Barna Poll: Most Americans - Including Church Members - Reject the Trinity

[Eternally Grateful]

From my X / Twitter “For you” feed today.

https://x.com/protestia/status/1906745852212715885?s=61

Let me say at the outset that my intention with this thread is to discuss education. This thread was not created to discuss or debate the Trinity.

I’ve been complaining for decades that the subject isn’t being taught in churches; not from the pulpit, not in Sunday School classrooms, and not in Bible studies. It should be.

From the article:

”Protestant, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox churches are trinitarian, teaching that the God of the Bible is one inseparable and unified deity comprised of three persons. Two out of three Americans claim to be Christian, leading to the expectation that they embrace the core teachings of their chosen faith.

Yet, a new research report from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University shows that only 11% of American adults, and only 16% of self-proclaimed Christians, believe in the trinity.

Weak Foundations

The trinity is one of the central theological foundations of Christian churches. However, that teach is widely misunderstood, often rejected, and rarely acted upon by Americans. The unfamiliarity or negligible acceptance of the trinity among self-described Christian adults raises serious ministry challenges for churches and families, in addition to creating practical dilemmas for the nation. …

’It could be argued that the primary theologians influencing the spiritual views of America these days are figures such as Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan, Russell Brand, Jordan Peterson, Megyn Kelly, and Bill Maher,‘ Barna noted. ‘They mix practical and sometimes unbiblical theology and philosophical points of view into their commentary on life and world events. Meanwhile, many Christian churches are focused on delivering multi-part series that are not effectively developing or bolstering an integrated, biblical worldview that congregants can rely upon to counteract popular, secular takes on reality.’

‘We know from our national worldview tracking studies that most Americans are uninformed about the many essential biblical teachings, ranging from the Ten Commandments and the trinity, to matters related to repentance, salvation, the chief purpose of life, and divine measure of success,’ Barna noted.

’These findings about America‘s ignorance or rejection of the trinity are simply another in a long list of examples of people living without the truths and life principles of God shaping their life,’ he continued.

’These results are further evidence of the limited or lack of trust Americans have in the Bible, the limitations we place on the authority and influence on God, and our refusal to cooperate with God by living in harmony with His ways and purposes,’ Barna explained. ‘Even the statistics for the groups that are most in-tune with biblical teachings, such as belief in the nature and impact of the trinity, are shockingly low for a nation in which most people claim to be Christian.’ …”

https://www.arizonachristian.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AWVI-2025_03_Most-Americans-Reject-the-Trinity_FINAL_03_26_2025.pdf

I didn’t need the poll to tell me this. I learned it when I was a Bible college student. I observed it in the classroom as an adjunct college professor teaching in the field of Christian education, through visiting services at various churches, on the street and in discussion with people on internet discussion forums who self-identify as Christian.

I lay this appalling situation squarely at the feet of the clergy, but that doesn’t excuse those who aren’t in the clergy from the obligation of obtaining proper instruction for themselves.

I‘m renewing my call here, in this thread, for education to be provided in churches and in homes on historical orthodox trinitarianism. My hope is that others - trinitarian and non-trinitarian alike - will support this effort.

I think if we look., the majority of Americans are no longer Christian (where it most likely used to be the majority of americans were)

so this does not surprise me any

 

[soberxp]

I've been to a lot of Churches in the south. God calls me to a church. I agree with your assessment on the size of the churches, but in the 1960's in the South, the typical size was also 75 or less also. The difference was how many times they went to church. In the 1900's, before ww1, Church attendance was every day. It was the Christian social place to be away from the world. The elementary school began at the Church. Most attended the same church for life and was buried in the church cemetery.

I attend a big Church now, and the Sunday school classes have around 35 members and are strong, baby boomer, Christians. Case to the point- the whole church of 1000"s are now going through a Sunday School curriculum of the entire bible, because of the lack of fundamental doctrinal understanding in the younger generations. Of course, the older Christians are teaching, many retired pastors attend this church, some are evangelists, which there aren't anymore.

Sounds like lack of young men.

 

[Rockerduck]

Sounds like lack of young men.

Yes. Just like China. You need strong Christians to teach young men. The baby boomers have been doing it for a generation. There are less in the next generation.

 

[RLT63]

From my X / Twitter “For you” feed today.

https://x.com/protestia/status/1906745852212715885?s=61

Let me say at the outset that my intention with this thread is to discuss education. This thread was not created to discuss or debate the Trinity.

I’ve been complaining for decades that the subject isn’t being taught in churches; not from the pulpit, not in Sunday School classrooms, and not in Bible studies. It should be.

