Posted on 10/26/2020 6:31:50 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
A recent article in The Christian Post discussed findings by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University that found while 61% of American millennials consider themselves to be Christian, just 2% of them were found to hold a biblical worldview. Conducted by Dr. George Barna, the study also reported that just 6% of American adults overall hold a biblical worldview.
“Profoundly disturbing”, said Barna.
While disappointing, I’ll risk having angry arrows rain down on me by saying the low percentage of Christian worldview holders makes complete biblical sense. Let me explain why.
When confronted by numbers showing Christianity being the number one religion in the world, atheists and skeptics will oftentimes counter by saying that’s mostly people checking off a religion box on a survey based on their family history.
Much as we may hate to admit it, they’re right.
The Hellenistic and classical Greeks actually had a word for such a thing: nomizo. The term described a type of faith held only because it was passed along by custom and tradition (e.g. by parents).
That said, plenty of people become Christians who either had or didn’t have a family history in the faith, with the growing church numbers in Communist China and Iran being clear examples of the latter. That kind of faith is described by the Greek term found everywhere in the New Testament, pistis, which comes from the verb peitho that means “to be persuaded”, and denotes trust, confidence, conviction, reliability and something worthy of belief.[1]
While nomizo is never used in the Bible to signify Christian faith, when you have over 60% of a group claiming to be Christian, but only 2% saying they actual believe in bedrock Christian teachings, then a false, nomizo-type faith is likely all they have.
So how does Barna define a biblical worldview? He begins with a belief that absolute moral truths exist, and that such truth is found in the Bible, and then includes doctrines such as God being the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe, which He stills rules today; the Bible being accurate in what it says; Jesus Christ living a sinless life; salvation being a gift from God that cannot be earned; a belief in a literal Satan; and a responsibility of Christians to share their faith.
In a culture where post-truth thinking infects everything, it’s not hard to see how millennials would reject – at minimum – absolute moral truth as well as the Bible being correct in what it teaches. But here’s the thing: when you give even just these two doctrines the heave-ho, instantly you become a person “tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming” (Eph. 4:14).
Definitely not a good place to be and not how the Bible defines a person of faith.
While we have plenty of studies purporting to tell us the sum total of all Christians alive today, what does the Bible say about the number of true believers, both now and for all time?
It says there will be just a few of us.
In His most famous discourse, Jesus said: “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matt. 7:13-14).
It’s interesting to understand what the term ‘few’ in the Greek – oligos – means. It means ‘few’.
Jesus repeats the fact that the actual number of God’s elect will be small when He says, “For many are invited, but few are chosen” (Matt. 22:14), and “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32, my emphasis). Once someone asked Him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to” (Luke 13:23-24).
After all the thousands He preached to, fed, and healed, on the heels of His resurrection the Bible tells us there were only a little over 100 persons gathered together as a believing group (Acts 1:15). I have a strong feeling that after 2,000 years and billions being exposed to the gospel message, the number of actual born-again believers is just as small percentage-wise, much like Paul (quoting Isaiah) said about Israel: “Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved” (Rom. 9:27).
When speaking about His return, Jesus often referred back to the days of Noah and Lot (e.g. Matt. 24). Peter references Noah as well in one of his letters and adds this important fact: “In it [the ark] only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water” (1 Pet. 3:20).
Studies like Arizona Christian University’s that demonstrate how rare it is for a person to hold a biblical worldview remind us that it is likely only a few will actually be saved in eternity and how the majority of people who love darkness rather than light (John 3:19) will be lost.
Don’t let yourself be one of them.
[1] The same is true of the Hebrew term for faith (ěměṯ), which denotes firmness, trustworthiness, constancy, duration and truth.
This is nothing new. Christ denounced the churches in Thyatira, Sardis and Laodicea for this same thing.
I think the number of biblical worldview Christians is greater than 6% but the number of causal Christians far outweighs it.
But God told me that my abortion was acceptable to him, that’s after he told me that it was OK to move in with Johnny.
After all, he wants me to be happy. Just like he told my friends Jim and Paul that their relationship was OK with him. God told me that himself.
