The Deceptive Worldview in the Church

Table of Contents

There is much deception in the Church. Over the next few posts, I will be focusing on various survey reports that George Barna, the Director of Research for the Cultural Research Center (CRC) at Arizona Christian University released in 2020 and 2021. In this first post, I will share his findings that clearly show the deceptive worldview in the church.

Dr. George Barna is a veteran sociologist who has been studying national religious patterns for more than four decades. He is a pioneer in the field of worldview research. Barna called it the “most sophisticated nationwide survey of worldview conducted in the United States.”

I will not add much commentary to these findings. The numbers speak for themselves. I have done my best to put together an overview of 8 surveys to see the “big picture”. The links to the complete surveys are listed in the resource section below. I will tell you that as I was compiling the information many different emotions were experienced.

This compilation explains so much of why our nation is in turmoil.

People Do What They Believe

Barna explains, “In the American Worldview Inventory, we measure not just beliefs, but also the application of those beliefs. If you truly believe something, you integrate it into how you live, and your lifestyle reflects those beliefs. Moreover, it’s because people do what they believe. As a result, our research always balances examining both what we believe to be true with how we translate such beliefs into action.”

‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. – Matthew 15:8

The Importance of Our Worldview

A person’s worldview is important because it shapes how they make sense of and participate in the world around them. Moreover, our worldviews affect every area of influence in American culture.

Dr. Barna states: “It is like the operating system of a computer; your worldview is the accumulation of your most important beliefs and it informs every part of a person’s life.”

The Biblical Worldview

The biblical worldview is based on truth claims and principles from the Bible informing a person’s beliefs and actions. America was founded on biblical worldview principles and that worldview prevailed in the U.S. into the twentieth century.

Since the 1990s, however, the predominant worldview in America has been postmodernism, a secular worldview that opposes biblical truths.

Moreover, 7 out of 10 Americans consider themselves to be Christian. However, just 6% possess a biblical worldview.

Biblical Worldview Breakdown by Church

A breakdown by churches found the percentage of those that held to a Biblical worldview was only:

21% in Evangelical Protestant churches
16% in Charismatic or Pentecostal churches
8% in Mainline Protestant churches
1% in Catholic churches

Biblical Worldview by Age

The study also showed that the younger a person was, the less likely they are to possess a biblical worldview.

9% of Americans 50+ have a biblical worldview
5% of those in their 30s and 40s have a biblical worldview
2% of those 18 to 29 possess a biblical worldview

Worldview Regarding Political Beliefs

According to the latest AWVI findings AWVI 2020: Worldview and Political Beliefs (Report #9: 08-19-2020) worldview differences are also driving deep divisions in American politics. Consider the below table.

Worldview, Political Party, and Ideology	Biblical Worldview	Non-Biblical Worldview
Political Ideology
Conservative on fiscal issues	80%	42%
Conservative on social issues	91	34
Conservative on governance issues	83	38
Liberal on fiscal issues	5	26
Liberal on social issues	5	24
Liberal on governance issues	5	25
Consistently conservative *	78	24
Consistently liberal**	2	25
Party Self-identification
Democrat	8	36
Republican	65	25
Independent	15	18
Indicates self-identified as conservative related to fiscal, social, and governance issues. * Indicates self-identified as liberal related to fiscal, social, and governance issues.

Worldview, Political Party, and Ideology Table

The survey also found that adults with a biblical worldview are more likely to be registered to vote than are those without such a worldview.

Other Worldview Implications Regarding Public Policy

Other Worldview Implications Regarding Public Policy	Biblical Worldview	Non-Biblical Worldview
Prefer capitalism over socialism	83%	50%
Oppose abortion based on clear biblical teaching	89	38
Marriage is defined as a bond between one man and one woman, is God’s plan for humanity, and is morally superior to all other relational options	95	34
Human life is sacred	93	36
Deeply committed to practicing their religious faith	98	57
The primary purpose of life: “knowing, loving and serving God”	93	24
Have a “personal responsibility, in appropriate situations, to share religious beliefs with people who believe differently than you”	94	46
Life success is best determined by “consistent obedience to God”	89	16
Prefer a decrease in the size, reach, and power of government	83	38

Other Worldview Implications Regarding Public Policy Table

The survey also revealed that worldview perspectives are significantly connected to the public policy or governance prescriptions that people embrace. For instance, those who hold a biblical worldview are:

substantially less likely than other adults to believe that “people are basically good”
more than twice as likely to say that they acknowledge their sins and ask for God’s forgiveness daily
prefer “law and order” policies such as police neutrally enforcing the rule of law to all equally
view God and the Bible as inerrant sources of truth and moral guidance

However, those who believe in the innate goodness of humanity and who see no compelling reason to confess their sins or seek God’s forgiveness are more likely to:

embrace defunding police and military
five times more likely to argue that there are “no moral absolutes that apply to everyone, all the time.”

