Concerning stats

[Jac3510]

This is somewhat concerning:

A Barna Poll last year (Dec. '03) revealed that only 4% of American adults have a biblical worldview, defined as:

. . .believing that absolute moral truths exist; that such truth is defined by the Bible; and firm belief in six specific religious views. Those views were that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life; God is the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe and He stills rules it today; salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned; Satan is real; a Christian has a responsibility to share their faith in Christ with other people; and the Bible is accurate in all of its teachings.

More specifics: you would at least think that the percentage of Christians would be higher, considering that this poll included people of all faiths, right? Not really. Among Christians, only 9% held a biblical worldview. Among specific groups:

Protestants (7%), adults who attend mainline Protestant churches (2%) and Catholics (less than one-half of 1%). The denominations that produced the highest proportions of adults with a biblical worldview were non-denominational Protestant churches (13%), Pentecostal churches (10%) and Baptist churches (8%).

As alarming as this is, it isn't really surprising . . . not so surprising, at least, as the fact that only HALF of American senior pastors hold this worldview--51% to be specific. Southern Baptists were the most likely to have senior pastors with a biblical worldview (71%), with Methodists coming in last at a miserable 21%. Mainline denominations fell in at a sore 28% on average.

Another eye-popper: the pastors most likely to not have a worldview: seminary graduates. Only 45% embraced the position, whereas non-trained pastors came in at around 59%.

I guess I'm not as shocked at the state of the world, right now. Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13). When Christians turn away from their primary source of truth and start borrowing from the secular world for their ideas, this is apparently what happens . . .

So here's the question: do you think this is a problem (I do), and if so, what do you think we can do about it?

[Anonymous]

I agree with you that it is a problem, and that it will continue to get worse.

What can be done?

There are still schools and churches that believe in the fundamentals of the faith, and that teach their members the Word of God in a systematic (word by word, line by line) way that creates a strong and lasting faith. They are not the most popular because they to not cater to the popularist trends, but they are there if one looks.

But regardless, we will each be held accountable for what we have chosen to believe, and how we have elected to put what we know and believe to be true in effect in our lives. Being sincere is not enough. One can be sincere, and sincerely wrong.

So the bottom line is that even those who attend the most liberal of churches can not fall back on the excuse that they did not know any better. We live in a time where the Bible is readily available, in our native language, and we have the giants from ages past that are a mere click of a computer away. Being lazy will not be an excuse for having bad theology.

I relinquish my soapbox....

[fizzzzzzzzzzzy]

Yes of course it's a problem. The best way we can alleviate the problem is by showing people without biblical world views that a biblical world view is right

[Anonymous]

It would be alot easier if those who hold a Biblical worldview lived as if they believed it.

Barna has done an excellent job of documenting over the last decade that while we may claim to have a different worldview than our secular neighbor, we live their lifestyles and accept/embrace/adopt their mores and behviors.

As long as we Christians act as the world acts, where is the rationale for them to turn away and embrace Christ?

[Jac3510]

That certainly is a valid point. It's been said that there are atheism could be viewed in two ways: theoretical and practical. Theoretical atheists actually believe that no god exists, whereas practical atheists simply live as if no god exists.

I'm afraid that many, many Christians fall into that second category! I think that's easy to do when you start to embrace your culture's worldview as "the norm" and, thus, somehow authoritative, even if it's only on a subconscious level. We read the Scriptures from our 21st century perspective, impose on it what we think it ought to mean, and viola, we have a God we can compartmentalize, leading inevitably to practical atheism and the type of things Barna has shown us. We'd do well, I think, to keep reading James, which I think can be summed up this way: "Christian, Put up or shut up!"

c.f. 2 Chron. 7:14

[/soapbox]

[Anonymous]

I think we've pinpointed one of the most prevalant ways that negative stereotypes of Christianity get perpetuated. It's surely one of the reasons my own view of the faith had been very distorted. If the vast majority of "Christians" subscribe to some vague Judeo-Christian creator but nothing more, blabbering about "Jesus was a good moral teacher" and so forth, it makes the truly devout seem like... well, it makes them seem absolutely batty!

The post on theoretical vs. practical atheism spurred on an interesting thought to me, one that's troubled me for a while as a "long time" (hey, 4 years is a long time when it's over 20% of your life!" professed agnostic...

Why is it that most of the so-called "intellectual agnostics," whom base their beliefs on the philosophical impossibility of proving the existence or non-existence of God... fall into that 'practical atheism' category?

Regardless of the 'empty faith' problem with Pascal's wager, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that if you're unsure whether or not you will be held accountable for your actions, and if you are, the consequences are dire... If you're not, no big deal... how can you pretend that living a "life of sin" is the logical, intellectually honest choice? I guess it could come down to a simple probability equation: compare how heavily one believes in X, how much doubt he has, and the consequences of each action... but still, I find it odd that the vast majority of Agnostics I have run into are simply practical atheists who never went to Church as a kid.

Quite simply, there's something attractive about not being held accountable for our actions, our thoughts... and as this poll shows, that's not just present in the atheistic worldview.

The power of the human mind when it comes to rationalization is so very powerful.

And the power of my mind to take a thread, and ramble my way to an almost completely unrelated point is impressive too. You all are lucky: I had four more paragraphs here, rambling about my own experiences with what turned me off to Christianity, and what has been turning me back toward interest in it! I'll spare you. At least in this thread.

[Anonymous]

And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. Mat 8:20

Are you sure that you want to put up or shut up? Are you sure that you want to walk with Jesus - to sell everything you have Mat 19:21 take up your cross and follow him?

Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 2 Tim 3:12

It's real easy to say that we hold the Biblical Christian viewpoint but do our lives match the early followers of Jesus? From the quote above, if we aren't suffering persecution can we conclude that we aren't living a godly life? That's a very interesting and challenging thought! If we had seen the face of Jesus and saw Him raised from the dead would we have any excuse to be living the way we are living now? I think we'd be out there preaching since we could not help but testify of the things we've seen and heard. Do we neglect surrendering our lives 100% to Him simply because we haven't seen and it hasn't hit us like a finger through a hole in Jesus' hand? (see John 20:25)

I'll be the first to admit it: even though I hold a biblical worldview and claim that I'm one of the elite followers of Jesus, I really pale in comparison to His true disciples.

[RGeeB]

If we are of the opinion that we are close to the end times - then we can be assured that we will get opportunities soon to make a clear choice on the issue of a Biblical worldview. Maybe for some it may be a life and death choice.

Persecution will come and we should be mentally prepared for it. Not being persecuted at the current moment does not necessarily mean we are not leading a good Christian life.

I thank God for a comfortable life I'm leading without necessarily having to go against the secular norm on every issue. That's God grace. But, I hope that God prepares us for a tougher future, when it comes.

[Mastermind]

We need a new Christian nation if you asked me. None of this secular democracy crap. I'm gonna buy an island. Who's with me?

[Prodigal Son]

snoogins47:

and the power of my mind to take a thread, and ramble my way to an almost completely unrelated point is impressive too.

that was funny!

[Prodigal Son]

i'm still learning how to give my life 100%. what does this mean to you guys?

[AttentionKMartShoppers]

I call for another revival-one is long past due, let's get those 51% biblical worldview pastors and storm the strongholds of deception! YEEHAW.