Fewer than half of those who identify as evangelical Christians subscribe to core evangelical beliefs, according to a new survey from LifeWay Research.

About 1 in 4 American adults say they are evangelical. Yet only 45 percent of those identifying as evangelical strongly agree with the following evangelical statements:

• The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe.
• It is very important for me personally to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior.
• Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin.
• Only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation.

“There’s a gap between who evangelicals say they are and what they believe.”                           — Scott McConnell

Those who strongly agree with these statements are most likely to be white (58 percent), Republican or Republican-leaning (64 percent), living in the South (55 percent), and 50 or older (63 percent).

Conversely, not everyone agreeing with evangelical tenets embraces the term “evangelical.” Just 69 percent of evangelicals by belief say they are evangelical.

“There’s a gap between who evangelicals say they are and what they believe,” Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research, said in the report.

Evangelicals by belief are more diverse than self-identified evangelicals. While 70 percent of self-identified evangelicals are white, just over half of evangelicals by belief are white. Nearly a quarter (23 percent) of those holding evangelical beliefs are black, and 14 percent are Hispanic — compared to 14 percent of blacks and 12 percent of Hispanics who call themselves evangelical.

“For many African-Americans, the term ‘evangelical’ is a turn-off, even though they hold evangelical beliefs,” McConnell said. “The term ‘evangelical’ is often viewed as applying to white Christians only. And that’s unfortunate. It’s lost some of its religious meaning that actually unites these groups.”