Evolution

Survey: Pastors unconvinced concerning evolution, but divided on earth’s age

By David Roach

Nashville, Tenn.—Pastors overwhelmingly believe God did not use evolution to create humans and think Adam and Eve were literal people, according to a recent survey by LifeWay Research.

The survey also found that ministers are almost evenly split on whether the earth is thousands of years old.

When asked if they believe God used evolution to create people, 73 percent of pastors disagreed. A even higher percentage of pastors (82 percent) say they do believe Adam and Eve really existed.

“Recently discussions have pointed to doubts about a literal Adam and Eve, the age of the earth and other origin issues,” said Ed Stetzer, vice president of research and ministry development for LifeWay Christian Resources. “But Protestant pastors are overwhelmingly creationists and believe in a literal Adam and Eve.”

Based on a Gallup poll from December 2010, pastors are more creationist (referring to the belief that all things were created substantially as they now exist as detailed in the first chapter of Genesis and not gradually evolved) than the American public at large.

Forty percent of Americans believe God created humans in their present form, 38 percent say God used evolution to develop humans, and 16 percent think man evolved, with God playing no part in the process, according to Gallup.

In the LifeWay survey, about one in five pastors agree that most people in their congregations believe in evolution.

About a third (36 percent) teach on creation and evolution more than once a year. That includes 28 percent who teach on the subject several times per year, 4 percent who teach on it about once a month and 3 percent who do so several times a month. Twenty-six percent teach on it about once a year, while 29 percent rarely do so. Eight percent never teach on creation and evolution.

Among the statistical differences:

• Pastors in the Northeast are more likely than their counterparts in any other region to strongly agree that God used evolution to create people. While 25 percent of Northeastern pastors strongly agree, only 13 percent in the West, 12 percent in the Midwest and 8 percent in the South feel similarly.

• Pastors of larger churches are less likely to believe in evolution than those in smaller ones. Only 4 percent of pastors in churches with 250 or more in attendance strongly agree that God used evolution to create humans. In comparison, 13 percent in churches with attendance of 0-49, 14 percent with 50-99 and 12 percent with 100-249 feel the same.

• Pastors who indicate they are evangelical are more likely than their mainline colleagues to strongly agree that Adam and Eve were literal people (82 percent vs. 50 percent).

• Geographically, pastors in the South are most likely to strongly disagree that most of their congregation believes in evolution. While 69 percent of Southern pastors strongly disagree, 47 percent in the Northeast, 60 percent in the Midwest and 56 percent in the West feel similarly.

Age of the earth

In response to the statement, “I believe the earth is approximately 6,000 years old,” 34 percent of pastors strongly disagree. However, 30 percent strongly agree. Nine percent somewhat disagree, and 16 percent somewhat agree.

“Earth’s age is the only issue in this survey on which pastors are almost evenly divided,” Stetzer said. “But to many of the pastors, belief in an older earth is not the same as belief in evolution. Many pastors who believe God created humans in their present form also believe that the earth is older than 6,000 years.” (LW/BP)

Western Recorder issue date: January 24, 2012.

If you are not a subscriber and you found this story interesting and informative, please consider becoming a subscriber today. Click on "Subscribe" and start receiving the Recorder every week, either in print or via the Internet.