According to a LifeWay Research survey of mainline, evangelical and Pentecostal pastors, 47 percent of mainline pastors support same-sex “marriage, only 8 percent of evangelical pastors do, and only 1 percent of Pentecostal pastors do.”
Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research stated, “The movement we see among pastors’ views of same-sex marriage has less to do with their denominational tradition than their view of the Bible.” It would appear that those who hold most faithfully to the authority of Scripture will be the least inclined to change their views on homosexuality. To put it another way, those who believe the Bible to be God’s inspired, unchanging Word will be the least likely to compromise their convictions based on societal changes.
Dr. Michael Brown, Pentecostal scholar, radio host, and author believes that because the Bible is unambiguous in its condemnation of homosexual unions, those who have a high view of Scripture and are more likely to embrace all of it, including speaking in tongues and the abiding validity of all the spiritual gifts, will not endorse same-sex unions of any kind. He says, “Ironically, it is the Pentecostals, who are often derided for their belief that the Spirit continues to speak today, who are the most conservative of all, with only one percent of their pastors affirming same-sex ‘marriage.’”
