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.
Wow, I would say the vast majority of saints would disagree with that statement. Praying to God is more important than reading in of itself. I am aware of Scripture scholars who are quite competent on phrases and verses in Scripture, but don't apply it to their lives. Reading itself is not the single most important thing we can do.
According to such as St. Francis, prayer, not Scripture reading, is what leads us to humility and obedience to God.
I believe you're wrong about Saints thinking Prayer is more important than reading the Word. Of course prayer is extremely important, but you cannot live a Godly life without knowing what God's Word says. When people get out of the Word, they often fall away from the Faith. God says to study the Word to show ourselves approved.
As far as people quoting Scripture in verses, I've heard people like John Kerry quoting Scripture in verses, but I would bet my life that he has NO understanding of what he's reading.
I agree with you that baptism is not necessary for salvation. However, it is the first command to the Christian.
If the Christian fails to be obedient to this first command, it does raise the question of whether that person has truly accepted the Lord as savior and repented. There are of course medical reasons why a person might not be baptised. And I suppose that there may be other reasons that a person who has truly repented and placed their trust in Jesus might not be baptised such as lack of knowledge, but they are few and far between.
But becoming Christian does not usually make one fully obedient. God gave us many commands. It takes a lot of soul searching to become fully obedient.
It is impossible to have a Catholic world view and not have a biblical world view, since the bible is a Catholic book. Sadly, many people who identify themselves as Catholic have neither. OK, flame away.
"Of course prayer is extremely important, but you cannot live a Godly life without knowing what God's Word says. When people get out of the Word, they often fall away from the Faith. God says to study the Word to show ourselves approved."
It depends what you mean by "Word"! There are many saints who never read a word in their lives, yet were more holy than the two of us put together. Reading is not a requirement for salvation. Christ prayed more than He read. ("He prayed all night". Not "He read all night")Conversation with God does not exclude Bible reading, of course. But ONLY by conversing with God can we grow in knowledge and mature in our Christianity. You are also forgetting that the Word comes to us by hearing - through preaching, not by reading.
I believe that Scripture is an excellent medium to come to God. I read it daily. Scripture has always been held in reverance by the Church and it helps us to understand God and His Gospel. However, as your example of Kerry plainly shows, citing Scripture and reading it does not necessarily yield a fruitful life that God calls of us.
It doesn't follow that reading Scripture leads one to become holy. This comes from prayer. The witness of the saints are clear on this time and time again.
Regards
"The only "Christian doctrine" is indeed Scripture."
???
I always thought we worshipped Christ risen from the dead. When did Scripture become the center of Christianity?
by the way, who told you that all of those books of the New Testament were Scripture?
Regards
Bling, bling, bling. Wrong statement!
Was the thief on the cross baptized? If so, when?
The best proof of the article is what this thread has become.Christians and the lost alike do not like to see themselves in a mirror.It is easier to fall back on theological debates and nitpicking over Baptism or prayer vs. scripture than it is to consider the possibilty that we personnaly don't have a Christian World View.
These numbers don't surprise me a bit.
Count me as 1 out of the l1
But the leaders have the ability and power because the People believe in the righteousness of the State. Once that belief is gone especially among the leadership the state becomes powerless just as happened in the USSR.
Our friends are pissin' and moaning about impeachment and seething over the Judicial nominees being shoved down their traitorous throats.
Our friends are pissin' and moaning about impeachment and seething over the Judicial nominees being shoved down their traitorous throats.
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They are scum. They stink just like what they are -- I hope the ignorant sector of this nation is getting a real kisser full of it...
If "Christian World View" does not have an absolute fixed definition, how can anyone determine if they have one?
I do not think arguing over the necessity of baptism is "nitpicking" either. Truth is the only thing worth arguing about.
Santa Claus.
Regards
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