Consequently, the perspectives of those two segments varied dramatically regarding moral issues such as the moral acceptability of pre-marital sex, recreational drugs, getting drunk, gambling, divorce, and exposure to pornography.

Millennials Interest in Government and Politics

Millennials demonstrate little awareness and interest in government and politics.
- They are far less informed about current political conditions and events than are people from older generations.
- That lack of knowledge and awareness has been demonstrated in the comparatively undistinguished voting participation of the generation.
They are, by far, the generation most enamored with socialism.
Millennials are substantially less likely than all other generations to believe that great leaders empower people to fulfill their purpose.
- In their eyes, leadership greatness is reflected in attributes such as popularity and performance efficiency.
They are also the generation least likely to “do whatever is necessary for the good of the United States.”
- While a majority of Millennials say they would take such action, they were far less likely to make such a pledge than are people from each of the other generations.

Digging Deeper into the American “Christian” Worldview

American Christianity is undergoing a “post-Christian Reformation”, with the nation’s major Christian groups rapidly replacing traditional theological beliefs with the culture’s secular values.

Another CRC study finds that the nation’s four main Christian groups are creating new worldviews that are only loosely tied to the biblical teachings that have traditionally defined them.

Over the past three centuries, more than 200 denominations have launched Christian churches in America based on differences in doctrine, theology, and practice. All of them claim to be motivated by the pursuit of biblical integrity.

However, Americans who think of themselves as Christian have followed in those footsteps, have been essentially customizing Christianity to their liking and ignoring the historical distinctiveness of the churches to which they belong.

“The irony of the reshaping of the spiritual landscape in America is that it represents a post-Christian Reformation driven by people seeking to retain a Christian identity. Unfortunately, the theology of this reformation is being driven by American culture rather than biblical truth. The worldviews embraced by the adherents of these distinct religious communities reflect contemporary, worldly influence, rather than biblical influence.”
Dr. George Barna

Examples of Christians’ Beliefs That Differ from Biblical Teaching

The following table lists specific Biblical teachings and the percentages for those who REJECT THE BIBLICAL TEACHING by major faith families.

Biblical Teaching	Evangelical	Pentecostal	Mainline	Catholic
People are not basically good; we are sinners	75%	76%	81%	84%
Which faith you embrace matters as much or more than simply having some faith	62	71	76	84
The Holy Spirit is not just a symbol of God’s power, presence, or purity, but is a real, influential being	58	66	73	74
Success is consistent obedience to God	53	48	77	84
There is absolute moral truth that applies to everyone, all the time	52	69	58	69
People cannot earn a place in Heaven by being good or by doing enough good works	58	49	61	85
History is the story of God’s plan for humanity moving toward fulfillment	44	59	79	76
Bible is unambiguous in its teaching about abortion	44	49	62	58
When Jesus Christ was on earth, He was fully human, but He did not sin	43	44	59	66
The Bible is the primary source of moral guidance	42	38	71	77
Human life is sacred	40	54	55	57
Personally certain to have eternal salvation only because have confessed sins and accepted Jesus Christ as savior	28	45	59	72
God is the basis of all truth	28	30	63	57
Bible is the word of God, is trustworthy and reliable	26	32	63	53

Examples of Christians’ Beliefs That Differ from Biblical Teaching

Evangelical Overview

The most startling realization regarding the theological reformation in progress is how many people from evangelical churches are adopting unbiblical beliefs.

What makes that trend so significant is that evangelical churches, by definition, teach that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God that teaches not only salvation by grace alone but also an array of life principles that are meant to drive one’s thoughts and actions.

The study found that one-third to one-half of evangelicals in the survey are embracing secularism and embrace a variety of beliefs and behaviors counter to biblical teaching and longstanding Evangelical beliefs.

