The picture of US faith leaders becomes bleaker and bleaker as a new survey reveals that one third of senior pastors agree that “A person who is generally good, or does enough good things for others, can earn a place in Heaven.” The survey, released by the Cultural Research Center (CRC) was from a nationwide study of 1,000 pastors over several denominations and was conducted from February 2022 to March 2022. Aside from the belief that good works can get someone to Heaven, a third or more of senior pastors also believe that determining moral truth is up to each individual, sexual relations between unmarried individuals can be acceptable based on love, and that reincarnation is a real possibility. These beliefs run contrary to Luke 18:19, when Jesus says, “Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God,” and Ephesians 2:8-9, which says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Dr. George Barna, Director of Research at CRC speculated that part of the reason so many pastors have unbiblical views due to falling out of consistent Biblical study, noting that, “There was a correlation between possessing biblical beliefs and a consistent regimen of Bible reading, prayer, worship, and confession.” Barna added, “In some of the denominational groupings, a majority of pastors do not engage in those foundational spiritual practices on a regular basis. Yet, among the pastors who have the most consistently biblical beliefs, there is also a daily routine that incorporates all of those disciplines.”

There was not research done on why pastors would fall away from these habits, but Barna did conjecture some reasons, stating, “Other research among pastors I have undertaken suggests that pastor’s jobs are overwhelming. The typical pastor is expected by church members to handle an enormous number and range of tasks. In such situations it must be easy to neglect the fundamentals in order to address tasks that seem more pressing and urgent. Unfortunately, after a prolonged period of such neglect, the foundations become weak and the person changes—in this case, not for the better.”

The stat is even worse when surveying self-identified Christians. A 2020 survey found that 52% of people who describe themselves as Christian “believe that a person can qualify for Heaven by being or doing good.” Evangelist Franklin Graham tweeted about the release of the 2022 study, saying,  “I don’t know which 1,000 pastors this group surveyed, but the results are concerning. 39% of ‘evangelical’ pastors they asked said there is no absolute moral truth & that ‘each individual must determine their own truth.’ What a lie.” He continued to criticize the unbiblical views held by the pastors, calling it “false teaching” and, “leading people & churches astray.” He concluded his post, saying, “The Bible is God’s Word, from cover to cover. It is the absolute truth—it is what counts, not our opinion.”