Protestant pastors increasingly find common ground with Muslims. While the majority of pastors—no surprise here—consider Islam dangerous, a “small but increasing segment” believes Islam is “similar to Christianity,” according to a survey published last week by LifeWay Research.
According to the study:
-17 percent of pastors characterize Islam as similar to Christianity, nearly double the 9 percent from five years earlier
-50 percent say Islam “promotes charity” (up from 33 percent)
-32 percent describe Islam as “spiritually good” (up from 19 percent)
-24 percent describe Islam as “tolerant” (up from 16 percent)
-22 percent describe Islam as “open” (up from 12 percent)
The report also reveals a big disparity in the views of pastors and the general public. LifeWay cites a “a parallel survey of 1,000 Americans,” in which more than a third say the two faiths are similar—making them twice as likely to see similarities between Islam and Christianity. On the other side, negative opinions are also on the rise, though less dramatic—an also increasing majority thinks Islam is “dangerous,” “promotes violence” and is “spiritually evil.”