US Protestant churchgoers who hold evangelical beliefs are more likely than their non-evangelical counterparts to express confidence in the Bible and its continuing authority, according to new research from Lifeway Research.
The study found significant differences between churchgoers classified as having evangelical beliefs and those who were not, particularly over whether the Bible’s message can be interpreted differently by different readers.
Three-quarters of churchgoers with evangelical beliefs agreed that the truth of God’s Word can mean different things to different people, rising to 90% of those without evangelical beliefs.
There were also differences between denominational groups, with agreement highest among churchgoers from the Restorationist movement, at 96%, followed by Methodists at 92%.
The figure fell to 80% among Baptists, 79% among Presbyterian and Reformed churchgoers, and 77% among those attending non-denominational churches.
Evangelical respondents were among those most confident in their ability to help other people understand or engage with the Bible, alongside churchgoers who attended services more frequently.
The survey was conducted online between September 2 and 7, 2025, among 1,200 US Protestant and non-denominational churchgoers who attended services at least once a month.
The results were compared with a 2019 Lifeway study of 1,002 churchgoers conducted using the same methodology.
Lifeway found that while most churchgoers continue to express considerable confidence in Scripture, a growing minority believe some biblical teachings no longer apply or do not correspond with their personal beliefs.
Around a third of respondents (34%) said they accepted some biblical teachings but not others that conflicted with their own beliefs, compared with 30% in 2019. Men were more likely than women to hold this view (40% vs 29%).
Over a quarter (28%) agreed that some biblical truths lose their relevance as culture evolves - up from 24% seven years ago.
Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, said the findings showed that some churchgoers were becoming selective in their approach to Scripture.
“Most churchgoers enjoy trying to understand the Bible, but some are selective in what they believe in the passages they read,” he said.
He pointed to Jesus’ instruction to his followers to keep His teaching and to make disciples by teaching “everything I have commanded you”.
“His invitation was for the whole, not parts,” McConnell said.
He added: “The concepts in any other book will show signs of age requiring new editions. But the Source of the Bible is not Someone whose truths change. James refers to Him as ‘the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows,’ (James 1:17, CSB). The thought of unchanging truth is an unprecedented concept even for many churchgoers today.”
Despite the signs of growing uncertainty about particular biblical teachings, the overall figures suggest that the Bible continues to occupy an important place in the lives of most Protestant churchgoers.
Some 95% said they liked studying the Bible to grasp its meaning, while 91% said they were generally able to relate Scripture to their personal circumstances.
A majority (84%) expressed confidence that they could respond to someone questioning the truthfulness of Scripture, while 82% said they could help someone struggling with biblical morality and the same proportion felt able to assist someone who found a passage difficult to understand.
McConnell expressed some concerns, though.
“While large numbers are confident they can address various difficulties others have with the Bible, less than a third of churchgoers strongly agree,” he said.
“This is likely tied to their evaluation of their own ability to understand passages and relate them to life. Only 38% strongly agree they can do this, while the majority (53%) only somewhat agree.”
More than half of respondents (56%) said interpreting Scripture without help could be difficult. Women were more likely than men to report struggling with this, at 61% compared with 51%.
The findings revealed a marked generational divide, with more than half of churchgoers aged 18 to 29 (54%) agreeing that cultural change can make some biblical teachings seem less applicable. This fell to 40% among those aged 30 to 49, 19% among 50 to 64 year olds, and 13% of those aged 65 and over.
Younger churchgoers were among those most likely to say that some biblical teachings did not align with their own beliefs, with 56% of 18 to 29 year olds agreeing. Some 87% of that age group said biblical truth could be understood differently by different people.
Church attendance appeared to be associated with how confident respondents felt about engaging with Scripture.
Among those attending worship between one and three times a month, 62% said they struggled to make sense of the Bible by themselves, falling to 52% of those attending four or more times a month.
Churchgoers in churches with congregations of fewer than 50 people were among the most likely to report difficulty interpreting Scripture alone, at 65%.
At the other end of the scale, respondents attending churches of 500-plus people were among those least likely to believe biblical teachings had become outdated, with 84% rejecting that view, while a quarter rejected the idea that biblical truth varies from person to person.
Lifeway also found broad agreement about the importance of interpreting Scripture in context.
Some 96% said understanding the context in which the Bible was written was important, although the proportion who strongly agreed fell from 73% in 2019 to 67% in the latest survey.
Similarly, 92% agreed that the message and principles of Scripture should be applied to contemporary circumstances but the proportion strongly agreeing fell from two thirds in 2019 to 60% in 2025.
McConnell said: “We live in a re-mix world in which people apply phrases, pictures, tunes and memes to situations that may have nothing to do with the originals. AI often pulls from past content in the same way.
“That may work for a laugh or to make something sound familiar. But the value of biblical principles is not to sound good. The message of the Bible was revealed to specific people in contexts we need to understand to know how that message applies to us today.”
