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Theological Reflection Theological Reflection Perry Chang, PhD and Joelle Kopacz, MA In partnership with: PC(USA ) Research Services Charles Wiley and 100 Witherspoon Street Louisville KY 40202 David Gambrell ( 5 0 2 ) 5 6 9 - 5139 Theological Reflection 10/22/2016 2016 Panel, Volume #3 Executive Summary Five main findings emerged from responses to the August 2016 Presbyterian Panel survey on Theological Reflection: Although Presbyterians are involved in a limited number of interfaith activities, the number of types of interfaith activities in which members are involved increased somewhat between 2013 and 2016. For teaching elders, the number stayed the same. Learning about other faiths is something many Presbyterians see as important, and their responses to “quiz” questions about world religions suggest Presbyterians already know a fair amount. Fewer Presbyterians (though still majorities) regard interfaith bridge-building as a crucial task for the Presbyterian Church. Grace is a crucial tenet of Reformed Christianity, for most Presbyterians. Also considered important by many Presbyterians are: the sovereignty of God, ministers and elders lead the church together, stewardship, and priesthood of all believers. Most Presbyterians believe Jesus is central to salvation, but members and teaching elders disagree about how this works: The largest number of teaching elders believe that God selects certain people for salvation through Jesus, while the largest number of members believe people who commit themselves to Jesus thereby choose salvation themselves. More Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) teaching elders than members feel that God is involved in most aspects of their life and on a daily basis. When asked whether they regard all of nine listed aspects of their life as a calling from God and whether they feel God’s guidance at least daily, more teaching elders than members say ”yes.” More PC(USA) teaching elders than U.S. adults as a whole feel God’s guidance daily, while fewer members than U.S. adults feel such guidance. 1 Theological Reflection Table of Contents Overview of the Study ............................................................................................ 4 Interfaith Activities ................................................................................................ 8 Interreligious Intelligence ...................................................................................... 11 Theological Understanding .................................................................................... 14 Evangelism ............................................................................................................. 23 Worship .................................................................................................................. 23 Vocational Discernment ......................................................................................... 25 Appendix A: Survey Questions and Responses ..................................................... A-1 Appendix B: Open-Ended Question on the Distinctiveness of Reformed/ Presbyterian Theology: Members’ Verbatim Responses ....................... B-1 Appendix C: Open-Ended Question on the Distinctiveness of Reformed/ Presbyterian Theology: Teaching Elders’ Verbatim Responses............. C-1 Appendix D: Open-Ended Question on the Importance of Various Reformed/ Presbyterian Principles: Members’ Verbatim Responses ...................... D-1 Appendix E: Open-Ended Question on the Importance of Various Reformed/ Presbyterian Principles: Teaching Elders’ Verbatim Responses ........... E-1 Appendix F: Open-Ended Question on the Relationship Between Baptism and Communion: Members’ Verbatim Responses ........................................ F-1 Appendix G: Open-Ended Question on the Relationship Between Baptism and Communion: Teaching Elders’ Verbatim Responses ............................. G-1 Appendix H: Final Open-Ended Question: Members’ Verbatim Responses ........ H-1 Appendix I: Final Open-Ended Question: Teaching Elders’ Verbatim Responses ................................................................................................................. I-1 Appendix J: About the Presbyterian Panel ............................................................ J-1 Figures Figure 1: Average Number of Interfaith Activities Undertaken in the Past Two Years ........................................................................................................ 8 Figure 2: Interfaith-Related Activities Within the Past Two Years ...................... 9 Figure 3: Agreement with Statements About Interfaith Relations ....................... 10 Figure 4: Average Number of Thirteen Interreligious Intelligence Questions Answered Correctly ................................................................................. 11 Figure 5: Specific Interreligious Intelligence Questions Answered Correctly ...... 12 Figure 6: Comparison of the Number of Thirteen Interreligious Intelligence Questions to Which PC(USA) Members, PC(USA) Teaching Elders, U.S. Adults, and Adults, and U.S. Mainline Protestants Responded Correctly ................ 13 Figure 7: Eight Theological Statements and the Percentage of Panelists Who Agree or Strongly Agree with Each Statement ...................................... 14 2 Figure 8: Panelists’ Agreement with the Statement “Jesus Is the Only Savior and Lord” ................................................................................................ 15 Figure 9: Statement About Salvation that Comes the Closest to Panelists’ View . 16 Figure 10: Spiritual Resources that are Very Important to Panelists in Making Everyday Decisions as Christians ........................................................... 17 Figure 11: Change in the Percentage of Panelists Who Regard Each Spiritual Resource as Very Important to Them as Christians: 2009-2016 ......... 18 Figure 12: Average Number of Nine Spiritual Resources Panelists See as Very Important to Their Decision-Making as Christians ...................... 19 Figure 13: Reformed/Presbyterian Principles Panelists See as Very Important . 20 Figure 14: Average Number of Reformed/Presbyterian Principles Panelists View as Very Important to Them .................................................................... 21 Figure 15: Panelists Who Agree or Strongly Agree with Each of These Statements About Sharing Their Faith ...................................................................... 23 Figure 16: Panelist Response to Question About Whether They Affirm the Proposal to Authorize Participation of Those Not Baptized in the Lord’s Supper, Followed by an Invitation to Be Baptized Later ..................................... 24 Figure 17: Panelists Who Agree or Strongly Agree with Statements About Vocational Discernment ......................................................................... 25 Figure 18: Aspects of Their Life that Panelists Consider as Part of Their Vocation .................................................................................................. 26 Figure 19: Average Number of Nine Steps Ever Taken to Better Discern Their Vocation .................................................................................................. 27 Figure 20: Steps Panelists Have Ever Taken to Better Discern Their Vocation ... 28 Figure 21: Frequency Panelists Feel Guided by God in the Midst of Daily Activities .................................................................................................. 29 Figure 22: Respondents Who Feel Guided by God in the Midst of Daily Activities at Least Daily ............................................................................................... 30 3 Overview of the Study The August 2016 Presbytery Panel Theological Reflection survey married a few purposes: (1) assessing the impact of the work of the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s Theological Reflection “Collective Goal Grouping”; (2) exploring complexities in Presbyterians’ theology of salvation and their understanding of Reformed theology; and (3) gauging support for and interest in possible innovations in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s theology of worship. The Presbyterian Mission Agency’s Theological Reflection “Collective Goal Grouping” is one of twenty-two such Mission Agency groupings. Each grouping is undergoing impact assessment between 2015 and 2017. Goals set for the collective goal grouping (hereafter to be called a ministry) in early 2015 included: Equip the church to reflect theologically on its identity and mission through ecumenical and interfaith engagement. Equip the church to reflect theologically on its identity and mission. Equip the church to reflect theologically on the vocation of all believers. This survey was designed to provide baseline information with which to compare any future change in the ministry’s impact. In the case of interfaith activities, it is possible to assess change, between 2013 and 2016, because the August 2016 Panel survey included a set of questions about interfaith activities that appeared—in slightly different form—in the November 2013 Presbyterian Panel survey on Interfaith Relations. Controversy over a long-time Presbyterian Panel question about the theology of salvation also sparked the development of this Theological Reflection Panel survey. For two decades the theological questions Research Services has asked new panelists in the initial Panel profile survey have included a question about how much new panelists agree with this statement: “Only followers of Jesus
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