Worldview Conflict: Influences Impacting Today’s Christians

In the first post this month, we explored the general concept of “worldview,” using an insightful

article from Red River Counseling. In the second post, we delved into the concept of a “Biblical

Worldview” through the research of George Barna and his Barna Group. Now, in this third post,

we will examine the competing worldview influences impacting Christians today, drawing on

more valuable research insights from the Barna Group.

In collaboration with Summit Ministries, Barna’s May 2017 article, “Competing Worldviews

Influence Today’s Christians,” reveals a striking statistic: only 17% of Christians who consider

their faith important and attend church regularly actually have a biblical worldview. Given this

sobering fact, it raises the question: what are the other worldviews shaping their beliefs?

Barna’s research identifies four major worldviews that are influencing Christian beliefs today:

New Spirituality, Secularism, Postmodernism, and Marxism. The core principles of each of

these worldviews have subtly crept into the thinking of many Christians.

Here’s a breakdown of how Barna’s research shows that these competing worldviews are

influencing practicing Christians. The percentages below reflect the number of practicing

Christians who “strongly agree” with certain beliefs associated with each worldview:

New Spirituality:

● 28%: “All people pray to the same god or spirit, no matter what name they use for that

spiritual being.”

● 27%: “Meaning and purpose come from becoming one with all that is.”

● 32%: “If you do good, you will receive good. If you do bad, you will receive bad.”

Secularism:

● 10%: “A belief has to be proven true by science to be considered true.”

● 13%: “A person’s life is valuable only if society sees it as valuable.”

● 20%: “Meaning and purpose come from working hard to earn as much as possible to

make the most of life.”

Postmodernism:

● 19%: “No one can know for certain what meaning and purpose there is to life.”

● 23%: “What is morally right or wrong depends on what an individual believes.”

Marxism:

● 11%: “Private property encourages greed and envy.”

● 14%: “The government, rather than individuals, should control as many resources as

necessary to ensure everyone gets their fair share.”

Brooke Hempell, Senior Vice President of Research at Barna, summarizes the impact of these

competing worldviews on Christians:

“The challenge with competing worldviews is that there are fragments of similarities to some

Christian teachings. Some may recognize and latch onto these ideas, not realizing they are

distortions of biblical truths. The call for the Church, its teachers, and thinkers is to help

Christians discern popular beliefs before they take root in their own thinking. Informed thinking is

crucial to developing a healthy biblical worldview, maintaining a strong faith, and engaging in

productive dialogue with those who hold differing beliefs.”

At UBCA, we are committed to helping your child understand the core principles of a biblical

worldview and equip them with the tools to articulate and defend it. We are grateful for the

partnership of our families in this mission, as we strive to cultivate "informed thinkers" who can

confidently engage with the world around them.