October 7, 2024
Most Americans believe Jesus rose from the dead on the first Easter Sunday. They’re just not sure it matters much.
Two-thirds of U.S. adults say the biblical accounts of the physical resurrection of Jesus are completely accurate. They believe this event actually occurred, according to the 2022 State of Theology study. Fewer than a quarter disagree, and about 1 in 10 say they’re not sure.
The percentage that affirms the bodily resurrection of Jesus as described in the Bible is unchanged since 2018 and within two percentage points of where it has been since the first State of Theology in 2014.
Jesus’ Easter resurrection is more accepted in the Midwest and South. But majorities in both the West and Northeast also affirm it.
Younger Americans are the least likely age group to say they believe in a historical resurrection. Still, 58% of those 18-34 accept it as fact.
Americans with evangelical beliefs are considerably more likely than those without such beliefs to accept the resurrection.
Despite accepting the biblical accounts of Jesus’ resurrection, many Americans have conflicting thoughts about the Bible and seem to see little connection between Jesus rising again and their daily lives.
In 2022, the State of Theology study reveals that just over half of Americans say the Bible, like all sacred writings, contains helpful accounts of ancient myths but is not literally true. And 40%, the highest percentage yet, say modern science disproves the Bible.
A growing percentage says God is unconcerned with their day-to-day decisions. And 3 in 5 say religious belief is a matter of personal opinion, not objective truth.
Yet a similar number of those surveyed say the Bible is 100% accurate in all it teaches, and say the Bible has authority to tell us what we must do. Around 3 in 5 say the Bible is the highest authority for what they believe.
For author and apologist Rebecca McLaughlin, this represents an opportunity but also gives a troubling realization.
“First, I feel hopeful, because it suggests that twice as many Americans as attend church weekly might be open to doing so if they were invited. This is a huge opportunity,” said the author of Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion. “Church attendance isn’t the ultimate goal, of course. But connecting these people, who must on some level think they are Christians, with regular Bible teaching and real Christian community would be a major step toward them trusting in Christ.”
But she says she also feels “heartbroken because the idea that someone would say they believe Jesus actually rose from the dead but that this belief would have so little impact on their life that they weren’t even part of a church is truly tragic. This exposes the danger of ‘cultural Christianity’—the vague assent to Christian beliefs without any evidence of actual faith in Christ.”
This may change how people think about reaching out to non-Christians. “Traditionally, one big focus of apologetics has been arguments for the bodily resurrection of Jesus,” she said.
“But the 66% of Americans who say they believe this don’t need those arguments. Instead, they need to understand what difference it makes that Jesus rose from the dead. We need to show them that it makes all the difference in the world. And that if Jesus is risen, He is also Lord.”
