Bible Teachers Go Further Astray

The Cultural Research Center (CRC) at Arizona Christian University has published the “shocking” results of a study suggesting that barely more than half of all U.S. pastors of Evangelical churches, only 51 percent, have what the CRC calls a “biblical worldview” (Christian Post, May 29, 2022). This surprising finding reveals that about half of religiously conservative Evangelical pastors do not believe the Bible is God’s inspired word and worthy of serving as the foundation of one’s life—yet these pastors claim to be teachers of the Bible. Percentages were even lower for charismatic or Pentecostal church pastors and pastors from mainline Protestant churches.

The research also suggests that pastors of larger congregations were more likely to depart from Bible-based thinking than those of smaller congregations, tending to promote societal standards rather than those from the Bible. Another recent study reported that pastors are looking to retire at far greater rates than ever before, citing reasons such as “stress, loneliness, political divisions and other concerns like their church being in decline.”

Bible prophecies have long warned nations descended from the Israelites about the quality of their leaders at the end of the age: “O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err, and destroy the way of your paths” (Isaiah 3:12). The Bible also warns about moral and religious teachers who claim to represent God while causing the people to stray: “Her heads judge for a bribe, her priests teach for pay, and her prophets divine for money” (Micah 3:11). God further says that “they are shepherds who cannot understand: They all look to their own way, everyone for his own gain” (Isaiah 56:11). It is sobering to see how many want to be teachers, yet still are in need of being taught themselves (1 Timothy 1:7). God clearly explains through the prophet Isaiah, “If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20). To learn more about God’s truth and His way of life, be sure to read or listen to What Is a True Christian?