Posted on 06/09/2005 12:03:02 PM PDT by Rytwyng
Radio evangelist Chuck Baldwin, WorldNetDaily, and Whistleblower magazine have recently revisited findings by Christian opinion researcher George Barna that only 9% of born-again Christians have a Biblical perspective on life. “The problem with America’s Christianity today is that, for the most part, it doesn’t exist!” Baldwin said, in a June 1 broadcast.
We should revisit these figures too. They first appeared in a Barna Update December 1, 2003: “A Biblical Worldview Has a Radical Effect on a Person’s Life.”[1] Barna defined a Biblical worldview as belief in eight propositions:
Absolute moral truths exist. The Bible defines moral truth. Jesus Christ lived a sinless life. God is the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe, and He rules it today. Salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned. Satan is real. Christians have a responsibility to share their faith in Christ with others. The Bible is accurate in all its teachings. What Does It Mean? “People’s views on morally acceptable behavior are deeply impacted by their worldview,” Barna wrote.
In general, he found, people who do not have a Biblical worldview are much more likely than those who do have a Biblical worldview to condone or engage in immoral behavior: cohabitation, drunkenness, homosexual activity, adultery, profanity, voluntary exposure to pornography, abortion, and gambling. For example, those who held a non-Biblical worldview were 31 times more likely to accept cohabitation than the Biblically faithful.
Nondenominational Protestant churches yielded the highest percentage of persons with a Biblical worldview (13%), with Pentecostal churches next (10%), and Baptists third (8%). Mainline Protestant churches (2%) and Catholics (1%) brought up the rear.
“The results are shocking!” Baldwin said.
Given the prevalence of the non-Biblical worldview — in a country in which 80% of the people call themselves Christians — is it surprising that our entertainment industry cranks out smut? That our public schools teach moral relativism and hold “workshops” to teach children how to perform aberrant sex acts? That our politicians, judges, and business leaders aren’t much better?
Shocking, maybe. Distressing, to be sure. Thou Shalt Not Panic Let’s not panic. As bad as these statistics are, we who do have a Biblical worldview know that Christ sits enthroned at the right hand of the Father. All power in heaven and earth is given to Him (Matt. 28:18). His enemies shall be made His footstool (Ps. 110:1; Acts 2:34–35). Every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess Him Lord (Phil. 2:10–11). That is the end to which God has directed all of history. That is the message of the whole Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.
God’s Word is about truth, not self-esteem. Rather than be demoralized by findings like Barna’s, we should take them as indicators of where we are as a nation and where we need to go.
Acquiring a Biblical Worldview If America wanted to be a Godless nation, there would not have been such a decisive “values vote” in the 2004 election. Support for abortion would not be slipping in poll after poll. Eleven out of 11 states would not have amended their constitutions to block “gay marriage.” Mainline denominations would not be losing droves of members to Biblically faithful churches.
These are indications that more Americans would like to adopt a Biblical worldview. Speaking as someone who for much of his adult life did not have a Biblical outlook, my biggest problem was that I didn’t know I had a problem.
How do you acquire a Biblical worldview?
Read the Bible every day, making it an indispensable part of your daily routine — like getting dressed. It’s good to read about the Bible, to take a Bible study course, and to listen to Bible teachers, but there’s no substitute for the Bible itself. God will speak to you through His Scriptures — if you listen. Get into the habit of measuring all things by how they stack up against the Scriptures. To be able to do that, you have to acquire the familiarity with the Bible that comes with daily reading. Don’t ask, “What would Jesus do?” You don’t know because you’re not Jesus. Ask instead, “What does the Bible say?” This is the standard used by Jesus Himself and by His apostles (Rom. 4:3; Gal. 4:30). Strengthen your prayer life. Prayer is how you connect with God, person to Person. “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10; Ps. 53:3); this means you, and everyone. We need God’s grace in our lives. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). No one else can pick us up when we stumble. No one else can help us to do better. There’s Hope Barna has reported one sign that more Americans are already trying to acquire a Biblical worldview. In an April 11, 2005 Barna Update, he found that 45% of adults in America read the Bible during a typical week — “a significant rise from the 31% measured in 1995,” he reported.[2]
A level of 45% still means there’s 55% left to go, and “during a typical week” can be improved to “every day.” Nevertheless, it’s progress — the kind of progress that, in time, ought to mean changes in the more distressing figures.
I did NO SUCH THING. I mentioned it SOLELY in the context of (a) a discussion of my CONTEMPLATING a return to the RC church, and (b) being dismayed at the fact that my tithes, or some portion of them, would them be going to finance the pederasty settlements.
Please READ posts, and the posts leading up to them, before condemning them.
I am well aware that Protestants have homosexuals too. We had to boot one from youth group; he fled the country to avoid arrest.
Thanks for your courteous reply.
Yes, I think we agree on the issue. I just wanted to emphasize that prayer is what we should focus on. I just finished reading St. Bonaventure's "Life of St. Francis".
Here is what Francis has to say on the issue (which is why I brought it up, as I had been reading it while seeing your post!)
