Born from a waning appreciation for biblical truth, only about half of U.S. adults (56%) admit they consciously avoid sinning because they know it offends God. Were it not enough that 74% of Americans disagree with, or are uncertain about, the statement “even the smallest sin deserves eternal damnation,” (Ligonier 2020) 52% of American “Christians” believe in a “works-oriented” approach to God’s acceptance, (Barna Research Center, 2020) suggesting that, in their minds, sin is not so bad that it cannot be balanced by good works. In fact, 46% percent of evangelicals agree that, though everyone sins “a little,” people are still good by nature.
Though the notion of innate, human goodness is entirely unbiblical, (Romans 3:9-12, 23, Mark 10:18, Psalm 14:1-3) progressive “Christians” strive to redefine “sin” for purposes of affirmation and universal acceptance rather than conviction. Sins, so they say, should not be understood as the result of intrinsic depravity that habitually cedes to lures of the flesh, but as innocent blunders rooted in our natural imperfections that simply “miss the mark” due to lack of knowledge. Such a ...
