Most Pastors Say Christians Cannot ‘Speed Up’ Jesus’ Return, Survey Finds

A majority of Protestant pastors say Jesus’ return cannot be accelerated due to world events or evangelism, although their views on the issue vary greatly depending on the question, according to a new LifeWay Research survey.

The poll of 1,000 Protestant pastors was released Tuesday and found that 12 percent agreed that “Christians can speed up the return of Christ by supporting geopolitical changes mentioned in the Bible,” while 80 percent disagreed and 8 percent weren’t sure. 

Pastors’ beliefs on the issue differed little between evangelical and mainline ministers, although there were some differences among ethnicities. 

Twenty percent of African American pastors but 11 percent of white pastors agreed that Christians can speed up Christ’s return by supporting geopolitical changes. Among non-whites and non-blacks, 22 percent agreed.

Pastors 65 and older (16 percent) were more likely to agree with the statement than pastors ages 18 to 44 (9 percent).

“While Scripture specifically says we cannot know the day or the hour of Jesus Christ’s return, we were interested in pastors’ views on whether Christians can play a role in bringing about that return any sooner,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research. “A large majority of pastors do not see biblical prophecies about future changes among nations as a roadmap for advocating specific…