"Once the friars asked Francis whether he was pleased that the learned men who had by that time been received into the Order should devote themselves to the study of Sacred Scripture. He replied "I am indeed pleased, as long as they do not neglect application to prayer, after the example of Christ, of whom we read that He prayed more than he read, and as long as they study not only in order to know what they should say but in order to practice what they have heard and when they have put it into practice themselves to propose it to others likewise." (Para 1, Chapter 11)
I think one could multiply such quotes numerous times, regarding the saints, those who have through their lives, most readily put on Christ. It would be most difficult to find someone who emulated Christ more than Francis did, to include receiving the stigmata - a true sign to others that he had indeed become "another Christ".
Regards
"Does TODAY's 'traditions' equal the 'traditions' that the Thessalonians were taught?"
It depends.
Some are and some are not. Catholics themselves are clear on this, that there are Apostolic Traditions that we call "dogma" - unchanging. There are other "doctrines" that can change. An example of the former is the definitions of the Triune God made at Nicea and Chalcedon. An example of the latter would be the rosary devotions or priestly vestments.
Regards
"he is desirous of giving them something that will put them in "rememberance" always of what he has taught them."
Perhaps you are correct. However, it might be anachronistic to assume that Peter is speaking of writing, as if the people of the time could not remember things passed down orally. The people of this era were able to pass down Scripture itself orally (as well as long epics like the Iliad). We live in different times.
Regards
>However, it might be anachronistic to assume that Peter is speaking of writing, as if the people of the time could not remember things passed down orally. The people of this era were able to pass down Scripture itself orally (as well as long epics like the Iliad). We live in different times. <
Yes an oral tradition was important but they were memorizing scripture that had been written down.Their are more copies of early scripture available today than of any other work from the same period.
The words it is written are used 90 times in the NT.I believe God was not just using the Apostles for a season.He was having them transcribe his words with the aid of the Holy Spirit so that we would have them today.
Psst...
She's DEAD!
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.""But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
Then he warned his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"
Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."
This must REALLY come as a surprise to the Jews!!
If your ORAL 'tradition is NOT 'written down', then it is VERY capable of being corrupted, just as the OT writings prove.
My ex-wife didn't.........
:-(
You're not still selling indulgences; are you????
Again, read my lips. I'm not interested in exchanging Bible verses. Sacred Scripture is not self interpreting, and as a non-Catholic, I recognize your authority as zero regarding your interpretation of Sacred Scripture.
So it's still:
HELLO......
Mary is DEAD!
Silly statements???
I didn't WRITE what was posted; merely emphasised the parts that some poeple have ignored for centuries.
The moment you put your trust in Jesus. At that moment, your past, present and future sins are covered by Jesus's offering on the cross. The struggle against sin and to be transformed into the image of Jesus continues but those sins have been forgiven.
Hebrews 10:14 - For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
Can't prove it (or disprove it) by scripture, but that interpretation makes more sense than imagining a healthy young man abstaining all his life (unless you believe the tale of the midwife's hand withering when she touched Mary's private parts, in which case Joseph's abstinence would make perfect sense!)
Re: "Sister Lucia of Fatima pray for us Psst...She's DEAD!"
Yes she is and she can see you right now.
"I believe God was not just using the Apostles for a season.He was having them transcribe his words with the aid of the Holy Spirit so that we would have them today."
I think the Apostles' purpose was much more than mere secretaries of God! If you will recall, the Apostles didn't start writing for AT LEAST ten years after Christ had risen from the dead. What were they doing in the mean time? Also, you are overemphasizing the value of the written word to the individual during early Christianity. Everyone didn't have access to a Bible (or could read it if they were so inclined to purchase one!)
To say that we come to faith by reading the Scriptures is to totally ignore much of Scripture itself, that lays out how the Apostles taught people throughout the Empire that Christ had risen - by word of mouth and deeds, not by pamphlets handed out.
Regards
In order to translate this into "Orthodox", it is useful to think of the statements in the negative. So, the first would be, "Do you agree that there is no such thing as absolute moral truth?" The third would be "Do you agree that Jesus sinned during his earthly life?" The 4th would be "Do you agree that God is not all-powerful, all-knowing, not the Creator of the universe, and that he has no power over creation today?" Etc.
Framed in this way, I think that Orthodox Christians would, if they had to choose a yes or no (rather than go into a discourse on what they think and what the real questions should have been), be more likely to agree than to disagree with most or all of the statements listed.
I speak "evangelical" well enough to know the basic gist of what each of these questions are getting at, in terms of a world-view. I think that if someone spent enough time talking to devout Orthodox Christians about how they see the world and how they live, the originators would come to the conclusion that we have a profoundly Christian world-view, even though we would articulate it using "Orthodox" rather than using "Evangelical Protestant."
Many, if not most, converts to Orthodoxy in America are from conservative Protestant and evangelical traditions. If anything, I think that most would say that their "worldview" has gotten more radically Christian and countercultural (i.e. opposed to the spirit of the age) than it ever was in their strictest evangelical days.
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