Recently, pollster George Barna released his research regarding the beliefs and conduct of today's Christians. The results are shocking! According to Barna, only 9% of America's born again Christians have a Biblical worldview. Only 9%!
To determine a Biblical worldview, Barna used the following 8 point criteria:
*Believing that absolute moral truths exist.
*Such truths are defined by the Bible.
*Jesus Christ lived a sinless life.
*God is the all-knowing, all-powerful Creator and still rules today.
*Salvation is a gift of God and cannot be earned.
*Christians have a responsibility to share their faith in Christ.
*Satan is real.
*The Bible is accurate in all its teachings.
As any real Christian can see, these 8 points comprise basic Biblical truth. To think that more than 90% of born again Christians would deny any one of these fundamental truths suggests that the vast majority of professing Christians today have no clue as to what being a Christian really means.
As a result, the obvious question that must be asked is, "What in the world are our pastors and church leaders teaching their congregations?" It would appear that whatever they are teaching, it isn't the Bible!
Barna's research gets even more disturbing. His survey reveals that only 3% of Christian parents include the salvation of their children in the list of critical parental emphasis. What?? Does this mean that 97% of America's Christian parents really don't think it "critical" that their own children go to heaven?
At the same time, 39% of America's Christian parents believe it is "critical" that their children get a good education. Compare these sentiments with those of President Theodore Roosevelt who said, "A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education."
Barna's research also revealed that only 36% of America's Christian parents monitor or regulate the time and quality of T.V., music, and other media that their children were allowed to access. In addition, 45% of America's Christian parents teach their children that there are NO moral absolutes. 43% teach their children that there are SOME moral absolutes.
George Barna summarized his findings by saying, "Faith makes very little difference in their [Christians] lives: believers do not train their children to think or act differently [from the world]. It's no wonder that they [Christian children] grow up to be just as involved in gambling, excessive drinking, and any other unbiblical behavior as everyone else."
The problem with America's Christianity today is that, for the most part, it doesn't exist! What passes for Christianity is instead an anemic, spineless, diluted substitute without convictions or principle.
No wonder so many unbelievers see nothing in the church that would draw them to a life-transforming faith in Christ. No wonder so many political leaders ignore the church. No wonder that despite some 300,000 evangelical churches, scores and hundreds of television and radio ministries, and millions of professing Christians, our nation is still on a collision course with calamity!
What America needs is real Christianity! The kind of Christianity that changed the course of history. The kind of Christianity that changed the face of Europe. The kind of Christianity that propelled the Pilgrims, Puritans, and Patriots to shake off the bands of tyranny and establish this great country called America.
Christianity of old quenched the flames of oppression, lit the fires of freedom, and led two continents out of the darkness of paganism. Today's Christianity is known for bingo games, softball leagues, and milquetoast preachers. Christianity of old toppled the Roman Empire. Today's Christianity cannot even rid the nation of legal abortion.
George Barna's research suggests that the real mission field may not be in heathen lands across the seas but in America's churches right here at home!
© Chuck Baldwin
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