CHARLESTON, S.C. - Jan. 28, 2020 -'Evangelical' is often used as a term for an adherent Christian, more adherent to the faith than typical. Yet this term is poorly defined as within this group individual beliefs may vary. Additionally, other terms frequently are used to describe Christians of diverse beliefs.
Teleios Research uses three terms by which Christians may identify themselves in their surveys: evangelical (i.e., saved by grace with their sins forgiven through faith in Christ); social (i.e., identifies mostly with Christian culture and not overly religious); and seeker (i.e., desiring to know about Christianity).
Teleios recently analyzed surveys conducted from 2015-2019 on two Christian-based Instagram accounts, GodsHolyScriptures and Instapray. The database includes 14,422 respondents of whom: 62% were female, 49% were between the ages of 18-35; and 78% identified themselves as evangelical.
The results found that evangelicals were more likely to attend church, study scripture and pray as well as indicate they were saved by grace than social or seeker Christians (P<0.001).
In contrast, after a Bonferroni correction, no differences were observed between types of Christians in teaching others the Bible, sharing the gospel, fellowship with other believers or security of salvation (P>0.001). Further, personal wellbeing did not differ between the three groups (P=0.033).
Prior research from Teleios has noted improved wellbeing with self-identified evangelicals compared to social and seeker Christians as well as non-Christians (P<0.0001). Evangelicals who believed in being saved by grace and practiced the elements of the faith (e.g., prayer, praise, fellowship, outreach and study the Bible) demonstrated better personal wellbeing then those who did not.
Dr. William C. Stewart, cofounder of Teleios, stated "Self-identified Christian have enhanced wellbeing, especially those who are adherent to the practices and beliefs of the faith! However, differentiating personal wellbeing among self-identified Christian groups such as evangelical, social Christians and seekers, based on a single religious practice, is difficult."
This study showed the term, 'evangelical', although often used as a convenient term to describe more adherent Christians, poorly differentiates groups, that are assumed to be either seeking information on the faith or only social Christians, regarding their basic beliefs and practice of the faith.
More findings from Teleios can be viewed on their website.
WC Stewart, A Brogan, JA Stewart, LA Nelson
About Teleios – Teleios teaches the Bible and the gospel, giving confidence to its truth. Teleios is a non-profit foundation that seeks to demonstrate the truth of scripture and the Christian faith through scientific methods by providing evidence for the positive results of a biblically-based lifestyle and produces practical tools for scriptural understanding and confidence.
Contact
Lindsay Nelson - Teleios Research
info@teleiosresearch.com
