52% of evangelical leaders think that Jesus would make a lousy evangelical

Since so many of us either came from or continue to identify with the evangelical religious culture, I thought it might be interesting to discuss the results of a pew forum study released last week. The survey polled over 2,000 evangelical leaders worldwide. Some of the more notable results include:

Women…

75 percent of responders favored allowing women to serve as pastors
79 percent believe that men should be the religious leaders in the marriage and family
53 percent believe men should be the main financial providers for the family

Homosexuality…

84 percent of responders said that “society should discourage homosexuality”

Abortion…

96 percent said that abortion is usually or always wrong

The Prosperity Gospel…

90 percent of responders said that God does not always give wealth and health to people of faith
Only 7 percent endorsed the “prosperity gospel”

Evolution...

47 percent believe that humans have existed in their current form since the beginning of time
41 percent believe that evolution occurred, guided by God

Influence…

82 percent of U.S. evangelical leaders think their influence is declining
However, 58 percent of evangelicals in the global south (Africa, Asia and Latin America) see their influence as increasing

The Bible…

98 percent agreed that the Bible is the word of God
50 percent said that the Bible should be taken literally, word-for-word

What is essential to be a good evangelical?...

97 percent said following the teachings of Christ in one's personal and family life
94 percent said leading others to Christ
73 percent said helping the poor and needy

Booze…

52 percent said that drinking alcohol is not compatible with being a good evangelical
42 percent said that drinking alcohol is compatible with being a good evangelical.

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My thoughts: I was pleasantly surprised by the growing acceptance of female pastors and what appears to be a consensus against the prosperity gospel. I also loved that alleviating poverty made it to the "essentials" list.

Regarding homosexuality, I suspect that if the same poll is taken in 10 years, the number will decrease dramatically. (Of all the “issues” reflected in the poll, I think this one is the most generational.)

Regarding alcohol, I think it’s funny that 52 percent of evangelicals think that Jesus would make a lousy one!

Check out the survey for more fascinating results.

So what from this survey most captured your interest? What did you find encouraging/discouraging?

Do your views align with those of most evangelical leaders? Do you identify yourself as an evangelical?