Beliefs & Actions

Are laymen more strict in their religious beliefs than their own ministers? Among U.S. Methodists they are, according to a survey conducted by University of Illinois Professor David E. Lindstrom and released by the Methodist Division of National Missions. Almost all ministers and laymen reported their belief in such basic tenets as the fatherhood of God, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, God's revelation as the Trinity. After that, the differences start cropping up:

P:Some 85% of the laymen believe that "Jesus' resurrection is our pledge of assurance of eternal life," but only 78% of the ministers accept this "completely."

More than a quarter of the ministers doubt that necessary marks of the true church are the preaching of the Gospel and the administration of the sacraments, while less than a fifth of the laymen express similar doubts.

Half the ministers doubt that the value of the sacrament of Communion depends entirely upon the attitude of the participant, while less than 20% of the laymen show any uncertainty.

P:Sixty percent of the ministers reject the belief that if a person takes Holy Communion, "he is automatically a better person," but only 46% of the laymen reject the idea completely.

Where the ministers become the strict ones is in the practical application of church teaching. Most of the ministers agree that it is a sin to waste time (80%), that foreign missionaries should not merely confine themselves to "preaching the Gospel" (more than 70%), and that the U.S. should put the needs of underdeveloped lands ahead of its own desires in giving technical and economic aid (82%). In each case, the percentage of laymen who went along was much smaller. Widest disparity: wasting time, an indulgence that only about half of the laymen consider sinful.

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