A new Lifeway Research study sponsored by the Institute for Faith & Culture finds that while U.S. evangelicals say they want to engage with the broader society and share their beliefs, many admit it “doesn’t always happen.” Instead, they are hesitant to challenge the views of others.

Three-quarters (75%) of U.S. evangelicals surveyed say they want to interject when a person says something that doesn’t correspond with Christian scripture. An overwhelming majority (89%) want to advance “biblical truths” among people they are familiar with. This is even more the case for those who say they want to demonstrate “biblical compassion to those outside their church” (93%).

However, when in conversation with a person who says something that is “not biblical,” only 9% of those polled say they share a response that is “biblically informed.” Rather, more U.S. evangelicals say they often (23%) or sometimes (45%) do. A smaller number say they rarely (16%) or never (6%) offer a “biblical response.” 

Likewise, only ten percent say they look for occasions to promote a biblical perspective on unpopular topics. This number doubles (20%) for those who say they do it often. 

For U.S. evangelicals who sometimes pursue such instances, it is nearly four times as likely (38%). On the other hand, nearly a quarter of those surveyed (22%) say they rarely look for these chances, while 7% never do.

“Evangelicals may be bigger on cultural engagement in theory than in practice. They say they want to share biblical truth but don’t always take the opportunities in front of them,” Aaron Earls, the senior writer at Lifeway Research, wrote. “Some don’t even spend time regularly reading Scripture.”

Click here to read the full report.