One in five evangelicals believe gender identity is a choice

Evangelicals who believe in biblical teaching about gender may have their work cut out for them. A recent survey from Ligonier Ministries shows that 22 percent of U.S. evangelical Christians agree with the statement, “Gender identity is a matter of choice.”

Conducted with LifeWay Research, this survey polled a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. The unbiblical concept of relative truth has influenced every sphere of life in the United States, including ethical issues such as sexuality and gender that continue to be at the forefront of public debate. In 2020, 73 percent of U.S. evangelicals reject the arguments of “gender fluidity,” while 22 percent believe that “Gender identity is a matter of choice.”

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As the broader culture in the United States increasingly embraces relativistic views of human identity, data from the State of Theology survey exposes a need for Christians to receive clear teaching from the Bible on the image of God, the creation ordinance of marriage and the purposeful distinction between male and female genders.

Dr. Stephen Nichols, chief academic officer of Ligonier Ministries and president of Reformation Bible College, said: “Children down to the earliest ages are now being told that they have the autonomy to determine whether they are a boy, a girl or neither. Not only does this threaten an entire generation with lifelong trauma, but more ultimately this message is one of treason against the supreme authority of God.

“Christians must listen and submit to God’s steadfast word in all that it teaches, but the 2020 State of Theology survey suggests that many American evangelicals are instead listening to the changing voice of culture. We hope this survey will help serve the church of Jesus Christ in making disciples who know, love and contend for the truth, especially in a culture that is confused about what truth even is.”

Evangelicals were defined by LifeWay Research as people who strongly agreed with the following four statements:

• The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe.
• It is very important for me personally to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior.
• Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin.
• Only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation.

–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice