Eric Heath - June 5, 2026

Longtime readers of this newsletter will know that I have been influenced by the work done by Ligonier Ministries (founded by the late pastor-theologian R.C. Sproul), and particularly enjoy the insights that come from their State of Theology questionnaires (which I have previously incorporated into the ministry of Central Abbotsford). This survey provides a valuable resource for “taking the theological temperature” of a given population, and I am grateful for it.

One challenge that I have had with it, however, is that I haven’t been sure that the answers are indicative of the context in which we here at Northview minister. Until recently, Ligonier has provided data from a 2025 survey in the United States (and a 2022 survey before that), along with a 2018 British survey. 

I am happy to report that has now changed! Just recently, Ligonier released its data and findings from the 2026 State of Theology Survey for Canada. Their website makes it easy to parse through the data according to a number of different variables, including geographical region, age, income level, and others.

Ligonier itself makes a number of interesting findings that should help us, as followers of Jesus, interact with and minister to those in our lives. These include: 

    • A notable number of people either do not know what the Bible teaches, or even what they themselves believe. Nearly a quarter of respondents (24%) are not sure if the resurrection of Jesus actually occurred. Almost the same percentage (23%) were not sure what to make of the statement “modern science disproves the Bible”. This is a season of spiritual uncertainty that confident and convicted Christians can speak into.
    • On questions that consider a Biblical vs. secular worldview, British Columbians are generally (but only slightly) more “secular” than the average Canadian respondent. 
    • Very interestingly, there is a notable demographic discrepancy ongoing in Canada. The study analyzed differences by age group, considering the Canadian population in four different age cohorts: 18–34, 35–49, 50–64, and 65+. Across the board, respondents in the lower two age cohorts (those under 50 years old) were considerably more in line with orthodox Christian belief and teaching about the nature of sin, the existence of hell, the authority of the Scriptures, and the exclusivity of Jesus as saviour. As the authors conclude: “There has been recent commentary on a possible renewed interest in Christianity among younger Canadians. The findings of the first State of Theology Canada survey do indicate a more widespread acceptance of biblical teaching by younger respondents, especially on those topics where historic Christian theology is more obviously in conflict with secular attitudes.”

I encourage you to take a look through the results. I plan to poke around them a little bit in the next couple of weeks, and expect to follow up with anything interesting that I can note. And if you turn up anything worth talking about, let me know!

In Christ,

Eric