The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) initiated the development of an evangelical beliefs research definition for accurate and consistent use among researchers more than two years ago. In partnership with LifeWay Research, the definition was crafted, reviewed and tested for validity.
“Evangelicals have been misunderstood and categorized incorrectly so often, and much of that is due to inconsistent identification in research,” said Leith Anderson, NAE president. “Now we have a way to measure evangelical belief with confidence.”
The NAE/LifeWay Research definition includes four statements to which respondents must strongly agree to be categorized as evangelical:
The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe.
It is very important for me personally to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior.
Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin.
Only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation.
The NAE Board of Directors adopted the evangelical beliefs research definition at its October 15, 2015 meeting.
“Evangelicals have been misunderstood and categorized incorrectly so often, and much of that is due to inconsistent identification in research,” said Leith Anderson, NAE president. “Now we have a way to measure evangelical belief with confidence.”
The NAE/LifeWay Research definition includes four statements to which respondents must strongly agree to be categorized as evangelical:
The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe.
It is very important for me personally to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior.
Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin.
Only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation.
The NAE Board of Directors adopted the evangelical beliefs research definition at its October 15, 2015 meeting.