A BIBLICAL OUTLOOK
ON THE WORLD
This
Barna Research survey taken in late 2003 showed that just 4% of
America's adult population and 9% of born again Christians had a biblical
worldview. The numbers were even lower among other religious
classifications: Protestants (7%), adults who attend mainline Protestant
churches (2%) and Catholics (less than one-half of 1%).
A Biblical Worldview Has a Radical Effect on a Person's Life
Any objective social analyst would conclude that the United States faces
its fair share of moral and spiritual problems. A new research study from
the Barna Research Group suggests that a large share of the nation's
moral
and spiritual challenges is directly attributable to the absence of a
biblical worldview among Americans.
The findings from a [2003] national
survey of 2033 adults that showed only 4% of adults have a biblical
worldview as the basis of their decision-making Not Just Any Worldview The
research indicated that everyone has a worldview, but relatively few
people
have a biblical worldview - even among devoutly religious
people. The
survey discovered that only 9% of born again Christians have such a
perspective on life. The numbers were even lower among other religious
classifications: Protestants (7%), adults who attend mainline
Protestant
churches (2%) and Catholics (less than one-half of 1%).
For the purposes of the research, a biblical worldview was defined as
believing that absolute moral truths exist; that such truth is
defined by
the Bible; and firm belief in six specific religious views. Those views
were that.....
Jesus Christ lived a sinless life
God is the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe and He
stills rules it today
Salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned
Satan is real
A Christian has a responsibility to share their faith in Christ with
other
people
And the Bible is accurate in all of its teachings
The Difference a Biblical Worldview Makes..........
One of the most striking insights from the research was the influence of
such a way of thinking upon people's behavior. Adults with a biblical
worldview possessed radically different views on morality, held divergent
religious beliefs, and demonstrated vastly different lifestyle choices.
People's views on morally acceptable behavior are deeply impacted by their worldview. Upon comparing the perspectives of those who have a biblical worldview with those who do not, the former group were 31 times less likely to accept cohabitation (2% versus 62%, respectively); 18 times less likely to endorse drunkenness (2% versus 36%); 15 times less likely to condone gay sex (2% versus 31%); 12 times less likely to accept profanity (3% versus 37%); and 11 times less likely to describe adultery as morally acceptable (4% versus 44%).
In addition, less than one-half of one percent of those with a biblical worldview said voluntary exposure to pornography was morally acceptable (compared to 39% of other adults), and a similarly miniscule proportion endorsed abortion (compared to 46% of adults who lack a biblical worldview). Among the more intriguing lifestyle differences were the lesser propensity for those with a biblical worldview to gamble (they were eight times less likely to buy lottery tickets and 17 times less likely to place bets); to get drunk (three times less likely); and to view pornography (two times less common). They were also twice as likely to have discussed spiritual matters with other people in the past month and twice as likely to have fasted for religious reasons during the preceding month.
While one out of every eight adults who lack a biblical worldview
had sexual relations with someone other than their spouse during the
prior
month, less than one out of every 100 individuals who have such a
worldview
had done so. Some Groups Are More Likely to Have a Biblical Worldview.
Adults who have a biblical worldview possessed a somewhat different demographic profile than those who did not. For instance, individuals who attended college were much more likely than those who did not to have this perspective (6% versus 2%, respectively). Married adults were more than twice as likely as adults who had never been wed to hold such a worldview (5% versus 2%). Whites (5%) were slightly more likely than either blacks (3%) or Hispanics (3%) to hold this ideology.
One of the largest
gaps was
between Republicans (10% of whom had a biblical worldview), Independents
(2%) and Democrats (1%). Residents of Texas and North Carolina were more
likely than people in other states to have a biblical worldview.
Among the
states in which such a worldview was least common were Louisiana and the
six states in New England. The nation's largest state - California
- was
average (i.e., 4% of its residents had a biblical worldview). Attributes
such as gender, age and household income showed no statistical
relationship to the possession of a biblical worldview.
The data from the 2003 survey was compared with figures on worldview possession compiled from Barna Research Group surveys conducted in 2002 in order to assess the reliability of the new data. The 2002 surveys also showed that just 4% of the aggregate population and 9% of the born again segment had a biblical worldview. Other repeated measures were compared, producing virtually identical results to the current measures.
----------------------------------------