A recent study from Pew reveals how Americans feel about different religious groups. Compared to June 2014, when Pew first conducted this survey, U.S. adults feel warmer toward nearly every religious group…except evangelical Christians, whose rating did not change.

When asked to rate their opinion on a feeling thermometer, most Americans felt chilly toward Muslims and atheists in 2014 — rating those groups at 40 and 41 degrees, respectively. Two and a half years later, these ratings have risen to 48 and 50 degrees, respectively. The perceptions of Mormons, Hindus and Buddhists also warmed up.  

Americans’ feelings about evangelical Christians remained static, however. In 2014 and 2017, they rated evangelical Christians at a 61 on the feelings thermometer. Mainline Protestants and Catholics ranked higher than evangelical Christians in both years, and Jews—whom Americans feel most warmly about—ranked highest of all groups.

What does this mean for the Pentecostal Christians? While feelings about Christians don’t change the facts about Christ, it is important for Christians—especially Christian leaders—to maintain “a good reputation with outsiders” (1 Timothy 3:7). Such a reputation helps Christians accomplish to plant churches, share the gospel and make disciples (Matthew 28:19).   For more on the topic of evangelism, see “Evangelism: Is It Still Our Greatest Work?”