The Trinity is a core belief of the Christian faith. Yet, research released by the Cultural Research Centerat Arizona Christian University has found that most Americans – including Christian churchgoers – reject the Trinity.

“Protestant, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox churches are trinitarian, teaching that the God of the Bible is one inseparable and unified deity comprised of three persons,” the center explained. Those persons are:

• God the Father, who created everything
• God the Son (Jesus Christ), who redeemed humanity
• God the Holy Spirit, who sustains life and provides power, guidance and advocacy for people

“They are equal in essence but distinct in their roles,” the Cultural Research Center explained.

Most mainline Christian denominations, i.e., Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian and others, accept the trinitarian belief in God as one of their tenets. Theologians and church leaders frequently cite Matthew 3:16-17, 28:18-20, and 2 Corinthians 13:14 to support their belief, although the Bible does not use the word “Trinity.”

However, the beliefs of church members tell a different story.

“Only 11 percent of American adults, and only 16 percent of self-proclaimed Christians, believe in the Trinity,” the Cultural Research Center said in releasing the new report, which is part of the annual American Worldview Inventory series. “The Trinity is one of the central theological foundations of Christian churches. However, that teaching is widely misunderstood, often rejected, and rarely acted upon by Americans.”

This sixth-annual nationwide study explores the worldview of U.S. adults and was conducted in two waves during the first quarter of 2025. The study’s findings are based on the first wave, which was conducted in January among a national sample of 2,100 adults ages 18 and older. Participants responded to 82 questions.

Christians’ unfamiliarity and negligible acceptance of the Trinity creates problems for the country, American families and churches, the Cultural Research Center added. Its research has revealed that people, including Christians, misunderstand even basic biblical teachings.

Only 40 percent of participants in the center’s study said they believe in a supreme deity who not only exists but also affects people’s lives. About 59 percent believe that Jesus exists and affects people, and only 29 percent said the Holy Spirit is a living and powerful presence.

“When put together, a mere one out of every 10 adults (11 percent) believe in the existence and influence of all three persons of the trinity – whether they call the triumvirate God by that name or not,” Cultural Research Center researchers found.

The idea of a trinitarian deity was introduced in the second century when a theologian, philosopher and Christian apologist named Tertullian suggested the idea. In doing so, he sparked intense arguments in the early Christian church, with some disagreements even flaring up when important Christian councils met in Nicaea and Constantinople, the Cultural Research Center said.

By the fifth century, Christians had generally accepted the idea that God is one deity consisting of three persons. However, their acceptance of the idea did not necessarily mean they understood it.

The Cultural Research Center report noted that nearly two-thirds of adults who have a biblical perspective of the world (62 percent) believe in the Trinity.

“What is surprising is they are the only population segment identified for which more than 40 percent believe in the existence and influence of all three persons of the Trinity,” the center pointed out.