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Two-thirds of Americans say they believe Jesus physically rose from the dead, with nearly half of Americans saying they \u201cstrongly\u201d believe in the historical event that forms the core of Easter, according to a Lifeway Research survey.<\/p>\n
The survey found that 66 percent of Americans agree that the \u201cbiblical accounts of the physical (bodily) resurrection of Jesus are completely accurate.\u201d A total of 47 percent of Americans say they \u201cstrongly\u201d agree with the statement.<\/p>\n
Among Americans who attend a religious service at least once or twice a month, 90 percent agree.<\/p>\n
But many Americans don\u2019t agree with the statement, with 23 percent saying they either somewhat or strongly disagree with it.<\/p>\n
Jeremiah Johnston, author of Body of Proof<\/em><\/a>: A Study on the Resurrection of Jesus<\/em>, says<\/a> the resurrection is key to the Christian faith. Johnston serves as the pastor of apologetics and cultural engagement at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. Lifeway recently spotlighted<\/a> Johnston\u2019s book on its website.<\/p>\n \u201cFor the early church, Johnston says a belief in the resurrection \u2018was no mere footnote but rather a focal point. Every Sunday was resurrection Sunday,\u2019\u201d the Lifeway story said. \u201cFlowing out from this, he notes \u2018Jesus\u2019 resurrection is a central focus of our New Testament Scripture with over 300 verses referencing this truth. When we study what the Bible teaches about the resurrection of Jesus, we are struck by the power this singular historical event had on the early followers of Jesus.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Too often, Johnston says, the resurrection is \u201cunder-lived because it is under-preached and under-studied by most pastors.\u201d The result: A significant percentage of churchgoers — even if it is a minority — don\u2019t believe in the resurrection. According to the Lifeway data, 26 percent of Christians associated with mainline churches don\u2019t believe in a bodily resurrection.<\/p>\n \u201cYou cannot be a follower of Jesus if you deny the historical, physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ,\u201d Johnston says. \u201cI am surprised at how controversial this answer has been in modern media.\u201d<\/p>\n The early Christians, he said, turned \u201cthe world upside down\u201d because they saw Jesus after He rose from the dead.<\/p>\n \u201cOur living hope is based on the historical, unchangeable fact of Jesus\u2019 physical, bodily resurrection from the dead,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Bible teaches us that in the resurrected Christ we have a \u2018living hope\u2019 (1 Peter 1:3<\/a>), a \u2018better hope\u2019 (Hebrews 7:19<\/a>), and a \u2018sure\u2019 hope (Hebrews 6:19<\/a>).\u201d<\/p>\n Image credit: \u00a9Getty Images\/jchizhe<\/em><\/p>\n Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press,\u00a0<\/em>Christianity Today<\/em>, <\/em>The Christian Po<\/em>st, <\/em>the\u00a0<\/em>Leaf-Chronicle<\/em>,\u00a0<\/em>the Toronto Star<\/em> and\u00a0<\/em>the Knoxville News-Sentinel<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n