61% do not read the Bible daily
58% believe the Holy Spirit is symbolic

Although, some of the ideas gaining traction in evangelical congregations may not reflect a majority perspective, the fact that one-third to one-half of those adults embrace these ideas can only be viewed as alarming for evangelicalism.

Those beliefs and behaviors include:

43% do not believe that there is a common, God-given purpose to humanity (i.e., to know, love and serve Him)
42% do not identify and confess their sins daily
40% accept lying as morally acceptable if it advances personal interests or protect one’s reputation
39% identify the people they always respect as being only those who have the same beliefs as they possess
36% prefer socialism to capitalism
36% fail to seek and pursue God’s will for their life each day
34% reject the idea of legitimate marriage as one man and one woman
34% argue that abortion is morally acceptable if it spares the mother from financial or emotional discomfort or hardship
32% do not thank or worship God each day
28% of those who attend evangelical churches are not born-again.

Pentecostal and Charismatic Overview

Pentecostals and charismatics take secularization a step further. In some cases, their departure from traditional biblical teachings is even more pronounced than that witnessed among evangelicals.

54% embrace a willingness to try anything once
69% say they prefer socialism to capitalism
45% did not qualify as born-again Christians

Mainline Protestant Overview

Mainline Protestants are the most secular of the four faith families.

60% of Mainline Protestants’ beliefs directly conflict with biblical teaching.

Moreover, only 41% of mainline Protestants claim to be born-again Christians.

Mainline Protestants Worldview

Mainline adults contend that history is not God’s unfolding narrative that provides insights or wisdom for humanity; in fact, human beings cannot even be certain that God exists. Such belief is personal, they argue, and embracing Christianity is less important than embracing some faith. Therefore, we find the worldview possessed by most mainline church attendees revolves around three concepts.

Truth and morality are determined by the individual, not by God or the Bible.
Life has no inherent value or purpose, but we can make the most of it by doing things that produce personal happiness or satisfaction.
1. Adults attending mainline Protestant congregations believe that life is what you make it. Therefore, that means success is based on doing things that deliver whatever makes you feel happy or satisfied. In their view, humans are not imbued with a common, God-given purpose.
Traditional religious practices are neither considered to be central or essential to their Christian faith.
1. Few mainline adherents engage in traditional Christian practices. In fact, of six commonly practiced religious activities, there was not one for which half or more of the mainline congregants were participants. Of those surveyed:
  - 13% read the Bible daily
  - 38% seek God’s will daily
  - 3% confess personal sins and seek God’s forgiveness daily
  - 43% give God thanks, praise and worship daily
  - 49% pray daily

Catholic Overview

Catholics, based on their church’s teaching, are less likely to be born-again (i.e., believe that they are sinners who need a savior, that Jesus Christ is that savior, and have therefore personally confessed their sins and asked Jesus Christ to save them from the penalty for their sins).

Moreover, they are also less likely to believe in the importance of interpersonal evangelism and to believe that salvation is accessible only through God’s grace extended through Jesus Christ.

However, Catholic churches teach a different doctrine regarding eternal salvation than do Protestant churches. Consequently, it is not unexpected to find that Catholics are less likely than Protestants to be born-again.

Catholics Are More Permissive

Catholics are increasingly secular and permissive: Catholics’ beliefs are surprisingly like those of mainline Protestants. However, they are considerably different from evangelical and charismatic Protestants. Therefore, they are most likely to accept:

sexual relations outside of marriage
lying
speeding
refusal to repay a loan

Catholics are most likely to:

believe in salvation through works or living a good life
Only 28% claim to be born-again

What may be unexpected, though, is that the most common answer given by Catholics regarding their eternal consequences. Frequently chosen views by Catholics about what will happen to them after they die included:

19% believing they will go to a place of purification before entering Heaven
14% believing they will experience Heaven because God loves all people and will not let them perish
12% experiencing Heaven because they have worked hard to be a good enough person to earn it
7% The rest of the Catholic community either does not believe in any kind of spiritual life after death
7% believes they will be reincarnated
3% believes they will go to Hell
12% has no idea what will happen

The Question

According to Dr. Barna, 25 years ago 12% of the adult population held a biblical worldview. Today the level is 6%. Therefore, the question we need to ask is; “If 94% of American adults do not have a biblical worldview, what is the dominant worldview?”

