren’t teaching the basics of the faith.
Among these statistics, some other less surprising ones give us a better idea of the cultural landscape we find ourselves in as the church. They tell us a lot about how the Church in America is having to adapt to contend for the gospel in our time.
Some of these secondary, though still important, results:
48% of evangelicals affirm that “God learns and adapts to different circumstances,” a position known as open theism that has come into the forefront in recent decades
38% of evangelicals agree that “Religious belief is a matter of personal opinion; it is not about objective truth”
26% of evangelicals disagree that “every Christian has an obligation to join a local church,” which indicates that many evangelicals likely don’t understand how the local church informs and supports their Christian life
A couple of years ago, J.T. English taught a special seminar at my local church where he taught about these statistics. He even gave us a Bible literacy quiz so that we could test our own knowledge. I was shook to my core, and I did poorly on the quiz.
There are several problems at play that Parker and I hope to write about through this publication. Chief among them is that these statistics point to the growing presence of theological unhealth in the broader American church.
How should we then live?
Perhaps, like the watching public during a State of the Union address, you’d respond indifferently to declining rates of Bible literacy. It is, after all, the pastor’s job to teach and contend for the truth of Scripture. Not mine.
Or perhaps you’d take up a bullhorn and a cross of activism, taking to the streets in rage against the big evangelical machine.
In the early 20th century, The Times (in London) allegedly sent out a letter to famous authors asking them simply, “What’s wrong with the world?”
G.K. Chesterton’s pithy reply:
Dear sir,
I am.
Yours, G.K. Chesterton.2
If we don’t first acknowledge that the problem of declining Bible literacy around us originates within our hearts, then things won’t change.
Don’t believe me?
Take the Bible literacy quiz yourself, and see how you do!
But the reality is that even if you ace it because you happen to have the entire NIV memorized, there’s still a chance that the percentage of believers reflected in this study are believers at your church. And if not your church, then the one down the street.
So what can you do about these alarming trends? Note the pronoun. I’m not asking what we can do as Americans or what we can do as the Church, even though the answers are good and many. What can you do?
The simple reality at play here is that everyone is a theologian. Whether you want to be or not, you function in the context of your conception of who God is. Theology — “theos,” meaning God, and “logos,” meaning word — is simply “words about God.” Will your words about God, reader, be true to His Word or your own?
A wrong theology is not an innocent thing. If we get who God is wrong, then we misunderstand who we are worshipping. And inevitably, we lead others in the wake of our understanding for better or for worse.
So the question is not whether or not you will be a theologian, that much is clear. Indeed, it is inescapable. The question is, what kind of theologian will you be?
The case for theological study
I want to submit to you that one of the main things you can do right now to address the growing gulf of Bible illiteracy is simple. In the same way that Augustine was famously converted, take up and read!3 Study.
Now, to be sure, if we’re going to read anything we should start by reading God’s Word. Through it, he speaks to us, reveals himself to us, and shows us the path of wisdom. There is no wisdom apart from God’s revelation.
Biblical literacy doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a slow process that, for you and many others, may take many years. But it also doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Misconceptions remain as such unless they are challenged, and God’s Word is the chief standard by which our misconceptions are held up to and challenged.
That’s what Paul is getting at in Romans 12:2.
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (ESV)
What we hope to do in this publication is encourage you to renew your mind with the wealth of biblical and theological resources that are available in the modern world.
We live in an age where nearly everything is available online. In years past, you’d have to pay thousands for Seminary tuition in order to study under a legend like Howard Hendricks or Tom Schreiner. Now, with the advent of the digital age, everything is online. Just pay $20 for a Logos commentary and you can read any book of the Bible alongside some of the best biblical scholars in the world.
Or take the study of history as another example. Never before in history has there been such access to things like high-resolution scans of New Testament manuscripts, early church writings, or language-learning resources. If you want to learn Koine Greek or even ancient Aramaic, the tools are out there. And most of the time, they’re great tools.
I want to close with an exhortation from 2 Peter 1:
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence … For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. (ESV)
Take up Peter’s words and read! Supplement your faith with knowledge, and let that knowledge lead you to deeper affection and love for Christ’s body. Then tell of a great Savior to a lost world, and a Church, that needs Him!
This is just one of hopefully many articles that I plan to publish alongside Parker for the edification of our readers. We’re so glad that you are subscribed, and we can’t wait to write more about our heart for others to know and love God deeper through theological understanding. Thank you for reading, and we hope that you are encouraged by our writing!
Feel free to look at the data for yourself at https://thestateoftheology.com/. The 2024 results should be posted soon.
This quote is most likely true since it’s been repeated so many times and is only ever attributed to Chesterton. There’s a chance that it’s just a legend, but the main point stands.