In a new nationwide survey released by George Barna for Arizona Christian University, it’s revealed the majority of Christian pastors do not have a biblical worldview, with most of them holding syncretic beliefs that blur paganism and secular humanism with Christianity.
Barna defines “biblical worldview” as believing that absolute moral truth exists; the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches; Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic; a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works; Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today.
Based on a sample of 1000 pastors nationwide from various denominations, researchers found that only 37% of pastors possess a biblical worldview, answering 54 worldview questions related to God, creation, sin, salvation, lifestyle, and morals. This is contrasted with members of the general public, whose biblical worldview is only between 2-4%. The only group in the general public that has a more biblical worldview than pastors is SAGE Cons (Spiritually Active Governance Engaged Conservative Christians), who hold a nine-point lead over them.
This is not good news for the culture or the church, says Barna, lamenting the statistics regarding the
the prevailing worldview of pastors.
“This is another strong piece of evidence that the culture is influencing the American church more than Christian churches are influencing the culture. The research indicates that Americans are more likely to experience a positive impact on their worldview by hanging out with SAGE Cons than they are by being in the presence or under the teaching of pastors.”