From the article:

”Protestant, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox churches are trinitarian, teaching that the God of the Bible is one inseparable and unified deity comprised of three persons. Two out of three Americans claim to be Christian, leading to the expectation that they embrace the core teachings of their chosen faith.

Yet, a new research report from the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University shows that only 11% of American adults, and only 16% of self-proclaimed Christians, believe in the trinity.

Weak Foundations

The trinity is one of the central theological foundations of Christian churches. However, that teach is widely misunderstood, often rejected, and rarely acted upon by Americans. The unfamiliarity or negligible acceptance of the trinity among self-described Christian adults raises serious ministry challenges for churches and families, in addition to creating practical dilemmas for the nation. …

’It could be argued that the primary theologians influencing the spiritual views of America these days are figures such as Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan, Russell Brand, Jordan Peterson, Megyn Kelly, and Bill Maher,‘ Barna noted. ‘They mix practical and sometimes unbiblical theology and philosophical points of view into their commentary on life and world events. Meanwhile, many Christian churches are focused on delivering multi-part series that are not effectively developing or bolstering an integrated, biblical worldview that congregants can rely upon to counteract popular, secular takes on reality.’

‘We know from our national worldview tracking studies that most Americans are uninformed about the many essential biblical teachings, ranging from the Ten Commandments and the trinity, to matters related to repentance, salvation, the chief purpose of life, and divine measure of success,’ Barna noted.

’These findings about America‘s ignorance or rejection of the trinity are simply another in a long list of examples of people living without the truths and life principles of God shaping their life,’ he continued.

’These results are further evidence of the limited or lack of trust Americans have in the Bible, the limitations we place on the authority and influence on God, and our refusal to cooperate with God by living in harmony with His ways and purposes,’ Barna explained. ‘Even the statistics for the groups that are most in-tune with biblical teachings, such as belief in the nature and impact of the trinity, are shockingly low for a nation in which most people claim to be Christian.’ …”

https://www.arizonachristian.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AWVI-2025_03_Most-Americans-Reject-the-Trinity_FINAL_03_26_2025.pdf

I didn’t need the poll to tell me this. I learned it when I was a Bible college student. I observed it in the classroom as an adjunct college professor teaching in the field of Christian education, through visiting services at various churches, on the street and in discussion with people on internet discussion forums who self-identify as Christian.

I lay this appalling situation squarely at the feet of the clergy, but that doesn’t excuse those who aren’t in the clergy from the obligation of obtaining proper instruction for themselves.

I‘m renewing my call here, in this thread, for education to be provided in churches and in homes on historical orthodox trinitarianism. My hope is that others - trinitarian and non-trinitarian alike - will support this effort.

I would have to see the actual questions that were asked. I think this is the same poll that concluded only 60% of born again Christians believe in God

Most American Christians don't believe in the Trinity: Survey

An overwhelming majority of Christians reject the basic Christian teaching of the Trinity, prompting new concerns that Americans are living without the influence of the truths and life principles of

www.christianpost.com

 

[Lambano]

Overall, just 40% of respondents believe that God exists and affects people’s lives. That figure rises to 53% among self-identified Christians, 60% among theologically-identified born-again Christians...

Only 60% of theologically-identified born-again Christians believe God exists? Or maybe it's the "affects people's lives" question. The Deist god.

 

[Eternally Grateful]

I would have to see the actual questions that were asked. I think this is the same poll that concluded only 60% of born again Christians believe in God

Most American Christians don't believe in the Trinity: Survey

An overwhelming majority of Christians reject the basic Christian teaching of the Trinity, prompting new concerns that Americans are living without the influence of the truths and life principles of

www.christianpost.com

goes to show you can not trust polls..

 

[Lambano]

I would have to see the actual questions that were asked. I think this is the same poll that concluded only 60% of born again Christians believe in God

I agree; I want to see how they asked the question.

Slightly more than 1 in 10 respondents (11%) believe in the Trinity, that the God of the Bible is “three distinct but inseparable and equal persons in one infinite Being.” The persons in the Trinity are God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

I see a different problem. I've harped on this before, but I hear Christians saying "Thank you, Jesus!" for every good happenstance in their lives, and it just grates on my nerves that we seem to consider the Father and the Son as completely interchangeable Persons, which is NOT what Trinitarian doctrine says.

 

[soberxp]

Yes. Just like China. You need strong Christians to teach young men. The baby boomers have been doing it for a generation. There are less in the next generation.

Indeed, the Chinese church has a serious shortage of young people, almost dating can be seen, I have been to churches in other parts of China, such as the Catholic Church, Young people are just happy to punch in and take pictures outside that beautiful building.

