One third of Christians ‘have never prayed for a miracle’

A survey by the research company ComRes found 37-per-cent of believers have never asked God for a miraculous act.

Commissioned by BBC Local Radio, it concluded 59-per-cent of people identifying as Christian have requested a miracle, while 29-per-cent said their prayer was answered.

Assessing the general UK population, it found 62-per-cent of people believe miracles are possible, with 43-per-cent saying they have prayed for one at least once.

Young adults (aged 24 or younger) were more likely than their older peers to believe some miracles are possible today. Nearly three quarters thought miraculous signs are not impossible.

Graham Nicholls, director of the Affinity network of 1,200 evangelical churches, said: “The results are fascinating because they are a reflection of opinions both inside and outside of the Church.

“It’s interesting to see that more than half the population hold the view that miracles are possible.

“This would suggest to me that people are not as closed to the prospect of things happening outside our human experience which cannot be explained.”

Among those who attend a “religious service” at least once per month, only 37-per-cent said they believed Biblical accounts of Jesus performing miracles.

Graham Nicholls went on to say: “Within the Christian church there seem to be a confusing range of…