By TIM BARTO
We all have a lens through which we see the world; this is known as our worldview.
There is something remarkable going on in the United States: The trending worldview is non-Christian, even among Christians.
The Family Research Council’s Center for Biblical Worldview studies this topic in depth, and Senior Research Fellow George Barna conducted a major survey that looked at how Americans see the world. The results are quite fascinating, if not alarming.
Take a look at these basic findings:
- 51% of American adults think they have a Biblical worldview, when – according to their answers to the survey – only 6% actually do.
- Only 31% feel it’s very important for their religious faith to influence every aspect of their lives.
- Of those who consider themselves Christians, only 68% think they have a Biblical worldview, but only 9% provided answers that indicated they actually have a Biblical worldview.
So, the concern for American society is not just that society in general is non-Biblically based, but that even a majority of self-identified Christians do not see the world through the book on which their faith is based.
This probably comes as no surprise to those who witness our society crumbling on an almost daily basis. The line separating boys from girls, and men from women, is being blurred, dissipated, and mocked. Public school administrators and board members defend stocking library shelves with sexually explicit books. Parental rights are superseded by enlightened government officials. The number of sex partners one has is laughed away as a person’s “body count.”
And, of course, claiming a pre-born baby is worthy of respect and life is labeled “fascist” and part of the patriarchy that needs to be smashed.
The list goes on and reveals the fact that religion is decreasingly important in our country. As moral relativism increases, religious practice decreases. According to the American Survey Center, Gen Z is the least religious group of people in our country’s history, a strong indication that worldviews will continue to be more likely influenced by pop culture, Hollywood, and public educators. Gen Z is less influenced by church attendance and religious-based teaching.
According to David Closson, Director of the Center for Biblical Worldview, there is hope in these survey findings. For those who see themselves as having faith but whose worldviews are skewed by secular philosophies, Closson sees an opportunity to open their eyes to what the world actually looks like when viewed through the lens of the Good Book.
Closson and his colleague, Joseph Backholm, Senior Fellow with Biblical Worldview and Strategic Engagement, are so committed to teaching people –- including pastors and church leaders –- about Biblical worldview, that they are traveling the country doing so. They will be in Alaska next week; in Sterling on Oct. 29, Chugiak on Oct. 30, and Palmer on Oct. 31. If you’re interested in attending one of their presentations, visit Alaska Family Council.
Tim Barto is a regular contributor to Must Read Alaska, and vice president of Alaska Family Council.
Nothing you can do about it. It will get way worse if you believe in the prophecy. All you can do is help the ones helpable and pray for the others.
My God is infinite time and space that that has no beginning and no end and that nobody created because it has always been., infinite number of stars, planets, galaxies and even universes that come and go infinitely.
There may be a scientific way we are reborn and die again in an infinite number of lives.
It is best that we live and let live and defend life as much as we can.
“The trending worldview is non-Christian, even among Christians.”. Reminds me of a brief conversation yesterday with a pair of fellow believers. What was on my mind? My Fairbanks pastor’s latest trip to India and United Arab Emirates to preach the gospel. What was on their mind? Whatever minutiae/trivia they consumed from the (s)nooz about the presidential election.
Thus is the nature of progress. There was a time when religious views existed largely to answer the unanswerable.
Now that we have learned how the world works and our own role it’s no longer important that we invent a solution for tidal movement, earthquakes, storms, famine, pestilence, war, seasonal changes or even death.
For thousands of years man has created gods in his own image and many have made mountains of money claiming the reverse were true. Ask yourself though; what is the likelihood that anyone will believe any of that nonsense in a couple hundred years? If it makes anyone feel better, believe away. To claim however, that your belief system is what all others should accept as well is the first step toward parasitic manipulation of the masses. A step previously taken and which is being corrected in the actions presented in this article.
Hanuman the Monkey God would be concerned about the content of your article. So would YHWH, Batman, one particular magical dead jew, The Amazing Hulk and a host of other fantastical characters that popped from a long since dried ink well a la Cocoa the Clown.
Do you realize you just committed blasphemy? And that is one of the deadly sins that is never forgivable.I pity you.
Sin is a religious construct. I am not religious therefore I have never sinned.
Please try Sheppards chapel on dish channel 256 or online our team, the true word will jaw drop you, then please pass it forward. Revere GOD talk to JESUS daily.
It appears you have never come to understanding of where your genetic code may have came from? Hint one: it didn’t self assembled, anymore than the operating system on this digital device spontaneously combusted onto the hardware. Hint two: both were intelligent design. Hint three: you are either seeking the truth, or seeking results in your life, and looks like in your case, the latter
So only 9% subscribe to a Taliban style view of Christianity. That’s encouraging