The question of Christianity here is complicated,

1. No religion can be preached on the street.

2. The Church is indifferent to whether members of a believer's family believe in Jesus or not.

(3) Some churches are heavily involved in political events, leading to dire consequences for Christian believers as a whole.

4. Any websites about Christianity are banned, only registered churches can set up so-called websites, but I do not find that there is a forum form.

5.Not allow talk about religion on any social media.(Especially for Christianity).

 

[Rockerduck]

I would have to see the actual questions that were asked. I think this is the same poll that concluded only 60% of born again Christians believe in God

Most American Christians don't believe in the Trinity: Survey

An overwhelming majority of Christians reject the basic Christian teaching of the Trinity, prompting new concerns that Americans are living without the influence of the truths and life principles of

www.christianpost.com

We are in a time of the falling away of the church. As the WW2 vets are too old and the baby boomers are aging.

 

[Michiah-Imla]

the concept of the Trinity is in the Scriptures.

A lot of looney assemblies out there pull out wacky concepts out of the Bible too!

I don’t want concepts of men, I want the unleavened truth of the word of God.

Men should not talk in pedantic lingo.

Just speak as God speaks in his holy Word.

 

[Lambano]

The trinitarian was calling me a dog. A dog is an unclean animal in scripture. He was dehumanizing me.

To hound is also to pursue something relentlessly. In my case that something is Jewish monotheism.

That’s the word play: He was saying in a thinly guarded way that I’m nothing but an unclean animal, a worthless dirty dog, who harassed people by relentlessly speaking to anyone who would listen about Jewish monotheism. He wanted my voice silenced. It became a phrase of endearment to me. I’m not at all offended by it.

The Sneaky Labrador is highly offended at your opponent's characterization of dogs as unclean and worthless and vows to bite him should the opportunity present itself.

 

[Matthias]

But must say the concept of the Trinity is in the Scriptures.

The Catholic scholar Edmund Fortman calls this “elemental trinitarianism” in his book The Triune God: A Historical Study of the Doctrine of the Trinity.

We can think of them as building blocks.

”If we take the New Testament writers together they tell us that there is only one God, the creator and lord of the universe, who is the Father of Jesus … They give us in their writings a triadic ground plan and triadic formulas. They do not speak in abstract terms of nature, substance, person, relation, circumcincession, mission, but they present in their own ways the ideas that are behind these terms. They give us no formal or formulated doctrine of the Trinity, no explicit teaching that in one God there are three co-equal divine persons. But they do give us an elemental trinitarianism, the data from which such a formal doctrine of the Triune God may be formulated.

To study the gradual transition from an unformulated witness to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to a dogmatic formulation of a doctrine of the Triune God, we look first to the Eastern Church where most of this development took place.”

(pp. x, xvi)

Jesus spoke of His Father and the Holy Spirit.

He did. But Jesus is a Jewish monotheist. Jewish monotheists aren’t trinitarians.

 

[Wrangler]

Barna releases and promotes the most Christian hating surveys

I too was wondering if this was a one off. What do other survey's reveal on the topic? I'm most interested in decadal data, say over the last century. What is the trend?

 

[Eternally Grateful]

He did. But Jesus is a Jewish monotheist. Jewish monotheists aren’t trinitarians.

Have you ever read what Jesus said?

 

[Wrangler]

If you do not believe in the Trinity ... Then you are not a Christian.

Given that this is missing from Scripture, one wonders where this idea came from? That too is an interesting historical lesson.

 

[Eternally Grateful]

Barna releases and promotes the most Christian hating surveys of any opinion institution.

It has in fact created the imfamous push polls. And taught others how not to do polling.

I take anything they say with little regard.

That being said,
If you do not believe in the Trinity
God the Father
God the Son
God the Holy Spirit

Then you are not a Christian.

I would say if you think Christ was a mere mortal man, or an angel. and not God.

You have an issue.. Unless he was God as he claimed to be multiple times.. He could not have paid for the sin of the world

 

[Matthias]

Have you ever read what Jesus said?

Yes.

 

[Rockerduck]

Given that this is missing from Scripture, one wonders where this idea came from? That too is an interesting historical lesson.

Here is just one.

John 14:16-17 - (Jesus says) I will ask the Father(God), and He will give you another Helper(Holy Spirit), that He may be with you forever; 17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.

 

[Matthias]

It’s beginning to turn into an argument. This was supposed to be a clinical, unemotional, education on the development of historical orthodox trinitarianism in and by the church. I’m close to requesting that the thread be closed.

 

[Matthias]

I would like for us to get back to the creeds. We left off with the Apostles’ Creed. Would one of the trinitarian members post the original Nicene Creed here for us?