Worldviews of "Christians"

by Mary Ann Collins
June 5, 2010

"...do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.... Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good." Romans 12:2, 9

According to a 2009 Gallop poll, 78% of Americans call themselves Christians.[1] That sounds good until you ask what they mean by "Christian."

According to a 2009 Barna poll, only nine percent of Americans have a Biblical worldview. Among Americans who call themselves born-again Christians, only 19 percent have a Biblical worldview. Among young American adults (ages 18 to 23) only one-half of one percent have a Biblical worldview.[2]

Barna defines a Biblical worldview as believing the following:

Absolute moral truth exists.

The Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches.

Satan is real, not merely symbolic.

People cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works.

Jesus Christ [Son of God] lived a sinless life on earth.

God [Father, Son and Holy Spirit] is the all-knowing, all-powerful Creator of the world who rules the universe today.

The ideas of Eastern religions have been gaining ground. The Pew Research Center reports that 22 percent of Americans who call themselves Christians believe in reincarnation. In addition, 23 percent of people who call themselves Christians believe in astrology.[3]

Compare that to only nine percent of Americans who have a Biblical worldview. As you can see from the above statistics, our nation is literally forgetting God. Look at what Jeremiah says about people who forsake or forget God:

"My people have changed their Glory for what does not profit.
Be astonished, O heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid....
For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters,
And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water." (Jeremiah 2:11-13)

And what are we seeing in the daily news? Citizens and politicians who prefer broken cisterns [the "wisdom" of this world] to the Living God -- who lean heavily on the deceptive ideologies and changeable theories of worldly "experts" and dismiss the only pathway to true joy and lasting victory.

But those who trust God are citizens of Heaven. They are in the world but "not of the world," therefore they don't belong to this corrupt earth-bound system. As Jesus said,

“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." (John 15:18-20)

Our hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are NOT at the mercy of this world, because God is far greater. He is more than able to make EVERYTHING work out for the long-term, eternal good of those who love Him. (Romans 8:28) We may have to endure hardship and suffering for a while, but the end results will be more than worth it.

"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

NOTES:

1. Gallop's article about their 2009 poll. www.gallup.com/poll/124793/this-christmas-78-americans-identify-christian.aspx

2. George Barna's article about their 2009 survey of worldviews of people who call themselves Christians.www.barna.org/barna-update/article/12-faithspirituality/252-barna-survey-examines-changes-in-worldview-among-christians-over-the-past-13-years

3. Pew Research, "Many Americans Mix Multiple Faiths: Eastern, New Age Beliefs Widespread." http://pewforum.org/Other-Beliefs-and-Practices/Many-Americans-Mix-Multiple-Faiths.aspxHome| Preparing for Victory | Index of Scriptures | shepherd.to