What Is the Dominate Worldview in America?

According to the AWVI 2021: America’s Dominant Worldview (Report #1: 04-13-2021) survey the answer is: THERE ISN’T ONE!

Based on half-hour-long personal interviews with a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults, the study found that the most common worldview might best be described as Syncretism.

Syncretism is the summary name for a disparate, irreconcilable collection of beliefs and behaviors that define people’s lives. It’s a cut-and-paste approach to making sense of and responding to life.

Rather than developing an internally consistent and philosophically coherent perspective on life, Americans embrace points of view or actions that feel comfortable or seem most convenient.

Those beliefs and behaviors are often inconsistent, or even contradictory, but few Americans seemed troubled by those failings. See the following table.

The Dominant Worldview Embraced by American Adults Table

Dominant Worldview	% Of Adults
Biblical Worldview	6%
Secular Humanism	2
Moralistic Therapeutic Deism	1
Postmodernism	1
Nihilism	1
Eastern Mysticism	*
Marxism	*
Syncretism	88
Source: American Worldview Inventory 2021, Cultural Research Center, Arizona Christian University, N=2,000, 2021.	Note: * indicates less than one-half of one percent.

The Dominant Worldview Embraced by American Adults

Furthermore, a substantial proportion of adults possess a moderately high number of beliefs or behaviors that meet various worldview specifications but are not quite enough to qualify as being a true adherent of that worldview.

Percentage of U.S. Adults Who Lean Either Strongly or Moderately Toward Specific Worldview Beliefs and Behaviors

Worldview Beliefs and Behaviors	% of Adults	% of Adults that are Adherents
Moralistic Therapeutic Deism	38%	1%
Biblical Worldview	31	6
Secular Humanism	16	2
Postmodernism	16	1
Nihilism	10	*
Eastern Mysticism	10	*
Marxism	10	*
Source: American Worldview Inventory 2021.	Cultural Research Center, Arizona Christian University, N=2,000, 2021.	Note: * indicates less than one-half of one percent.

Adults Who Lean Either Strongly or Moderately Toward Specific Worldview Beliefs and Behaviors

Which people groups are most likely to lean toward specific worldviews, even if they do not fully embrace those beliefs and behaviors?

Biblical Worldview:
- SAGE Cons (Spiritually Active Governance Engaged Conservative Christians)
- theological evangelicals
- born-again Christians
- political conservatives
- registered Republicans
Moralistic Therapeutic Deism:
- Spiritual skeptics
- LGBTQ adults
- those not registered to vote
- political liberals
- individuals who attend a predominantly black church
- Catholics
Secular Humanism:
- Spiritual skeptics
- residents of the Western region of the United States
- people 75 or older
- political liberals
Postmodernism:
- Spiritual skeptics
- residents of the northeastern and western states
- people with a bachelor’s degree
- political liberals

A New and Obscure Philosophy of Life

Everyone has a worldview; however, nobody has a pure worldview. As we saw above the most common worldview among Americans is Syncretism.

And the latest insight reveals that the worldview Americans are most likely to draw from is unknown to the people who turn to it. It is a relatively new and obscure philosophy of life known as Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (MTD).

Adults in the United States are more likely to lean on the beliefs and behaviors drawn from MTD than those adopted from any of the other worldviews examined.

38% of adults draw either heavily or moderately from the smorgasbord of beliefs represented by MTD, even though just 2% have MTD as their life-determining, dominant worldview.

A National Research Among Teenagers

MTD is a worldview initially identified and named by sociologists Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton. They introduced their findings and conclusions in their book, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers, published in 2005 and which was based on national research among the teenagers at the turn of the millennium. At that time Smith and Denton identified several core beliefs that characterized the thinking and behavior of the group.

The components included:

belief in a God who remains distant from people’s lives
people are supposed to be good to each other (i.e., moral)
the universal purpose of life of being happy and feeling good about oneself
there are no absolute moral truths
God allows “good people” into Heaven
God places very limited demands on people.

Although (74%) who lean substantially on MTD for life guidance consider themselves to be Christians, numerous beliefs held by MTD-reliant adults conflict with biblical teaching.

