NASHVILLE — The vast majority of Protestant clergy in America believe strongly that salvation comes only through Jesus Christ and that they have a responsibility to evangelize members of non-Christian faiths, but they also are willing to partner with non-Christian faith groups to accomplish good for society, according to a study.
Ellison Research, a full-service marketing research firm in Phoenix that conducted the research for the September/October issue of LifeWay’s Facts & Trends magazine, reported that 88 percent of senior pastors of Protestant churches said they agree strongly with the statement, “Regardless of what other faiths believe, Jesus Christ is the only path to salvation.”
Ellison noted that 96 percent of pastors associated with the National Association of Evangelicals agreed strongly that Jesus is the only way to salvation, but among National Council of Churches only 65 percent agreed strongly.
By denomination it showed that 100 percent of Pentecostal ministers who responded to the survey agreed strongly with the exclusivity of Jesus, and 98 percent of Southern Baptist ministers agreed. Strong agreement was much less likely among Lutherans and Methodists at 77 and 65 percent respectively, Ellison said.
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