Is Your Worldview More Biblical Than Your Pastor's?
Key Takeaways
➤ The Need for Biblical Worldviews Among Church Leaders: A shocking 37% of pastors have a biblical worldview, with even lower percentages for other church staff, highlighting the need for spiritual awakening in leadership.
➤ The Danger of Syncretism: A significant number of pastors (62%) hold a syncretistic worldview, mixing different belief systems based on personal preferences rather than adhering strictly to a biblical worldview.
➤ Action Steps for Change: It's crucial to address this issue by educating ourselves and others, with the blog author encouraging women to take part in training that covers theology, apologetics, Biblical studies, and more to help foster a biblical worldview.
My heart sank. How can we expect the flock to have a Biblical worldview if the ones leading them don't?!
Houston, we have a problem.
I woke up this morning to a text from my husband. It was a link to the Christian Post titled: “Study finds 37% of pastors have biblical worldview: Spiritual awakening 'needed in our pulpits.' “My heart sank. How can we expect the flock to have a Biblical worldview if the ones leading them don't?! This is a severe problem.
What’s worse, the stats decline significantly for other pastors on staff at the church.
A study on this topic, completed on May 10, 2022, was conducted by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University. The Director of Research is Dr. George Barna, well-known among church leaders for his research on the Bible, church, and ministry. Unfortunately, the results of his study were shocking and discouraging.
The table below shows the percentage of pastors who have a Biblical worldview:
All Christian Pastors with a Biblical worldview 37%
Senior/Lead Pastors with a Biblical worldview: 41%
Associate/Assistant Pastors with a Biblical worldview: 28%
Teaching Pastors with a Biblical Worldview: 13%
Children’s/Youth Pastors with a Biblical worldview: 12%
Executive Pastors with a Biblical worldview: an astounding 4%
These numbers led us to research the word worldview, so we used another Barna study to define the term. It says, “Barna defines “biblical worldview” as (1) believing that absolute moral truth exists; (2) the Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches; (3) Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic; (4) a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works; (5) Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and (6) God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today.”
There’s bad news and really bad news
The study states:
[Bad News]:
“Much like other Americans, the pastors who do not have a biblical worldview are unlikely to fully embrace a competing worldview (such as Secular Humanism, Marxism, or others). In fact, less than 1% of pastors embody a worldview other than Biblical Theism (i.e., the biblical worldview).”
[Really Bad News]:
“Instead, their prevailing worldview is best described as Syncretism, the blending of ideas and applications from various holistic worldviews into a unique but inconsistent combination that represents their personal preferences. More than six out of 10 pastors (62%) have a predominantly syncretistic worldview.”
So what do we do now?
Mama always says, “If you can’t offer a solution, don’t complain about it.
Mama always says, “If you can’t offer a solution, don’t complain about it.” We believe we all have a pivotal role in sharing a Biblical worldview, so we want to be part of the solution. Therefore, we have created an academy that trains women in 5 areas: systematic theology, apologetics, Biblical Studies, practical ministry, and original Biblical languages. Although we are currently not accepting new students, we highly recommend you meet with your church leaders to find out the status of their worldview.
Do you have a Biblical worldview?
You can find out if you have a Biblical worldview. Click here to take the test.
TL/DR
We discuss a concerning study revealing that only 37% of pastors in the U.S. hold a biblical worldview, with even fewer church staff members embracing biblical principles. The post outlines the importance of having a solid biblical worldview, defining it as belief in absolute moral truth, the accuracy of the Bible, the reality of Satan, and the necessity of Jesus Christ's sinless life. The study also highlights a troubling trend of syncretism, where pastors blend various worldviews based on personal preference. To address this issue, we encourage believers, particularly women, to pursue education in theology and related fields to help share and strengthen a biblical worldview, suggesting that Christians engage with church leaders about the state of their worldview.
References:
https://www.christianpost.com/news/only-37-of-pastors-have-a-biblical-worldview-barna.html
https://www.arizonachristian.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/AWVI2022_Release05_Digital.pdf
https://www.barna.com/research/competing-worldviews-influence-todays-christians/
Define Your Terms
(some might call this a glossary)
TL/DR—Too Long/Didn’t Read
Biblical Worldview – The specific lens through which one interprets life, truth, and moral values based on the teachings of the Bible.
Syncretism – The blending of different worldviews or belief systems, often resulting in an inconsistent or contradictory set of beliefs.
Secular Humanism – A worldview that emphasizes human values, reason, and ethics without reference to religion or the supernatural.
Marxism – A political and economic worldview based on the ideas of Karl Marx, often focused on class struggle and the abolition of private property.
Theism – The belief in the existence of a god or gods, particularly a personal god involved in the world, as contrasted with atheism or pantheism.
Apologetics – The defense and justification of religious beliefs, especially in response to criticism or challenges.
Systematic Theology – The study of Christian doctrines and beliefs, organized into a coherent system.
Original Biblical Languages – The original languages of the Bible, primarily Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, studied to better understand the biblical text.