Views on Christian Exclusivity

2 Methodology  The telephone survey of Protestant pastors was conducted in May 2011  The calling list was randomly drawn from a list of all Protestant churches. Up to six calls were made to reach a sampled phone number  Each interview was conducted with the senior pastor, minister or priest of the church called  Responses were weighted to reflect the geographic distribution of Protestant churches

3 Methodology Continued  The completed sample is 1,000 phone interviews  The sample provides 95% confidence that the sampling error does not exceed +3.2%  Margins of error are higher in sub-groups

Protestant Pastors Views on Christian Exclusivity Survey of 1,000 Protestant Pastors

5 77% of Protestant pastors strongly disagree that eternal life can be obtain through religions other than Christianity 3% Not sure Q.: “If a person is sincerely seeking God, he/she can obtain eternal life through religions other than Christianity.” Among Protestant Pastors

6 “If a person is sincerely seeking God, he/she can obtain eternal life through religions other than Christianity.” Pastors in large cities are most likely to strongly agree (11%) compared to pastors in small cities (4%), the suburbs (4%), and rural areas (3%). Pastors with a graduate degree are More likely to strongly agree (7% to 3%) More likely to somewhat agree (10% to 2%) More likely to somewhat disagree (9% to 3%) Less likely to strongly disagree (70% to 90%) than pastors with at most a Bachelor’s degree.

7 “If a person is sincerely seeking God, he/she can obtain eternal life through religions other than Christianity.” continued Pastors self-identifying as Evangelical are Less likely to strongly agree (2% to 11%) Less likely to somewhat agree (4% to 14%) Less likely to somewhat disagree (6% to 13%) More likely to strongly disagree (85% to 57%) than pastors self-identifying as Mainline.

Protestant Church Attendees Views on Christian Exclusivity Survey of 2,930 USA Laity

9 Methodology  A representative sample of American adults who attend a Protestant church once a month or more was surveyed October 14-22,  A demographically balanced online panel was used for the interviewing.  Respondents could respond in English, Spanish, or French.  2,930 surveys were completed.  The sample provides 95% confidence that the sampling error does not exceed +1.8%  Margins of error are higher in sub-groups

10 “If a person is sincerely seeking God, he/she can obtain eternal life through religions other than Christianity”

Views on Christian Exclusivity