People's Perceptions of Easter

The Barna Group recently explored the perception people have of Easter, asking a nationwide representative sample of American adults how they would describe what Easter means to them personally. According to Barna’s research, just two out of every three Americans view Easter as a religious celebration, and only a minority of the adults directly linked Easter to the Christian faith’s belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In all, 42% described Easter in connection with the resurrection or said it signifies the death of Jesus and his return to life. One out of every fifty adults, or 2%, said they would describe Easter as the most important holiday of their faith.

In addition, 2% said Easter is about the birth of Jesus, 2% indicated it was about the “rebirth” of Jesus, and 1% said it celebrates the second coming of Jesus. Another 3% described Easter as a celebration of a spring or pagan holiday. About 13% said they weren’t sure how to describe Easter, and 8% said the holiday means nothing to them or they don’t celebrate the occasion. Others said Easter is about getting friends and family together (4%), spring break (3%), a symbol of new beginnings and renewal (2%), a time to dye and hide eggs (2%), an event for children to have fun (2%), the Easter bunny (1%), an opportunity to enjoy food and candy (1%), and an occasion that is too commercialized (1%).

We might say our culture is much like the one Paul encountered in Athens in the first century, about which we’re told, “When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, ‘We want to hear you again on this subject’” (Acts 17:32).

But the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the bedrock foundation of our faith. As Paul says, “If Christ was not raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your trust in God is useless . . . And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless, and you are still under condemnation for your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ have perished! And if we have hope in Christ only for this life, we are the most miserable people in the world. But the fact is that Christ has been raised from the dead. He has become the first of a great harvest of those who will be raised to life again. So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, Adam, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man, Christ. Everyone dies because all of us are related to Adam, the first man. But all who are related to Christ, the other man, will be given new life . . . ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’ . . . How we thank God, who gives us victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (1 Corinthians 15:14, 17-22, 54-55, 57, NLT).

The Barna Group also examined whether churchgoing adults perceive Easter to be a good time to invite people to attend worship with them. Most active churchgoers said this was a good idea, but only a minority said they would likely ask someone to come to worship with them. We look forward to this Easter Sunday as we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Maybe you might invite someone to come with you. A lot of people around us clearly need to know more about the meaning of Easter.