Poll: Do American Evangelicals ''Walk the Walk?''

The Christian Post: "Four out of 10 Americans identify themselves as evangelical, but a much smaller percentage �walk the walk,� according to a newly released Gallup poll on America�s religious trends. The Gallup Organization polled 1,000 U.S. adults in mid-April and found that 42 percent labeled themselves �born-again� or �evangelical.� However, in a survey held one month later on 1,000 Americans, the poll found that only about a quarter of the population hold to �core evangelical doctrines.� Gallup identified three core evangelical beliefs as: believing that the Bible is the actual word of God, engaging in evangelism by encouraging friends and relatives to believe in Jesus, and having undergone a born-again experience. The results found that 52 percent of Americans engages in evangelism, 48 percent underwent a born-again experience, and 32 percent believes the Bible is the actual word of God. However, only 22 percent were found to hold all three beliefs. �It has been difficult for experts to get an accurate read on the percentage of evangelicals in the United States, and estimates can vary widely,� Albert L. Winseman, Gallup�s religion and social trends editor, wrote in announcing the data. �Looking only at the basic Gallup Poll self identification question, it would appear that evangelical Christians make up a sizeable portion of Americans. �However, when analyzing respondents� answers to three questions that most evangelical leaders would say are core evangelical doctrine, the percentage is much smaller.� pauline@christianpost.com"