The Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University has released its fourth installment of its American Worldview inventory and it’s revealing some eye-opening statistics on Christian views of humanity. The latest report interviewed a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults in January 2026 and focused on views about abortion, the value of human life, and notions of the supernatural. Of all those interviews, 54% agreed with the biblical concept that God created humans in His image and that they are fallen beings in need of redemption. Not surprisingly, that number was highest amongst born-again Christians at 84%. It was lowest amongst Gen Z and Millennials at 51%.

Despite over half of all Americans agreeing humans were created by God and in need of redemption, less than a third (30%) agreed that people are born into sin and can only be saved by Jesus. Once again, that belief remained highest amongst born-again Christians at 60%, a majority but not a high majority given the Biblical view on the need for Jesus as a savior. Those described as “notional Christians” (those who identify as Christian without believing a confession of Chris for salvation) were the smallest group to agree with this idea at 20%, followed by Gen Z and Millennials. Amongst those who identify as Christian, 100% of those who possessed a biblical worldview adopted this idea.

Regarding whether human life is sacred, only 27% agreed. Born-again Christians were yet again the group with the highest amount that agreed with this belief, but it was still less than half at 44%. Only 17% of Gen Z and Millennials agreed. It’s an important number given the rising use of euthanasia in countries like Canada and Europe, such as recent reporting that a 12-year-old was euthanized in the Netherlands. The Netherlands recently expanded its laws to allow for euthanizing children with terminal illnesses ages 1 to 12, but the exact details of this child’s illness have not been released. Regarding abortion, another issue that rests on the sanctity of human life, 47% disagreed that abortion is morally acceptable. Amongst born-again Christians, that number was the highest at 64% and it was lowest amongst Gen Z and Millennials at 42%. Of those who described themselves as “passionately pro-life,” less than half of born-again Christians agreed (48%) with Gen Z and Millennials making up the smallest share again at 27%. Overall, only a third of all US adults identified with this position. Amongst those who identified as Christian, adherents of the biblical worldview, biblically-defined disciples of Christ, theologically-identified born-again Christians, and individuals who regularly attend Bible-prone Protestant churches were the most likely to identify as passionately pro-life while those with liberal stances (such as LGBTQ adults) were least likely.

Analyzing the results, Dr. George Barna, Director of Research at the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, focused on the need to realign Christians with biblical worldviews on human worth. “The theological disposition of Americans consists largely of safe statements and bland moral and spiritual guesses breeding lifestyles that are indistinguishable from those of people with distinctly different points of view and spiritual direction. Embarrassingly few self-described Christians have either studied or reflected on their alleged faith substantially enough to develop genuine, deeply-held biblical convictions and commitments,” he said. “In fact, the data reveal that to millions of self-identified Christians, the Christian faith is not a Bible-based faith. That alleviates the need to know and relate their life to scriptural principles and laws.” He stated the cure for such ignorance is more biblical knowledge, with those who were the most biblically engaged aligning the strongest with biblical principles on the nature of humanity and need for purpose. He called out American churches for being defined by the culture rather than the other way around. He warned that to continue on such a path would be dire for American Christianity, adding, “Unless visionary and courageous Christian leaders, in families, churches and schools, confront these realities, America will continue down the road of false and anemic biblical Christianity.”