A recent study by Dr. George Barna of the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University revealed that most Christians do not have a “biblically accurate view” of sin. Is this a problem? If so, how did the Church get here? And how does the Church correct it?

The report lists several elements of the Bible’s teaching on sin:

• No human being is morally perfect (“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23).
• Humans are born in rebellion against God, sinful from birth.
• Sin separates us from God.
• On their own, humans cannot atone for their sin (Ephesians 2:8-9).
• Through Jesus Christ, God has provided atonement for sins (John 3:16).
• Those who accept God’s gift of forgiveness and life will be saved, while those who reject Christ will not (2 Thessalonians 1:9-10).

Despite the Bible’s clear teaching about sin, “a mere 14% of all self-described Christians have a biblically-consistent theology” on sin. 

Eighty-four percent of people agreed that sin exists and is real. Among those who consider themselves Christians, that number jumps to 95%. That percentage holds regardless of whether the respondent is Catholic or Protestant.  

However, only about two-thirds of those who identify themselves as Christian believe that “everyone has sinned.” While this is more than the general public (52%), it still means that one-third of those who consider themselves Christian agree with what the Bible teaches on that subject. 

The study breaks this down further; 85 percent of “Theologically-Identified Born Again Christians” agree that everyone has sinned. (The study defined these believers as those who “believe that after they die on Earth they will live eternally in heaven, but only because they have confessed their sins and have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior.”) Fifty percent of those who attend a Catholic church agree, while 73% of Protestants do. 

When asked whether they considered themselves to be “sinners,” only sixty percent of those who identify themselves as Christians said “yes.” Among Catholics, the total was 50%; among Protestants, it was 66%. Even among those who are born again, only 74% agree with the statement, “I am a sinner.” 

The study notes, however, that this may be because they believe that because they have accepted Jesus as Savior, they are no longer “sinners.” One other observation from the survey stands out: “Overall, one-third (33%) of adults argue that while everyone else is guilty of sin, they are not.”

Finally – and perhaps most concerning – over 70 percent of those who consider themselves Christian agree with the statement, “Sin is real, but people are basically good at heart.” 

Seventy percent of “theologically-identified born-again Christians” held this view. Interestingly, only 65% of those who identify as non-Christians agree with the statement. 

In other words, more “born-again Christians” believe that people are “good at heart” than do unbelievers.

How Did This Happen?

The Bible clearly teaches that all have sinned and that people are only saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. So why do so many Christians not agree with the Biblical view of sin? 

Barna’s report points to the Church. 

“The job of the local church is to educate God’s people about God’s ways. Yet, a 2019 Pew Research study that analyzed sermon content across the nation determined that just 3% of all sermons preached even mentioned sin.” 

The Pew report in question acknowledges that it is not comprehensive; it was based on a study of sermons posted online over eight weeks surrounding Easter. Because it analyzed sermons that were available online, many churches would not be represented. Additionally, some of the “churches” whose sermons were included were not Christian churches.

However, two factors from the Pew study are revealing. First, phrases relating to sin, punishment, and redemption were included in less than ten percent of sermons from evangelical churches, compared to about 3% for all of the sermons studied. Second, other phrases related to the topics of sin and salvation were also largely absent in the sermons studied. 

Phrases like “eternal hell,” “lose salvation,” and “trespass/sin” appeared in less than ten percent of “evangelical” sermons. Although those phrases were three times more likely to occur in evangelical sermons than in those from other churches, the fact that less than ten percent of sermons discussed these subjects means that most Christians were not hearing about sin and salvation regularly from their preachers.

These studies group churches and believers based on their theology and practice. The Barna study considers those who call themselves Christians and breaks them down further into “Protestant,” “Catholic,” and “Theologically-identified born-again Christians.” (“Protestant” and “Catholic” refer to the churches those respondents usually attend, not necessarily whether they are “members” of those denominations.” 

The Pew study of sermon content divides churches into “Evangelical Protestant,” “Catholic,” “Historically Black Protestant,” and “Mainline Protestant.” Obviously, the researchers do so because there are theological and practical differences between the various groups of “Christians.”

In spite of the concerning findings of his study, Barna does not consider the situation hopeless. 

“Sin is not a difficult concept to understand or identify. Hopefully, our avoidance of teaching and accountability regarding sin can be quickly and easily rectified by those who seek to add value to the spiritual journey of the people they influence. Inserting sin back into the national consciousness would be an invaluable investment into who we are as a nation and as the Church.”

Churches need to return to actively teaching what their theology says. Encouraging people to read the Bible regularly and teaching the whole biblical message can help to correct misunderstandings about human sinfulness and salvation. 

The concept of sin is fundamental to the Gospel. After all, if there is no bad news – no concept of human sinfulness – then why would people need the Good News?