Empirical Analysis of How Nigerian Christians Understand Salvation: A Cross-Denominational Study

Soteriology, the doctrine of salvation, is the theological centre of Christian faith, yet empirical examination of how ordinary Nigerian Christians across different denominations actually understand salvation reveals significant theological diversity and confusion that formal doctrine does not capture. This study empirically analyses the soteriological understanding of Nigerian Christians across five major denominational traditions, identifying patterns of belief, misunderstanding, and theological syncretism. A mixed-methods design was adopted, combining a 30-item soteriological belief questionnaire administered to 400 adult Christians from Catholic, Anglican, Baptist, Redeemed Christian Church of God, and Deeper Life traditions across Lagos and Abuja, with focus group interviews involving 40 participants discussing their understanding of how a person is saved, what salvation means, and what it requires. Quantitative analysis used thematic coding of open-ended responses and inter-group comparison. Results reveal significant theological diversity, with respondents holding mixtures of grace-alone soteriology, moral improvement frameworks, prosperity-salvation conflation, and sacramental/ritual necessity beliefs often within the same congregation. Denominational teaching is a weak predictor of individual soteriological belief. The study makes an original empirical contribution to Nigerian systematic theology by providing cross-denominational data on lay soteriological understanding, and recommends that churches develop accessible catechetical programmes centred on clear, contextualised presentations of biblical salvation doctrine.

Keywords: soteriology, salvation doctrine, Nigerian Christians, cross-denominational study, empirical theology