State of Biblical Worldview
The numbers are certainly not impressive regarding the percentage of adults in America who possess a Biblical worldview - but that varies from state to state. And, the degree to which a person is engaged with the Scriptures and growing in the Lord is proportional to the worldview that he or she possesses. 2nd Peter chapter 3 (ESV) offers this insight:
(14) be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.
15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,
16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.
17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.
18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
Among American adults, only 4% can be identified as have a Biblical worldview, according to the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, where noted Christian researcher George Barna is Director of Research. But, from state-to-state, that number varies. Barna writes: "The state with the highest proportion of adults who have a biblical worldview is Alabama, with a 12.6% incidence—more than triple the current nation level. At the other end of the scale is Rhode Island, which has less than onequarter of one percent of its adults who qualify as Integrated Disciples (i.e., adults with a biblical worldview)." Mississippi is slightly behind at #2, with 12.5%.
But, Barna cautions Christians in those states: "People in Alabama or Mississippi might look at their biblical worldview numbers and feel they can relax, they’re faring better than all the other states,” he said. “But keep in mind, even though those two states have a higher incidence of Integrated Disciples than elsewhere, seven out of eight adults in their states lack a biblical worldview. Yes, comparatively speaking, states like those two are doing better than others, but in absolute terms, every state in the union is failing miserably at developing the biblical worldview among its residents.” Eight out of the top 10 states are located in the American South. Seven out of the bottom 10 are in the Northeast.
But, due to population, Alabama is not the state with the highest number of people with a
Biblical worldview. That would be California. George Barna writes:
(14) be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.
15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him,
16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.
17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.
18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
Among American adults, only 4% can be identified as have a Biblical worldview, according to the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, where noted Christian researcher George Barna is Director of Research. But, from state-to-state, that number varies. Barna writes: "The state with the highest proportion of adults who have a biblical worldview is Alabama, with a 12.6% incidence—more than triple the current nation level. At the other end of the scale is Rhode Island, which has less than onequarter of one percent of its adults who qualify as Integrated Disciples (i.e., adults with a biblical worldview)." Mississippi is slightly behind at #2, with 12.5%.
But, Barna cautions Christians in those states: "People in Alabama or Mississippi might look at their biblical worldview numbers and feel they can relax, they’re faring better than all the other states,” he said. “But keep in mind, even though those two states have a higher incidence of Integrated Disciples than elsewhere, seven out of eight adults in their states lack a biblical worldview. Yes, comparatively speaking, states like those two are doing better than others, but in absolute terms, every state in the union is failing miserably at developing the biblical worldview among its residents.” Eight out of the top 10 states are located in the American South. Seven out of the bottom 10 are in the Northeast.
But, due to population, Alabama is not the state with the highest number of people with a
Biblical worldview. That would be California. George Barna writes:
Using the biblical worldview incidence data from the Cultural Research Center in conjunction with Census Bureau population estimates, it is possible to project the number of Integrated Disciples in each state.
By virtue of its massive population, California emerged as the state with the largest number of adults with the biblical worldview, despite its left-leaning politics and relatively average biblical worldview statistic (4.6%, barely below the national average). The projections indicate there are nearly one-and-a-half million such people in the Golden State.
Right behind California is Florida (slightly more than 1.1 million Integrated Disciples) and then Texas (slightly less than 1.1 million). Again, the large populations of those states greatly facilitated their high ranking in the number of Integrated Disciples in residence. The other states in the top 10 each has at least a half-million Integrated Disciples fewer than third-place Texas.
By virtue of its massive population, California emerged as the state with the largest number of adults with the biblical worldview, despite its left-leaning politics and relatively average biblical worldview statistic (4.6%, barely below the national average). The projections indicate there are nearly one-and-a-half million such people in the Golden State.
Right behind California is Florida (slightly more than 1.1 million Integrated Disciples) and then Texas (slightly less than 1.1 million). Again, the large populations of those states greatly facilitated their high ranking in the number of Integrated Disciples in residence. The other states in the top 10 each has at least a half-million Integrated Disciples fewer than third-place Texas.
California has just over 1.4 million adults who have a Biblical worldview. Alabama is still in the Top 10 in that metric, though, with an estimated 500,000+ people with a Biblical worldview.
Barna did spend some time regarding Texas, which he described as a "bellwether" for the rest of the nation in this arena of Biblical worldview and Integrated Disciples. He notes: "Texas is typically not only thought of as politically conservative, but also as highly Christian and deeply spiritual. Yet, the worldview data suggest a different profile. The statewide biblical worldview incidence was slightly below the national average. Further, Texas ranked 30th in its proportion of Integrated Disciples out of the 45 states evaluated— much farther down the rankings than many would have expected for a large southern state." He adds:
Barna did spend some time regarding Texas, which he described as a "bellwether" for the rest of the nation in this arena of Biblical worldview and Integrated Disciples. He notes: "Texas is typically not only thought of as politically conservative, but also as highly Christian and deeply spiritual. Yet, the worldview data suggest a different profile. The statewide biblical worldview incidence was slightly below the national average. Further, Texas ranked 30th in its proportion of Integrated Disciples out of the 45 states evaluated— much farther down the rankings than many would have expected for a large southern state." He adds:
“Texas has experienced an unusually high level of in-migration during the past decade. The fastest-growing areas of the state are those attracting a flood of non-Christians and liberals, such as Austin and Houston” the researcher noted. “Perhaps Texas is a harbinger of things to come in terms of worldview, with the ever-diminishing impact of biblical beliefs due to the influx of young adults who dismiss Christianity as irrelevant and untruthful. Texas’s long-standing tradition of biblical Christianity has been severely compromised in a short span of time, due in no small part to household mobility and to a growing proportion of young people. The implications of that transformation are instructive and may become particularly significant for other states in the South and Midwest that re [sic] also vulnerable to such influences.”
George Barna has issued words of warning to the Church throughout the years. I would dare say that in order to see these numbers grow and make a greater impact on our culture, we have to, as Jesus directed in the Great Commission, make more disciples! Yes, we should be winning the lost, but we should also be discipling the saved.
And, that's a challenge to each of us - do our lives reflect that of a disciple? Do we allow the Word of God to determine how we view the world around us? Certainly, we should be involved in Bible study, prayer, and corporate worship, but we should always determine the degree to which we are applying what we are learning and walking in obedience. After all, the Bible tells us to not only hear the Word, but to do it.
Barna is right on this category title - we should be "Integrated" Disciples, integrating the Word of God into every area of life and reflecting the life of a Christ-follower. The Word affects our worldview, and our worldview should ideally be the basis for the decisions and actions in which we participate every day.
And, that's a challenge to each of us - do our lives reflect that of a disciple? Do we allow the Word of God to determine how we view the world around us? Certainly, we should be involved in Bible study, prayer, and corporate worship, but we should always determine the degree to which we are applying what we are learning and walking in obedience. After all, the Bible tells us to not only hear the Word, but to do it.
Barna is right on this category title - we should be "Integrated" Disciples, integrating the Word of God into every area of life and reflecting the life of a Christ-follower. The Word affects our worldview, and our worldview should ideally be the basis for the decisions and actions in which we participate every day.
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