Thanks to a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment, Inc., Research Services has undertaken detailed surveys among the three largest racial-ethnic minority groups in the PCUSA membership: African Americans, Koreans, and Hispanics. Let's look at some of the findings on belief, complete with comparative data on whites from the Presbyterian Panel.
The Bible
Hardly any Presbyterians characterize the Bible as merely "an important piece of literature." Instead, majorities view the Bible either as a record of God's people that is a "useful guide for individual Christians" or as a set of stories and teachings that "provide a powerful motivation as we work toward God's reign." But in every racial-ethnic group a large minority views the Bible as the "inspired Word of God . . . without error" of any kind or, at least, without error "in faith and morals." Almost one-half of Korean members, 48 percent, hold one or the other inerrant view, as do 44 percent of Hispanics, 31 percent of African Americans, and 28 percent of whites.
Theological orientation
Few Presbyterians of any racial-ethnic background believe themselves to be theological liberals. The highest rates, around one in four, are found among African American and Korean members. Interestingly, the highest percentage of theological conservatives, 44 percent, is also found among Koreans. The explanation? Few Korean Presbyterians think of themselves as being in the middle--only around a third, compared to around one-half in the other groups.
Born-again status
Relatively few white Presbyterians, 30 percent, would use the term "born-again Christian" to describe themselves. The term is much more accepted by African American (47 percent) and especially by Hispanic (65 percent) and Korean (74 percent) members.
The afterlife and other specific tenets
Large majorities of Presbyterians in every racial-ethnic group believe that "There is life beyond death"; "Satan really exists"; "Jesus was born of a virgin"; and "Jesus will return to earth some day." The rates are especially high--87 percent or more--among Korean and Hispanic Presbyterians. And not only are Hispanic and Korean members more likely to hold such beliefs, they are more likely to hold them with intensity. As an example, the table shows response on the subject of Jesus's Second Coming. Three in four Hispanic and Korean members responded "strongly agree" to this statement, compared to 59 percent of African Americans and 45 percent of whites.
| Agree | Agree | Agreement | |
| African American | 56% | 29% | 85% |
| Hispanic | 78% | 17% | 95% |
| Korean | 74% | 16% | 90% |
| white | 45% | 30% | 75% |
Salvation in Christ Is belief in Jesus Christ necessary for individual salvation? Among white members, less than half think it is, but among Hispanic and Korean members, around three in four think belief in Christ is necessary for salvation. The opinions of African Americans are intermediate on this issue. Similarly, when asked if "all the world's great religions are equally good and true," most Hispanic and Korean Presbyterians (63 percent and 64 percent, respectively) disagreed. Interestingly, however, only 37 percent of African American members disagreed. On this matter, white Presbyterians were intermediate, with exactly one- half disagreeing with this statement.
In sum, Hispanic and Korean members generally hold more traditional or orthodox views on specific items of belief, from the nature of the Bible to the existence of an afterlife, than either African American or white members. And where these latter two groups differ, in general it is the African Americans who express more orthodox beliefs than whites.
If you're interested in a 4-page summary, Send a $3 check (payable to, and in care of) Research Services, PC(USA) at the 100 Witherspoon address in Louisville, request the Racial-Ethnic Presbyterian Summary.
Research Services