While more than half of theologically identified born-again Christians strongly reject abortion as morally acceptable, less than half believe in the sanctity of human life, according to the latest installment of the American Worldview Inventory 2026 survey conducted by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University.
The sanctity of life refers to the moral and religious belief that all human life is inherently sacred, holy, and possesses an immeasurable worth. Still, just 44% of theologically identified born-again Christians, a term referring to those who believe they will go to Heaven when they die because they have confessed their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, believe human life is sacred.
According to the study, based on responses from a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults conducted in January 2026, only 27% of Americans view human life as sacred. An equal share believes human life has no intrinsic value. Approximately 25% of American adults believe that while life may not be sacred, “it has great value because of the human ability to reason or to make a difference in the world,” researchers note.
“The only people groups for which a majority view human life as sacred were people with a biblical worldview; biblically defined disciples; SAGE Cons [Spiritually Active, Governance Engaged Conservative Christians]; adults who attend either an evangelical or Pentecostal church; and individuals who are consistently pro-life,” the ACU researchers note.
Other key findings highlighted in the study are that only 57% of American adults believe humans are “God’s creation, made in His image, fallen, and in need of redemption,” even though 70% identify as Christian.
Some 52% of Americans now also consider abortion morally acceptable, while only 33% describe themselves as passionately pro-life. Only half of U.S. adults believe God is the all-powerful, all-knowing creator of the universe who rules it today, which is lower than a clear majority at the start of the millennium.
Another 25% of respondents strongly agree that Jesus sinned during His time on earth, including Notional Christians, who represent about half of all churchgoers. The survey also found that 90% of American adults hold syncretism as their dominant worldview instead of Biblical theism.
“The theological disposition of Americans consists largely of safe statements and bland moral and spiritual guesses breeding lifestyles that are indistinguishable from those of people with distinctly different points of view and spiritual direction,” George Barna, director of research at the Cultural Research Center, said in a statement on the findings of the survey. “Embarrassingly few self-described Christians have either studied or reflected on their alleged faith substantially enough to develop genuine, deeply held biblical convictions and commitments.”
Barna contended that “the data reveal that to millions of self-identified Christians, the Christian faith is not a Bible-based faith,” adding “That alleviates the need to know and relate their life to scriptural principles and laws.”
Barna raised deep concern about American Christianity based on the findings, noting that, “even among regular churchgoers or people who say they are deeply committed to their faith,” their objective “is to experience life on their terms, in the quest for control, popularity, comfort, or pleasure.”
“Americans meander through life with a broad assortment of vague religious beliefs and volatile religious behaviors. That religious amnesia has produced a nation where the dominant worldview— adopted by nine out of 10 adults—is Syncretism, not biblical Christianity,” Barna argues. “Dismissing the importance of biblical truth principles and a holy lifestyle has led to tens of millions of regular church attenders settling in as notional Christians—people who embrace the label and the idea of Christianity but refuse to study, meditate, work, and sacrifice in ways that cultivate genuine Christ-like lives.”
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