The Barna Group, which is like the U2 of the Christian statistics world, published a recent finding that 1% of young adults and 9% of all adults hold a Biblical Worldview.
Interesting.
The first thing I need to do is to define what a Biblical Worldview is. From the Barna Group, a Biblical Worldview is defined… as believing that absolute moral truth exists; the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches; Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic; a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works; Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today.
This seems like some drastic information. Does it surprise you? (this would be a great question to leave a comment about…hint, hint)
For me, yes and no. It has been apparent to me that our culture has been shifting over the past few decades. Our world is just looking different. Pluralism is a reality. So, it does not surprise me that the numbers are low.
Nevertheless, within the Christian world, completely following Barna’s definition has become more and more difficult for people. The two areas of his definition that are most troubling are a belief in Satan as a real being or force and that persons cannot earn their way into heaven. These two are not surprising either.
Satan.
Interesting.
The first thing I need to do is to define what a Biblical Worldview is. From the Barna Group, a Biblical Worldview is defined… as believing that absolute moral truth exists; the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches; Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic; a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works; Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today.
This seems like some drastic information. Does it surprise you? (this would be a great question to leave a comment about…hint, hint)
For me, yes and no. It has been apparent to me that our culture has been shifting over the past few decades. Our world is just looking different. Pluralism is a reality. So, it does not surprise me that the numbers are low.
Nevertheless, within the Christian world, completely following Barna’s definition has become more and more difficult for people. The two areas of his definition that are most troubling are a belief in Satan as a real being or force and that persons cannot earn their way into heaven. These two are not surprising either.
Satan.
The actuality of a being, comprised of full evil, that is alive to tempt and sway us into sin seems contrived to many. The characterization of this force through movies and even in the Christian world, has made Satan look like a cartoon character, separated and almost playful. Many communities relay information about Satan as this outside force of evil, almost never naming him/her. So, to come out and say that Satan is a being could be hard for many.
The other area, earning ones way into heaven, has always been a large struggle for people of the Christian faith. Almost embedded into our humanity is this deserved righteousness, through our actions. From the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, this has been the tremendous struggle between Catholics and Protestants. So, to come out completely and say that salvation is a gift through faith can be quite a leap as well.
Even with these difficult realities, I am surprised that only 1% the younger generation holds this view completely. That seems quite low.
I guess I see two larger questions coming to my mind…First, what does the changing landscape of America say about the Christian faith today? Second, are we still able to be in relationship, pursue God and love people who hold differing views than our own?
For the full article, you can follow this link http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/21-transformation/252-barna-survey-examines-changes-in-worldview-among-christians-over-the-past-13-years...wow, that is a long link :)
Grace and Peace!
Micah
The other area, earning ones way into heaven, has always been a large struggle for people of the Christian faith. Almost embedded into our humanity is this deserved righteousness, through our actions. From the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, this has been the tremendous struggle between Catholics and Protestants. So, to come out completely and say that salvation is a gift through faith can be quite a leap as well.
Even with these difficult realities, I am surprised that only 1% the younger generation holds this view completely. That seems quite low.
I guess I see two larger questions coming to my mind…First, what does the changing landscape of America say about the Christian faith today? Second, are we still able to be in relationship, pursue God and love people who hold differing views than our own?
For the full article, you can follow this link http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/21-transformation/252-barna-survey-examines-changes-in-worldview-among-christians-over-the-past-13-years...wow, that is a long link :)
Grace and Peace!
Micah
Does it make you wonder how our congretation would fit with these findings?
ReplyDeleteI guess I am amazed at how low the numbers are-though I think the definition of biblical worldview is extremely rigid. One piece of Barna's definition about earning one's way into heaven is so extreme that it seemingly negates one's charge to live by the "golden rule" or follow the ten commandments (through the eyes of a non-beliver). Also, not being a theologian by ANY strectch, did Jesus live a sinless life on Earth??? I always thought of him being pretty human when he was here and that was part of the reason for him being here-tobe more like us so that we could be certain that he understood our lives. I don't know, what does anyone else think??? :)
ReplyDeleteI also think it would be interesting to see where our congregation fits into this definition. Barna's definition is compatible with most Christian doctrines, and with our Methodist beliefs too. Most denominations do not necessitate people who attend to believe all of these certain doctrines, yet, they do teach and preach these ideas.
ReplyDeleteIn reference to Jesus living a sinless life, that is a belief most people hold about Jesus. Jesus, being fully God, came to Earth and lived a perfect life, without sin. He went to the cross, innocent, and died to free us from our sins. Yes, Jesus was human, experiencing all of our own struggles, but he conquered this human life by living without sinning. (Hebrews 4:15 and many other places too)
Although it might seem to negate following the Golden Rule, the gift of salvation is highly held belief in Protestant theology. Jesus did the work of salvatin on the cross and we get to live into this work by following the teachings of Jesus.
So, all of these beliefs are deeply rooted theological perspectives, and yet they are things we believe here at our church. There are many resources to read and work through which will draw us deeper into conversation about what Jesus has done and is doing within us. Still, we really believe that you should feel free to explore and look deeper into who God is and how He works in the world, and not feel constrained to follow this perspective about God that Barna has given in this article. If we all don't agree, that is ok!
Grace and Peace,
Micah
I found this to be sad because it is so unsurprising to me. Self-reliance and self-discipline have taken over where people used to rely on God and Godly people. It is now a sign of weakness to give credit to anyone but yourself for not only your successes but your failures. Personal responsibilty is now the focus from your day of birth until your day of death.
ReplyDeleteEd recently spoke on seeing the Kingdom of God in the things that we are surrounded by here on earth. I certainly see God in my friends and family and things that happen all around me. I also see Satan and his influences on a daily basis. I absolutely attribute many evil things of this earth to his name. Yet, every day I see and talk to people who think that if they believe in God and are generally good people they will go to Heaven. Those very same people are always the first to question God's role in the "bad things" of this world. They are more than happy to believe in God, completely ignore the blood of Jesus, and pretend that Satan is a scapegoat for God "allowing" bad things to happen.
I have made it my personal mission in life to be the Kingdom to other people. I would love to be able to do it in the sinless manner that Jesus accomplished it but I will have to suffice with the best that I can give. The greatest example of this is not only following the Golden Rule but truly living it beyond what society would deem acceptable as "doing onto others." Make the stretch and do what you would want God "to do unto you." It is by our example that we can show people the truth.
I think a lot of people are trying to water down the Christian faith to avoid being seen as a "Bible-thumping radical." Anytime we see a public figure step forward with strong Christian values and strong Christian beliefs our society, lead by the media, writes them off as extremists. As a result, I've heard young people actually say "I'm a Christian, but I'm not like them."
ReplyDeleteI think the challenge is in the face of ridicule and labeling, we need to be unwaivering and we have to try to motivate other Christians to do the same.