Other critics of the Pew's definition of evangelical explained that many Christians when asked if they believe faiths other than their own can lead to eternal life mistakenly consider their denomination rather than the Christian religion in their response.
As a result, these respondents agree with the statement because they believe Christians of other denominations can also find salvation through Jesus Christ.
"I believe the Pew study is directionally right in pointing out that a surprisingly small number of self-identified American Christians believe in the exclusivity of Christ as a means of salvation, and therefore, getting into heaven," explained Scott McConnell, associate director of LifeWay Research.
"But the way they worded their question may have had some impact; many people think of 'denomination' when they hear 'religion', so it isn't that surprising that a Lutheran could think a Methodist would also go to heaven or a Catholic could think that a Protestant would go to heaven," said McConnell.
LifeWay made sure to clarify the question by asking, "How much do you agree/disagree: If a person is sincerely seeking God, he/she can obtain eternal life through religions other than Christianity."
"There is enough of a difference in the results for me to conclude that their (Pew Forum) choice of wording likely led a number of folks away from the exclusive response," Stetzer stated.
"The Pew research is helpful even though this question needs clarification," he added. "However, the bigger issue here is why there are so many self-identified evangelicals who sit in evangelical pews but do not evidence evangelical beliefs, particularly in regard to universalism."
