EXPORT, PENNSYLVANIA – According to the latest Infinity Concepts and Grey Matter Research report, 99% of evangelical Protestants believe praying, reading the Bible, and having a strong Christian faith all contribute to positive mental health.
Only 1% of evangelicals do not believe this.
Ninety-six percent (96%) believe a strong Christian faith contributes to positive physical health, and the same proportion say this about reading the Bible. For prayer, 98% affirm this belief.
These results are detailed in the report Faith and Wellness: Evangelical Insights on Healing and Physicians, released by Grey Matter and Infinity Concepts on May 11.
Previous studies have shown that although evangelicals agree on the basic beliefs that identify them as evangelicals, they are not of one mind on topics such as giving, spiritual activities, what they want in a church, views on Israel, or even what they call themselves.
The high level of agreement is what makes evangelicals’ views on faith and wellness so unusual.
“For evangelicals, it appears spiritual wellness is inextricably intertwined with both physical and mental wellness,” said Mark Dreistadt, president and CEO of Infinity Concepts.
“When we explore things such as whether they believe people can be healed through prayer or whether activities such as prayer and Bible reading have a positive impact on both mental and physical health, they almost universally agree. That’s something we rarely see.”
For some, there is a disconnect between faith and practice. “Six out of ten (59%) evangelicals who are confident a strong Christian faith can benefit them mentally and physically only have moderate or low engagement in spiritual practices,” noted Ron Sellers, founder and president of Grey Matter Research.
What about the impact of praying for another person?
“Ninety-nine percent (99%) of evangelical Protestants believe praying for someone who is in poor health can help improve that person’s physical health,” Sellers said. “That includes 86% who believe this strongly.”
“The study shows a strong correlation between the religious beliefs of evangelical Protestants and their perceptions of how prayer, reading the Bible, and having a strong Christian faith positively contribute to their physical and mental health,” Dreistadt said.
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To schedule an interview with Mark Dreistadt or Ron Sellers, or to receive the full report, email Clem Boyd, Director of Public Relations, at clem@infinityconcepts.com or text or call him at 724.930.4003.
Faith and Wellness Research Takeaways
- More than 9 out of 10 evangelical Protestants strongly believe praying, reading the Bible, and/or having a strong Christian faith positively contribute to mental health.
- Just 1% of evangelical Protestants do not believe praying, reading the Bible, and/or having a strong Christian faith contribute to positive mental health.
- Between 74% and 82% of evangelical Protestants believe praying, reading the Bible, and/or having a strong Christian faith positively contributes to physical health, while 16% to 22% somewhat believe this is true.
- Only 2% to 4% do not believe praying, reading the Bible, and/or having a strong Christian faith contribute to positive physical health.
- The actions and beliefs of evangelical Protestants do not always align. Six out of ten (59%) evangelicals who strongly believe reading the Bible contributes to positive mental health still do not read it daily, while 26% do not read it even monthly.
- Ninety-nine percent believe God can heal people physically through their own prayers or the prayers of others, including 91% who strongly believe this.
