Most churchgoers don’t believe the Bible has clear and decisive teachings about homosexuality and transgenderism, causing concern that some churches are failing to effectively communicate the teachings of the Bible, a new study finds.

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The Washington-based social conservative advocacy organization Family Research Council, in conjunction with the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, released its “Social Issues and Worldview” survey Monday, examining American churchgoers’ views on several Christian teachings.

The findings are based on responses collected in July 2025 from 1,003 adults who regularly attend church. The new research comes two years after the publication of a similar study.

When asked if the Bible had clear positions on hot-button social issues dominating American political discourse, a majority of respondents (51%) agreed that the Bible had “clear & decisive” teachings about abortion, down from 65% who said the same in 2023.

About 21% of Christians in the 2025 survey described the Bible’s teachings on abortion as “unclear or ambiguous,” while 17% maintained that the Bible “does not address” the topic. Meanwhile, 11% did not know whether the Bible addressed the issue.

Around 59% of churchgoers described the Bible as “clear & decisive” about religious liberty, while 20% considered the Bible “unclear or ambiguous” on the topic, and 11% apiece thought the Bible does not address it or did not know whether it does.

A larger majority (65%) of churchgoers agreed that the Bible has “clear & decisive” teachings about the definition of a legitimate marriage, while 19% characterized the Bible’s position on marriage as “unclear or ambiguous” and 8% apiece insisted that the Bible “does not address” it or did not know whether it does.

By contrast, only a plurality (47%) of churchgoers surveyed believed that the Bible has “clear & decisive” teachings about “whether homosexuality is morally acceptable,” compared to 63% in 2023. More than one-quarter (26%) of churchgoers thought the Bible was “unclear or ambiguous” about homosexuality, while 16% insisted that the Bible does not address homosexuality, and 11% did not know.

An even smaller share of churchgoers (40%) expressed confidence that the Bible was “clear & decisive” on “whether transgenderism is morally acceptable,” compared to 52% in 2023. Twenty-three percent thought the Bible is “unclear or ambiguous” about transgenderism, while nearly one-quarter (24%) believed that the Bible does not address transgenderism, and 11% did not know.

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, a Baptist pastor and one of Washington’s leading Christian conservative activists, believes the research shows a “great need for biblical teaching” on the “great issues of our day.” He stressed that the Church must continue to “teach, live, and defend a biblical worldview.”

“Many pastors, many churches are not systematically teaching the word of God,” Perkins told The Christian Post in an interview. “And that’s really what we’ve got to get back to.”

“I think people, some pastors are afraid they’re going to offend or lose people by … addressing these controversial issues,” he continued. “And the result is it’s created a vacuum that is being filled by the broader culture in the media. So that’s what’s shaping the worldview of many Christians.”

It’s not so much that Christians are “hearing the wrong thing in church,” Perkins stressed, but that “they’re not hearing anything as it pertains to these issues.”

Perkins praised Calvary Chapel churches as the houses of worship that are “most consistent” in providing a biblical perspective on all issues, including sexuality.

“That goes back to Chuck Smith just basically teaching his pastors to preach through the Bible,” Perkins said, referencing one of the key leaders of the Jesus Movement that began in the late 1960s. “And that way … when those issues come up, you just have to deal with them.”

Perkins said Calvary Chapel churches are examples of churches that “systematically teach the word of God, even chronologically teaching or going through the Bible on a regular basis.”

“As these issues come up, they teach on them,” Perkins said.

“That way, it’s not as if they’re cherry-picking these issues, but they deal with them as they come up,” he clarified.

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This article was originally published at The Christian Post. Photo Credit: Joe Mabel, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=89905909.