Moralistic Therapeutic Deism Adherents Table

Percentage of Moralistic Therapeutic Deism Adherents Who Possess Beliefs and Behaviors in a Category That Parallel Those of a Biblical Worldview

% Of Adults Whose Beliefs and Behaviors in the Category Qualify as a Biblical Worldview

Substantive Category of a Worldview	All Adults	MTD Adherents
Faith Practices	29%	13%
Lifestyle, Behaviors, Relationships	23	*
Family, Life, Values	20	4
Purpose and calling	20	2
Sin, Salvation, God Relationship	15	2
God, Creation, History	15	8
Human Nature and Character	12	6
Bible, Truth, Morals	10	*
Source: American Worldview Inventory 2021	Conducted by the CRC at Arizona Christian University, N=2,000 adults, February 2021.	Note: “MTD Adherents” refers to people who have substantial reliance on MTD as a worldview. Note: * indicates less than one-half of one percent.

Moralistic Therapeutic Deism Adherents Table

In addition to the above table, we also see among those whose lives are most heavily influenced by MTD:

95% do not consider success in life to be described as consistent obedience to God
92% do not believe that the wealth they have has been given to them by God to manage for His purposes
91% do not believe that people are born into sin and need to be saved by Jesus Christ
88% say they get their primary moral guidance from various sources other than the Bible
87% do not believe that the ultimate purpose of human life is to know, love, and serve God with all of their heart, mind, strength, and soul
76% contend that good people earn a place in Heaven through their good behavior
75% do not believe that God is the basis of all truth
74% believe in Karma
73% say that having some type of religious faith is more important than which faith is embraced
71% do not believe that the Bible is the true and reliable communication from God

Other Errant Beliefs

Other errant beliefs possessed by most adults who are substantially influenced by MTD include the fact that they:

do not hold an orthodox, biblical understand of God
do not believe in the creation story
reject the existence of absolute moral truth
deny the existence of the Holy Spirit
believe it is possible to reach complete spiritual maturity in their lifetime

behavioral choices of those who are most influenced by MTD typically conflict with core biblical teachings.

Morally Acceptable?

MTD considered the following to be either morally acceptable or not a moral issue.

83% having premarital sex with someone you expect to marry
67% breaking the speed limit
59% having an abortion because raising the child would be stressful
58% lying to protect one’s personal reputation
51% claiming undeserved tax deductions that they are certain would not be detected

Although three-quarters of those substantially influenced by MTD claim to be Christian, only (16%) qualify as born-again based on their theology (i.e., say they will go to Heaven only because they have confessed their sins and accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior).

Who Is Drawn to Moralistic Therapeutic Deism?

52% of Hispanics showed the greatest alignment with MTD
almost half are Catholics
traditionally black, Protestant congregations
people 50 and under
6 out of 10 LGBTQ adults are consistently engaged with MTD
individuals associated with Islam and Judaism were more likely than average to adopt many MTD tenets

Other Survey Results Found…

Practitioners of MTD are not:

anti-religion or anti-Christianity
willing to surrender themselves to authentic Christianity’s demands
likely to believe that a real faith would even make such demands of them
likely to prioritize knowing, loving, and serving a transcendent God

MTD is a generally optimistic, comforting form of religious faith.

the emphasis is on self rather than God
likewise, on emotion rather than truth
adherents believe in innate human goodness and kindness
life is about individual happiness
it’s more about believing in and promoting the best interests of self
- based on currently popular cultural thinking

They view God as a powerful but dispassionate observer who remains detached from human experience unless circumstances make Him the solution of last resort.

Fake Christianity

Dr. George Barna, who directed the American Worldview Inventory 2021 research for the Cultural Research Center, described Moralistic Therapeutic Deism as “fake Christianity.”

Barna stated: “Young adults have grown up with a culturally adulterated version of the Christian faith. They have adopted a softer, twisted version of genuine Christianity. In their view, the local church exists primarily to offer a supportive and upbeat community rather than worship, service, guidance toward holiness, or a genuine relationship with God. And MTD is abundantly pluralistic, encouraging people to do whatever works or feels good rather than that which fits with biblical principles.”

Consequently, this approach to spirituality asks little of its followers while providing the comfort, convenience, and community that those followers long for.

