America may be growing more secular, but it has hardly stopped believing in the supernatural.
Millions of Americans still believe in God, heaven, hell, angels, demons, spiritual attacks and divine intervention. They believe there is something beyond the physical world, something that science cannot fully explain and human eyes cannot see.
Yet when it comes to the supernatural events at the very heart of Christianity, that confidence begins to crumble.
According to new research from the American Bible Society’s 2026 State of the Bible report, fewer than half of Americans now believe that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin through the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit.
Only 49% believe the virgin birth is at least probably true. Just 53% believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, while only 44% believe God miraculously parted the Red Sea for the Israelites.
At the same time, approximately 62% of American adults — an estimated 171 million people — believe in the supernatural.
The contradiction is remarkable. America has not rejected the possibility of miracles. Increasingly, however, Americans appear uncertain about the particular miracles recorded in Scripture.
And that raises a much larger question: What happens to a nation that remains spiritually curious but becomes increasingly disconnected from biblical truth?
A Nation That Wants The Supernatural Without Biblical Authority
For years, the prevailing narrative has been that modern Americans are becoming too educated, sophisticated or scientifically minded to believe in supernatural events.
But these findings suggest something more complicated.
Many Americans remain convinced that reality extends beyond what can be measured in a laboratory. They believe spiritual forces exist, that life continues beyond death and that unseen powers may influence the physical world.
The issue is not necessarily an unwillingness to believe in the supernatural. It is an unwillingness, or at least a growing hesitation, to accept the Bible as the authoritative explanation of that supernatural reality.
This distinction is enormous.
Christianity does not simply teach that mysterious spiritual forces exist. It teaches that the universe was created by a personal God, that humanity has fallen into sin, that Jesus Christ entered human history through a miraculous conception, and that He physically rose from the dead after dying for the sins of the world.
Remove those events, and Christianity is no longer the faith proclaimed by the apostles.
The virgin birth is not an optional Christmas embellishment. The resurrection is not merely a metaphor for hope or renewal. These are foundational claims about who Jesus Christ is and what He accomplished.
The Apostle Paul made the stakes unmistakable in 1 Corinthians 15:14: “And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.”
Christianity stands or falls on the truth of what God has revealed, not simply on whether its moral teachings make people feel better.
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The Surprising Divide Between Cultural And Practicing Christians
There is, however, an encouraging and important finding buried within the survey.
Among practicing Christians, belief in biblical miracles remains extraordinarily strong.
An overwhelming 97% affirm the virgin birth, 99% believe in the resurrection of Jesus, and 92% believe God parted the Red Sea.
Those figures challenge the idea that committed Christians are broadly abandoning the supernatural foundations of their faith.
Instead, the research highlights a significant divide between the wider American population and those who actively practice Christianity.
For generations, identifying as Christian has been part of American cultural life. Many people grew up attending church, celebrating Christmas and Easter, and considering Christianity part of their family heritage.
But identifying with Christianity culturally is not necessarily the same as understanding or embracing its doctrines.
Someone may admire Jesus as a moral teacher while rejecting His miracles. Another may believe in God but question whether Scripture accurately records His actions. Still another may embrace Christian values while treating biblical teachings as suggestions rather than divine revelation.
The danger emerges when this selective approach enters the Church itself.
When biblical teachings are accepted or rejected according to cultural popularity, personal comfort or contemporary expectations, Scripture ceases to function as the authority over belief. Instead, individual preference becomes the authority over Scripture.
