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How do you see the world? How many Americans have a Biblical worldview and why does this matter? We will explain the reasons why it matters and what we can do to make sure we, along with our family, learn this Biblical worldview. George Barna, with the Barna Group, speaks on Bishop Harry Jackson’s program The Hope Connection and explains what a Biblical worldview is and shows us where the world is at with it.
As a believer it is important that we have the right worldview. Many people get their worldview from what they see celebrities doing or maybe secular media and this is not the right way to gain that view! This will have eternal consequences. The numbers are astonishing that George shares about the world and where it is at with a Biblical worldview and it is sad. Bishop Jackson asks the question to George to measure where the Church is today and how much of the Church has a Biblical worldview.
“One of the things we need to look at is, is the Christian Church in America having influence on the way that people think and behave?” He says that one way to find the answer is to find out how many people have a Biblical worldview. “The Church is about teaching the truths of God and helping people incorporate those into their life, that is what a Biblical worldview does. That worldview is something that everybody has because it helps us make sense of the world and to know how to respond to it. But not everybody has a Biblical worldview.” George continues to share how they finished a study to see how many people actually have a Biblical worldview in America. “Only 10% of adults in America have a Biblical worldview and that’s really about the integration of beliefs and behavior into a lifestyle that imitates Christ.”
Then he looks at things generationally and the numbers progressively get lower. “The boomer and the builder generations in America, the people that are 50 and older, 16% have a Biblical worldview. If we look at the next younger generation, the baby buster or Gen X what we find is that only 7% of them have a biblical worldview. But then when we look at the millennial generation, adults who are 18-30 years of age, only 4% have a Biblical worldview.”
No matter who you are you have a worldview! It is the lens in which we interpret the world. So, we need to ask ourselves what is our worldview? When we say a Biblical worldview that is a God view and only 10% of adults in America have this God view of the world. Everything has been created by God, yet most Americans do not even recognize this according to these numbers!
“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.”
Colossians 1:16
Even us being able to breathe is because God is allowing that. It has been said that the most important thing about a person is what they think about God. If we don’t think that Jesus is the Son of God and have Him as the Lord of our lives, then we will suffer for that eternally in hell!
America can be a nation that influences the world for Christ because we have a large population of approximately 330 million people. The Bible is one of our nations founding documents as researched by David Barton of Wallbuilders. At the same time the world is not wanting people to know that the Bible is a founding document as this program showing that the Bible is a founding document was removed from online once we posted it! But we can’t remove God from the founding of America no matter how hard people try.
George defines a Biblical worldview as “the integrations between beliefs and behaviors into a lifestyle that imitates Christ.” This is pointing out that we can say that we follow Christ and say that we do what the Bible tells us to but until our actions match what we are saying then that is not really happening, and we don’t have a Biblical worldview. And we may not even be saved! An example would be when someone privately prays at home over their food, goes out to eat but does not pray over their food it means they have a different worldview when out in public. People know us by our fruit!
Jesus said, “Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” Matthew 7:17-20
By the time a child is 13 years old they have established their worldview and a child starts learning their worldview at 18 months of age! As parents we need to have our children in a fellowship that teaches them Biblical truths as they grow to help them learn the correct worldview. Also, as parents we are teaching them at home how to see the world so we ourselves need to be living out the Biblical worldview in front of them consistently. This would be a life of imitating Christ, following the Lord not just in word but in actions as well.
George continues to unpack what a worldview is. “All we are trying to do is to understand a person’s worldview which is what helps you to make your decisions. It’s the filter that you take into daily life…it defines for you what you believe to be good or bad, right or wrong, significant or insignificant. It helps you make the choices that you can make from moment to moment. And what we are suggesting is that God knew we would be making those choices and so He gave us His Word that gives us many many principles about how to think so we make appropriate choices.” This is not complicated it is Bible 101!
In this research by the Barna Group they asked some very simple questions.
- DO YOU BELIEVE THE BIBLE IS TRUE IN ALL THE LIFE PRINCIPLES IT TEACHES?
- DO YOU BELIEVE THAT JESUS LIVED THE SINLESS LIFE?
- DO YOU BELIEVE THAT SATAN EXIST OR IS HE JUST A SYMBOL OF EVIL?
- DO YOU BELIEVE THE HOLY SPIRIT EXIST OR IS IT JUST A SYMBOL OF GOD’S PRESENCE OR PURITY?
- WHAT DO YOU BELIEVE THE BEST INDICATOR OF SUCCESS IN LIFE IS?
THEY GAVE THEM 9 DIFFERENT CHOICES-HERE ARE FOUR
- ITS ABOUT ADVANCEMENT IN MY CAREER.
- ITS ABOUT WHAT I AM ABLE TO BUY OR ACQUIRE
- ITS ABOUT MY PERSONAL HAPPINESS
- ITS ABOUT MY COMMITMENT AND OBEDIENCE TO GOD.
19% SAID ITS ABOUT MY COMMITMENT AND OBEDIENCE TO GOD.
This response is from Americans in general and it reveals that it is true that most Americans do not have a Biblical worldview. George compares the difference in the numbers between those who go to Church and those who do not. “We don’t see all that much difference in the behaviors of the two groups. It is because they think the same.” This reveals that regular Church attenders are not applying to their lives what they are hearing from their Pastors. It is like what James wrote about in the Bible, that it is like forgetting what you look like.
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” James 1:22-25
God has blessings in store for His creation, but it is about spending time with the Lord and applying what we learn about Him to our lives. Maybe you do not know how to spend time with the Lord, we have a free plan for you at iAbide that will guide you through your time with the Lord. Get your free plan here and start spending time with Jesus today! We must get the Word of God in our life, our home, in our workplace, everywhere that we go!
At VFNKB this is why we talk about the importance of bringing Jesus and a Biblical worldview into each mountain of culture! When we spend time with the Lord and have His Word in us then we are able to bring Him into our mountain that we are called to and can influence that mountain for Him and bring others to the Lord as well. Know that no matter your age it is not too late to learn a Biblical worldview! God will reveal Himself to you and help to change your worldview as you spend time with Him. If you do not know Jesus as the Lord of your life you can make that decision today and start learning this new worldview. You can read our stories of how we made that decision at Meet My Father. What do you think about this Biblical worldview? We want to hear from you, write to us at [email protected]. Greg and John shared in this segment.
Courtesy of Storyblocks.com
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