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Link: Evangelicals’ Favorite Heresies

I facepalmed.

Lifeway has posted an article detailing a Lifeway/Ligonier Ministries survey dealing with basic theological beliefs among American ‘evangelicals.’ CT gives a nice presentation of some of the data HERE. There’s nothing really shocking in the results, but it drove home the point to me that we need to be very clear in our teaching in relation to the doctrine of the Trinity. The fact that 51% of those surveyed believe the Holy Spirit to be an ‘impersonal force’ is very disturbing. Hence the facepalm.

It so happens that I am teaching on ‘I believe in the Holy Ghost’ this coming week in my Sunday School series on the Apostles’ Creed. I think I know what I will be emphasizing.

0 comments

  1. Timothy says:

    This survey is really exposing what we have believed for a long time, there are not many real Christians in Evangelical circles. There are a lot of religious folks, but not true Christians. It’s sad. Hopefully the LORD will use this to help wake us up.

  2. BC Cook says:

    I wonder if we (Evangelicals) are not taking some cues from the postmodern/metamodern world with its love for impersonal energetic forces (ie:”the universe” etc). In this way, the Holy Ghost becomes the Christian version of “The Force” from Star Wars.

    • Heath says:

      i think that is true to some degree. The other major influence is Pentecostalism, especially the Oneness variety, that denies the personality of the Holy Spirit and explicitly teaches that the Spirit is an ‘it.’

      Someone said to me the other day, ‘We had a drunk guy get filled with the Holy Ghost at church last night.’ If I thought the guy who said this to me could have handled the conversation without simply wanting to fight, I would have said, ‘Let’s see how he acts tomorrow.’ But to the average Pentecostal (this guy was one), “getting filled with the Holy Ghost” is an experience like getting filled with electricity rather than coming under the influence of a Person.

        • Heath says:

          I did. That was part of the surreality of his comment. The problem is that those who hold the idea of the Spirit as a ‘force’ tend to think he is very much like alcohol – a substance to be filled with which brings about a certain kind of feeling (rather than a person with whom you can have a relationship that leads to soul change).

          I work with several Oneness Pentecostals (we have one Pentecostal lady who recruits young folks from her church to work as clerks). It’s tough sledding. They are coming from a wholly different universe theologically and it’s difficult to talk about the Bible and/or Jesus with them without it turning into a fight (I have some stories about that!). I have to be very creative in trying to be subversive. In the instance I mentioned here, I just let the comment go and said ‘Okay’ and moved on.

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