“The fact that a greater percentage of people who call themselves Christian draw from Moralistic Therapeutic Deism than draw from the Bible says a lot about the state of the Christian Church in America, in all of its manifestations. Simply and objectively stated, Christianity in this nation is rotting from the inside out.”
Dr. George Barna

The Millennial Generation Worldview

There are more than two dozen examples of Millennials being substantially more likely than any other generation to reject biblical principles in favor of more worldly spiritual perspectives and practices.

Millennials, people born between 1985 and 2002 are far more likely than any other generation to:

Define success in life as happiness, personal freedom, or productivity without oppression
Consider an abortion performed to reduce personal economic or emotional discomfort to be morally acceptable
Consider premarital sex with someone expected to be their future spouse to be morally acceptable
Deem reincarnation a real possibility
Be liberal regarding fiscal and social policies
Champion liberal theology

Millennials were also much less likely than Americans from older generations to hold numerous positions, such as:

Accepting the idea of “original sin”
Believing that every moral choice we make either honors or dishonors God
Accepting the notion of God being the all-knowing, all-powerful and just creator of the universe who still rules that universe today
Believing that after they die, they will spend eternity in God’s presence solely because they have confessed their sins and have accepted Jesus Christ as their savior

Table of Important Spiritual Differences Between Millennials and Other Adults

Important Spiritual Differences —Millennials and Other Adults	Millennials	Other Adults
Pray during a typical week	48%	71%
Worship or thank God during a typical week	42	65
Seek to avoid sinning because it breaks God’s heart	42	59
Possess a biblical view of the nature and character of God	38	55
Seek and pursue God’s will each week	41	58
Acknowledge and confess my sins each week	40	57
Deeply committed to practicing my faith	47	63
Accept the Bible as the inerrant word of God	28	44
Human beings were created by God, in His image	45	59
Have confessed my sins and embraced Jesus Christ as my savior	23	37
God loves me unconditionally	60	74
The primary purpose of life: know, love, and serve God	18	31
God is the basis of all truth	31	44
Believe that Satan is real and influential	46	59
Wonder if God is really involved in my life	43	32
Have a unique calling or purpose from God	57	68
Source: American Worldview Inventory 2020	N=2,000 adults, 18 or older	Conducted by CRC at Arizona Christian University

Table of Important Spiritual Differences Between Millennials and Other Adults

The New Approach to Faith and Morality

The AWVI 2021 points out that a comparison of generational responses to traditional measures of faith underscores the new approach to faith and morality practiced by Millennials, in particular.

For example:

(40%) 55 or older can be classified as born-again Christians
(26%) Gen X adults fall in the segment
(16%) of Millennials of meets the criterion

Looking at the “Don’ts”— people who do not know, believe, or care if God exists we find:

(28%) of Boomers and Builders qualify as “Don’ts”
(31%) of Gen X adults can be characterized as such closer to half
(43%) of Millennials are Don’ts.

In fact, Gen X and Millennial adult generations are considerably more likely than older generations to:

rely primarily on Moralistic Therapeutic Deism for worldview guidance
accept the Golden Rule
believe that wealth is provided by God for its possessors to manage for His purposes
believe that the universe was created without any divine intervention in that process
argue that traditional moral perspectives are irrelevant today
- making a series of formerly rejected behaviors now considered to be morally acceptable. Those included lying, not repaying loans, taking illegal tax deductions, speeding, and committing suicide or allowing for euthanasia.

Generational Transitions in Significant Beliefs and Behaviors

Belief or Behavior	Millennials born 1984-2002	Generation X born 1965-1983	Baby Boomers born 1946-1964	Builders born 1927-1945
Willing to try anything at least once	66%	57%	31%	28%
Believe in karma	64	61	52	30
Humans developed over time from less advanced forms	54	53	40	34
Reincarnation is a very real possibility	51	39	29	20
Personally receive guidance from your horoscope	35	32	10	3
Individual ownership of property facilitates economic injustice	35	34	13	16
You try to get even with people who have wronged you	38	33	12	10
Universal purpose for all people is to know, love, and serve God with all heart, mind, strength, and soul	19	30	42	50
Universe was designed and created, and is sustained by God	30	47	62	67
God is the all-knowing, all powerful, just creator of the universe, He still rules it today	31	47	57	64
Human beings were created by God in His image but are Fallen creatures in need of redemption by Jesus Christ	40	57	65	60
Satan is a real, influential being	44	58	64	55
Deeply committed to practicing my faith	45	57	64	72
You treat others as you want them to treat you	48	53	81	90
Source: American Worldview Inventory 2021, conducted at CRC at Arizona Christian University	February 2021		N=2,000	adults 18+

Generational Transitions in Significant Beliefs and Behaviors

These Choices Have Serious Consequences

The results of the generational worldview analysis produce a stunning portrait of the world through the eyes of each generation. Millennials have clearly gone farther than any recent generation in cutting ties with traditional Christian views and normative biblical teaching.

