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<\/source><\/picture>WASHINGTON \u2014 A noted researcher is attributing societal problems in the United States to a transition from a \u201cbiblical worldview to alternative philosophies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Prominent Christian researcher George Barna spoke at the Family Research Council\u2019s Pray, Vote, Stand Summit Friday, discussing his new book Raising Spiritual Champions: Nurturing Your Child\u2019s Heart, Mind, and Soul<\/em><\/a>. He began his speech by warning that the challenges facing American society stem from \u201cour transition from the biblical worldview to alternative philosophies,\u201d identifying \u201cour societal problems\u201d as \u201cthe symptoms of that shift.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe only true social crisis is a worldview crisis. The result is a paucity of Jesus’ disciples. We treat the symptoms rather than the cause of the crisis,\u201d Barna asserted, outlining statistics often used to refute the idea that there is a worldview crisis in America.<\/p>\n Specifically, Barna documented that there are 174 million self-identified Christians that constitute 68% of the country, 90 million theologically-defined born-again Christians that account for 35% of the population, 128 million Christians who believe in the existence of the God of Israel that make up 50% of the population, 84 million who go to a Christian church once a week that account for 33% of the population, and 46 million self-identified Christians that are deeply committed to their faith that add up to 18% of the population.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNone of these things constitute what a disciple is,\u201d he said. Barna also rejected the definition of a disciple as a good person, noting that all people are sinners. He had a similar rebuttal to the definition of a disciple as someone who believes in God, stressing that Satan and demons believe in God as well. Reacting to the definition of a disciple as someone who attends church, he emphasized that Christians have an obligation to \u201cbe the church\u201d rather than just go to church.\u00a0<\/p>\n Barna also pushed back on the idea that anyone with a Christian upbringing is a disciple, insisting that \u201cdiscipleship is not inherited.\u201d He pointed to examples of Jesus directly defining the term \u201cdisciple\u201d in the Bible, including in John 8:31<\/a>, which calls on disciples to obey Jesus\u2019 teachings. Additional passages cited by Barna as illustrative of what constitutes a disciple include John 13:35<\/a>, which instructs disciples to love other disciples, and John 15:8<\/a>, which orders disciples to produce spiritual fruit.\u00a0<\/p>\n Barna also discussed demands made on disciples in the Gospel of Luke, which include orders to love God beyond all else, submit to God\u2019s authority and fully surrender to God. He ultimately defined a disciple as \u201csomeone who lives like Jesus because they think like Jesus.\u201d The researcher concluded that \u201cmost people do not act like Christ because they do not think like Him.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTo consistently think like Jesus, you need a biblical worldview \u2014 the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual filter that enables you to consistently and confidently make the decisions that He would make,\u201d Barna added. He maintained that a lack of a biblical worldview among parents poses problems for their children, sharing statistics finding that \u201cless than 1 percent of adolescents and teens are on track to have a biblical worldview.\u201d<\/p>\n Barna contended that the biggest mistakes parents make when it comes to instilling a worldview in their children include prioritizing \u201cacademic achievement, emotional happiness, and good health\u201d over \u201cworldview development\u201d as well as failure to form a \u201cplan for their child\u2019s spiritual development\u201d or \u201cobjective measurements of their child\u2019s worldview.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The researcher detailed how parents want their children to be \u201ca good person\u201d as opposed to a \u201cdisciple,\u201d adding that parents are \u201cnot leaving their faith up to God\u201d but \u201cleaving it up to chance.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to lamenting the fact that just 2% of parents with children younger than 13 have a biblical worldview, Barna also discussed the impact of the absence of a biblical worldview among pastors.<\/p>\n According to Barna, \u201cMost pastors neither have a biblical worldview nor are committed to biblical worldview development.\u201d He expressed concern that while a \u201clarge majority of Protestant pastors think they are doing an excellent or very good job of developing congregants\u2019 worldview,\u201d many \u201csenior pastors confuse transmitting information through preaching with discipleship founded on a strategic worldview development process.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cChildren\u2019s pastors confuse family satisfaction, generic Bible exposure, and habitual attendance with effective child discipleship,\u201d he warned. In addition to decrying a widespread failure of pastors to \u201cequip parents to develop their child\u2019s worldview,\u201d he explained that \u201cvery few churches have a meaningful worldview assessment process to gauge how their people are doing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Throughout his remarks, Barna cited his book as an effective resource to help parents formulate a biblical worldview in their children and thereby reverse the embrace of worldviews other than a biblical worldview that have led to negative consequences for American society.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n