Now, I don’t go to church, I’m spiritual and commune with God during our long walks on the beach.
All sarcasm if you weren’t sure.
I’m reminded of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. God agrees to spare them if Abraham can find 10 righteous people.
Their power and influence is such that it doesn’t take many to keep a society from being destroyed - or destroying itself.
He definitely rebuked them, but their believers in those churches.
When you believe in nothing, you will believe anything.
Not surprising, but Islam sure is growing and will be the only “counterbalance” to atheism in the future.
I’m not sure about this 2% figure, but I’ll buy that the majority of most church congregations are made up of these weak “cultural” Christians who treat church as a social club. Being a believer is beginning to feel more and more like a lonely journey.
Given the current social climate I think the “true” church will be moving underground soon.
There are a remnant of believers in most churches.
“61% of American millennials consider themselves to be Christian,”
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That percent seems a bit on the high side.
“just 2% of them were found to hold a biblical worldview.”
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Ironically enough, the “holding a biblical worldview” criteria for deciding salvation isn’t biblical. The gospel is pretty simple.
RE: The gospel is pretty simple.
Yes, but where do you find the gospel?
You’re building yourself a circular reasoning catch-22 there.
Now, I don’t go to church, I’m spiritual and commune with God during our long walks on the beach.
All sarcasm if you weren’t sure.
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I totally agree with this. I find time everyday to speak with God trough prayer. If cutting grass, driving in my car, walking in my woods or sitting in my lazy boy I speak with God and give thanks and praise to our Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit and my Guardian Angle. Works for me and I feel good about myself! Praise be to God!!
Articles like this one do more harm than good and are aimed, I believe, at reducing votes this season, since 'all true Scotsmen ...' well, you get the picture.
There are an uncountable number of people who have done what GOD requires, as recorded in John's Gospel: 6:28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”
29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”
At this point Jesus had not withdrawn the offer of the Kingdom, so He is addressing Jews, possibly most of whom would reject Him and cry out for His execution soon. So we may concluded that what GOD requires is so simple that it is GOD Who does the doing once one believes, for surely the Jews in attendance had been stumbling along under the Law and Jesus tells them to just believe.
Now 'pistis' is an action word derived, so believing is an active function, but that should not be construed to mean following sacraments and rituals, for the Jews had that going for them when Jesus told them to believe. The ONLY work God requires is to actively believe.
My guess as to the number GOD will snatch away soon in the great disappearance departure to The Father's House is around fifteen to thirty percent of the American population. That is the percent I believe call upon the Lord when times are tough, and that is the active part of 'pistis' ...
RE: You’re building yourself a circular reasoning catch-22 there.
Not if you say that a Christian is someone who accepts Jesus as LORD and SAVIOR.
The problem with so many “Christians” (note the quotes), is they want Him to save them from their sins but will not submit to His Lordship.
I have seen many self-professed Christians who continue to fornicate and support abortion ( when a woman conceives ) without any regrets. But yeah,they go to church and worship.
Simply asking Him to save you without repenting and having a change of heart is NOT the gospel.
And yes, that’s in the Bible and if you understand it, it is NOT circular because the gospel *IS* in the Bible.
It is a way of pride and virtue signaling.
There are far more than 2% Christians in the USA.
My opinion, using “a belief in a literal Satan” as a criteria for being a true Christian is hogwash, and negates any conclusions which can be drawn from this supposed study.
Satan is temptation and selfishness personified. Whether or not a person attrubutes these traits to a person has no bearing on his or her right to be considered a Chrtistian.
The criterion makes this study garbage.
Depends on how you define “Christian.”
We are not saved by a “biblical worldview.”
We are saved by Christ.
You’re not a Christian if you’ve got it all together.
You’re a Christian if you follow Christ, if you value him as your Savior and your Lord. That’s what a Christian is — a Christ follower.
... is a crock of BS, and the Barna character is an evil POS.
In the USA, there is no religious "authority" except God, as each individual chooses to worship, or not, as the individual sees fit.
The number that think there are multiple paths to heaven is surprisingly high.
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