What Kind of World Are the Millennials Seeking?

Asked to describe the kind of world that Millennials are seeking, Barna outlined seven components to the Millennials’ outlook. Their desire and what we can expect:

Government should continue to expand in reach, authority, power, and spending, in order to facilitate a more desirable way of living.
Public policies and programs should be more flexible and fluid.
Due to the attributable self-righteousness and sense of personal sovereignty maintained by emergent adults, combined with their dismissal of the legitimacy of institutional authority, causing them to be unwilling to compromise and to feel that not getting their way is a personal threat or challenge, expect more episodes of violence and combativeness across the nation.
Political tensions will remain significant in the short-term due to the divergent views of core perspectives related to national vision, disdain for compromise, national moral recalibrations, and the revision of U.S. history.
A redefined Christian community that will be smaller in numbers, less influential, and less economically robust. That will include changes such as fewer people and less money being designated to global Christian missions, and existing privileges received by churches, such as tax exemptions and land-use exceptions, being withdrawn.
Interpersonal relationships will be more difficult to sustain due to declining levels of trust, diminished willingness to compromise, heightened reliance of technology for communication, and disappointments produced by the lack of moral consensus.
Reshaped family units given fewer formal marriages, increased levels of divorce and separation, liberalized sexual morality, and the reduced appeal of raising children.

Realities of the Post-Christian Reformation

When Martin Luther instigated what has become known as the Protestant Reformation in the early 16th Century, he was motivated by a desire to restore biblical truth and purity to the Church and the spiritual experiences and development of the people. He was driven by a compulsion to raise the acceptance of biblical authority rather than tradition and institutional authority, and to focus people’s ideas about salvation on the redemptive work of Jesus Christ rather than placing faith on one’s personal efforts and goodness.

America would do well to return to such basics of the faith, according to Barna.

“It’s one thing for Americans to be confused on the finer points or even hotly debated elements of theology,” Barna said. “But for Americans to misunderstand or too flat out reject the Bible as a foundational source of truth and moral guidance, to reject salvation by grace alone, and to reject core doctrines of the Christian faith points to a major crisis in our society.“

“Gen X and the Millennials have solidified dramatic changes in the nation’s central beliefs and lifestyles,” Barna noted. “From a nationwide perspective, the Christian Church has done shockingly little to push back.”

“These profiles are profoundly disturbing,” Barna noted. “The significantly divergent worldview perspectives and applications of the four generations—especially how different the Millennials are from all of their predecessors—suggests a nation that is at war with itself to adopt new values, lifestyles, and a new identity.

In Closing

The above information is not encouraging. You really did not need a bunch of surveys to tell you how far down the pit we have gone. However, for me looking at these as a whole stirred my soul. I pray it did yours as well.

Satan is the Master Deceiver. It is his nature. While we over many years have been focused on everything but God, Satan has been hard at work. Convincing mankind that they do not need God, or that the Bible is just a storybook has been a great success in this country.

It saddens me to realize that when the rapture occurs many “Christians” will be left on earth because of Satan’s psyop. He has blinded so many.

Now I understand more clearly the scripture that states: “… Nevertheless when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8

And this is why my heart compels me to do what I can to encourage, warn, and whatever else the Lord leads to WAKE UP the FAKE CHRISTIANS who are BEING DECEIVED!

Because I love you I must tell you the truth based on the Word of God.

You WILL NOT spend eternity in the Kingdom of God unless you REPENT and FOLLOW JESUS CHRIST, HIS WAY, NOT YOUR WAY.

Jesus Christ is returning soon for HIS TRUE FOLLOWERS. Please do not be deceived!

Maranatha! Until next time, I am Passionately Loving Jesus, the Anchor of my Soul.

Maranatha! Until next time, I am Passionately Loving Jesus, the Anchor of my Soul.

Resources

Featured Image: by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

The Deceptive Worldview in the Church