Surveying the state of affairs in our nation highlights many areas of critical concern: spirituality, politics, morality, economics, social relationships, and education priorities. It is beyond the scope of this brief essay to deal with the full spectrum of grave concerns that must be addressed if the health of America is to begin to rebound. But the most crucial issue is the state of our nation’s spirituality. What one believes about God, the future, and what matters most in life is a chief determiner in how one deals with every other segment of life. Such a cumulative collection of beliefs can be termed a worldview. A consistently Christian, or biblical, worldview is that perspective in which every dimension of life, and one’s understanding of eternity, are governed by biblical principles and commands.
While we can
lament the decline of Americans who call themselves Christian, of greater
concern is the increasing number of professed followers of Christ who fail to
hold to a biblical worldview. The
majority of Americans (68%) still consider themselves to be “Christian.” But less than half of that number can be
classified as “born again.”
However, a
recent study conducted by Arizona Christian University found that of American
adult “born-again” Christians, only 13% maintain a biblical worldview. Among all adults that number drops to
4%. And the situation is
worsening. In 2020, those numbers were
19% and 6% respectively.
Clearly what
is needed for our troubled nation is the rebirth of a biblical worldview that
drives people to view life as God does and to live according to the principles
revealed in His Word. Creating that
biblical worldview is a task given to the church by Jesus Christ. Some of His final words before returning to
His Father in heaven were: “Make disciples of all nations … teaching them to
observe all things that I have commanded you.”
Jesus was not interested in nominal followers who claim to believe in
Him but fail to take His truth seriously so that it impacts every dimension of
life. Such is the sad outlook of the
majority of Americans in 2024. If that
is to change, the church must take more seriously this mandate of our
Lord.
Researcher
George Barna has diagnosed the dilemma we face: “The impact of arts and
entertainment, government, and public schools is clearly apparent in the shift
from biblical perspectives to a more experiential and emotional form of
decision-making.”
To address
this crisis of belief and understanding, local churches and Christian parents
must prioritize biblical instruction.
Developing a consistently Christian worldview will not happen apart from
genuine disciples of Christ being focused upon this most critical task.
