God, truth, the Bible, and the Christian faith take yet another hit according to a brand new study from George Barna and the Cultural Research Center. But it’s not quite a knock-out blow – yet.
The good news is parents still play a very significant role in helping shape their children’s worldview. The bad news is only 2% of young parents today actually have a biblical worldview. America, we have a problem.
It’s certainly a dilemma, but the brand new worldview study suggests it is highly improbable that future children in America have the slightest chance to grow up with even a remote understanding of biblical morality and the Christian faith.
This may sound like an exaggeration, but the breaking research shows 94 percent of American parents can’t decide on faith, morality, and spirituality as well as how it applies to their lives. Why? They hold what is known as “Syncretism,” a blending of multiple worldviews in which no single life philosophy is dominant, producing a worldview that is diverse and often self-contradictory.
Since Jesus said He is the way, the truth, and the life, and the Bible says we are saved by faith alone in Christ alone – and not by works – it’s time to open up God’s Word, examine the evidence, and make a decision.
Twentieth century author Malcolm Muggeridge once said,
“It has been said that when human beings stop believing in God they believe in nothing. The truth is much worse: they believe in anything.”
What is fascinating is the fact that Barna concludes most pre-teen parents are either unaware or unfazed by the inconsistencies in their worldview and contradiction between calling themselves ‘Christian’ but living in ways that repudiate the teachings of Jesus.
More than nine out of ten young parents subscribe to a combination of beliefs, kind of like patching together your own quilt. Some of these beliefs might include Secular Humanism, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, Nihilism, Marxism and Critical Theory, Postmodernism, Eastern Mysticism and New Age.
The fact is that everyone has a worldview, but tragically – noting the findings in this new study – it’s fully developed and operational before children become teenagers. And therein lies the glaring issue. So according to Barna, if you’re one of the remnant of true believers hoping for a resurgence of godliness in our culture and an increase in the number of Americans whose worldview is biblical, keep dreaming.
Next, and we’ve seen this in many studies, what’s interesting, and potentially confusing is the fact that despite 67% of parents of pre-teens claim to be Christian, research has consistently revealed most of those thinking they are Christians actually are not.
Ready? Now, only 2% of them actually possess a biblical worldview. Talk about a massive disconnect. How is it that we are that ignorant or misguided about faith and truth?
If that many people today are completely confused about the one, living God, what it means to be a Christian, and what the Bible actually teaches, it may be an understatement to say most American children are starting life at a huge spiritual disadvantage.
George Barna commented on the research stating:
“A parent’s primary responsibility is to prepare a child for the life God intends for that child. A crucial element in that nurturing is helping the child develop a biblical worldview—the filter that causes a person to make their choices in harmony with biblical teachings and principles; sadly, the research confirms that very few parents even have the worldview development of their children on their radar.”
The Bible assigns the worldview development process to the child’s family and community of faith, but neither of those seem to be engaged in this crucial task.
Yes, much of this is the parent’s responsibility, but pastors and church leaders sure haven’t helped matters with their often forgettable, soft, topical sermons avoiding many tough issues and some of the “controversial,” hard teachings in Scripture.
One glaring consistency in America regarding this type of culture and spirituality research is “the dismissal of the Bible as a reliable and accurate source of God’s truth and a lack of deep commitment to practicing their faith.”
Why does this matter? Just look around; and realize the level of moral decline, cultural decay, and leftist influence in every major institution in this country did not happen overnight. As Italian Marxist, Antonio Gramsci taught, his demonic agenda was implemented in a long, gradual, progressive march through the major institutions in the U.S. to break down the wall of Christianity over time. An evil, but brilliant scheme.
To you and me it may seem unbelievable with all that kids are facing today, but very few parents intentionally speak to their children about beliefs and behavior – morality based upon a biblical worldview. How did we get here?
Remember when the left claimed it wouldn’t be a big deal to remove Ten Commandments displays or expel the Bible and prayer from public schools?
They attacked the root – and now we’re seeing lots of rotten fruit.
