https://thepreachersword.com/2022/05/31/whats-your-worldview/#more-22562
What’s Your Worldview?
“Shocking,” is how one researcher described a recent study by the Cultural Research Center (CRC) at Arizona Christian University, as reported by The Christian Post.
According to CRC a “nationwide study of about 1,000 Christian pastors conducted between February and March” revealed that “just over half of all U.S. pastors of Evangelical churches (51%) have a biblical worldview.”
CRC Survey
“Perhaps most surprisingly,” observed reporter Ian M. Giatti “just 48% of pastors of Baptist churches, widely viewed as the most enthusiastic about embracing the Bible as the Word of God, held a biblical worldview.
If you wish to read the details of the survey, here’s a link to the report. The findings were based on 54 worldview questions regarding beliefs and behavior in eight different categories. The results were analyzed into what CRC identified as seven “Denominational Family of Churches” as shown by the chart below.
“The old labels attached to families of churches are not as useful as they were in the past, observed lead researcher and Director of the CRC, George Barna. He then offered this assessment.
“With barely half of Evangelical pastors possessing a biblical worldview — and that number continuing to decline — attending what may be considered an ‘Evangelical’ church no longer ensures a pastoral staff that has a high view of the scriptures.”
I supposed we ought not to be shocked or even surprised given the state of our society today and the culture of so many churches. Yet, it ought to give us serious pause and cause us to stop and consider our worldview.
What is a Worldview?
To be clear, your worldview is the overall perspective from which you see and interpret the world. It’s a collection of beliefs about life and the universe held by an individual or a group. The above chart suggests some aspects of one’s worldview that involves ethics, morality, relationships, faith, and family.
The Christians At Work website offered this insight into our worldview.
Everyone has a worldview. Whether or not we realize it, we all have certain presuppositions and biases that affect the way we view all of life and reality. A worldview is like a set of lenses which taint our vision or alter the way we perceive the world around us. Our worldview is formed by our education, our upbringing, the culture we live in, the books we read, the media and movies we absorb, etc.
For many people, their worldview is simply something they have absorbed by osmosis from their surrounding cultural influences. They have never thought strategically about what they believe and wouldn’t be able to give a rational defense of their beliefs to others.
Humanistic Worldview
The worldview of many people today is influenced by secularism, post-modernism, and humanism. While many still profess belief in God, the humanistic mantra that life can be better lived apart from supernatural considerations is the practical approach of a large segment of our society.
The Humanist Manifesto, originally published in 1933, revised in 1973, and further updated by Paul Kurtz in 2003, continues to affirm that “traditional dogmatic or authoritarian religions that place revelation, God, ritual or creed above human needs do a disservice to the human species.”
Kurtz criticizes Christianity because it’s unchanging, based on “the faith once delivered to all the saints” (Jude 3). The worldview of humanism, he believes is evolving. The Third Manifesto speaks of issues that Christians would endorse such as equality, kindness, peace, and everything good and beautiful. However, their basic worldview is unchanged.
“No deity will save us,” they assert. “Morals derive their source from human experience,” they still promote. And “promises of immortal salvation or fear of eternal damnation are both illusory and harmful,” the humanists lament.
Biblical Worldview
ThePreachersWord is based on a Biblical worldview. And the sermons we preach, the meetings we hold, and the classes we teach are built and based on these Bible precepts.
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17)
“How that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets” (Eph. 3:3-5)
What’s Your Worldview regarding...
…God?
…creation?
…sin?
…salvation?
…life’s purpose?
…faith?
…family life?
…morality?
…relationships?
…Biblical authority?
…Eternity?
If you’re unsure, God’s Word will point you in the right direction. Peter put it this way. “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Pet.1:3).
In a chaotic, confused, and cruel culture, Christians are called to both believe and behave according to our professed worldview.
–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman