A survey conducted by D. James Kennedy Ministries (DJKM) among its friends and supporters found that respondents, by overwhelming margins, want their pastors to speak out on moral and cultural concerns.
On issue after issue – abortion, religious liberty, poverty, sexual identity, Israel, Christian heritage, role of government, church in politics/government, and radical Islam – upward of 8 in 10 of those answering the D. James Kennedy Ministries’ “2020 National Pulpit Survey” said they think clergy should address these matters.
On at least two of the nine issues polled – abortion and religious liberty – respondents almost unanimously said pastors should sound forth. In addition, more than 70 percent of those answering the survey said almost every issue covered was “extremely important” to them.
“The results expose a hunger inside the church for pastors who will tackle tough topics—who will connect the dots between what the Bible teaches and what is happening in the world,” said DJKM President and CEO Dr. Frank Wright in a press release.
Notably, however, a 2019 report from the Barna Group found that 50 percent of Christian clergy either frequently or occasionally felt that they were limited to speak out by concern that they would offend people – even while 57 percent said they felt speaking out from the pulpit on moral and social issues that challenge people’s thinking and behavior is either no more difficult than it’s ever been or actually getting easier.
At the top of the of issues that pastors felt most reluctant to speak about were homosexuality/LGBT (44 percent), same-sex marriage/gay legal rights (22 percent), and abortion (18 percent).
“There are grave consequences for silence from America’s pulpits and inaction from the Church,” commented Wright. “Look no further than today’s headlines to see the clear and present danger.”
Results of the DJKM survey are available at www.djameskennedy.org/pulpitsurvey.
