Theologically conservative churches that adhere to a literal interpretation of the Bible grow faster than liberal ones that don’t, a five-year academic study has revealed. The Canadian study, which, will be published in next month’s Review of Religious Research, found that evangelical sects that focus on the Gospel and prayer have increasing rates of attendance, while churches that skew Christian doctrine to be more liberal are declining.
In churches where attendance is on the rise, 93 percent of the clergy and 83 percent of the worshippers agree with the statement “Jesus rose from the dead with a real flesh-and-blood body leaving behind an empty tomb,” compared with 67 percent of worshippers and 56 percent of the clergy from declining churches. Similarly, in growing churches, 100 percent of the clergy and 90 percent of the worshippers agree “God performs miracles in answer to prayers,” compared to 80 percent of the worshippers and 44 percent of the clergy from declining churches. CONTINUE
