Recently, the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University surveyed 1,000 American Christian pastors to understand better the worldviews that drive their thinking and behavior. The survey of these pastors revealed that a large majority do not possess a “biblical worldview.”

What is a biblical worldview?

For the purpose of this research, according to Barna.com, a biblical worldview is defined as believing that absolute moral truth exists; that such truth is defined by the Bible; and firm belief in six specific religious views. Those views are that Jesus lived a sinless life; God is the all-powerful and all-knowing Creator of the universe and He still rules it today; salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned; Satan is real; a Christian has a responsibility to share their faith in Christ with other people, and the Bible is accurate in all of the principles it teaches.

The survey groups these principles into eight categories: Purpose/ Calling; Family/ Value of Life; God, Creation, History; Faith Practices; Sin, Salvation, God Relationship; Human Character and Nature; Lifestyle, Behavior, Relationships; Bible, Truth, and Morals. The survey consisted of 54 questions that addressed viewpoints on these key areas.

What were the overall results of the survey? Among all Christian pastors in the United States, slightly more than one out of every three (37%) possess a biblical worldview. The majority—62%-- have a hybrid worldview known as Syncretism.

What is Syncretism? According to Crosswalk.com, syncretism is when you attempt to combine different forms of belief or practice. It can also mean the blending of two different ideas or concepts into one new unique idea.

What is the danger of syncretism? According to Clarence L Haynes, Jr, a contributing writer to Crosswalk.com, “The problem when you mix the gospel with anything is it becomes another gospel.” It distorts the truth of Scripture. Haynes continues, “The danger in it is that it may look true and almost sound true, but there really is no truth in it.”

Often these ministers mix the gospel with culture. Or, they try to “soften” the gospel’s message, so it does not offend. Haynes states, “One thing that is true about the gospel message: as beautiful as it is, the message of the gospel will be offensive to some people. If you think about it, the first thing you must do when you come to Christ is to admit that you are wrong, that you are a sinner. This one idea alone can be offensive to people.”

The survey results reveal that the following percentages of Christian pastors have Biblical Worldviews: All Christian Pastors – 37%, Senior/ Lead Pastors – 41%, Associate/ Assistant Pastors – 28%, Teaching Pastors – 13%, Children’s/ Youth Pastors – 12%, Executive Pastors – 4%. The results reveal that the majority of pastors adopted Biblical worldview on only one of the eight categories of Biblical worldview – the purpose of life and their calling within it.

According to George Barna, the Director of Research at the Cultural Research Center, one of the most troubling revelations emerging from the results is the worldview of pastors who work with young people. “Keep in mind,” Barna cautioned, “a person’s worldview primarily develops before the age of 13, then goes through a period of refinement during their teens and twenties.”

Overall, Barna notes, “This is another strong piece of evidence that the culture is influencing the American church more than Christian churches are influencing the culture.” He adds that discovering that seven out of every eight pastors lack a biblical worldview may add a more profound understanding of why so few of our nation’s youngest generations are developing “a heart and mind for biblical principles and ways of life, and why our society seems to have run wild over the last decade, in particular.”

Barna does provide a note of hope. “You can’t fix something unless you know it’s broken. Other recent research we have conducted suggests that most pastors believe that they are theologically in tune with the Bible. Perhaps these findings will cause many of them to take a careful look at how well their beliefs and behavior conform to biblical principles and commands.”

Source: Arizonachristian.edu