#6: A log in the church’s eye?

In my previous article, I discussed the faults possessed by the seven churches in Revelation and mentioned that many of those traits are common in today’s “church.” But just how bad is it?

The Rev. Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham, recently wrote about how the Woke Church is falling further and further into decay. The acceptance of woke thinking—CRT, Marxist ideology, LGBT acceptance, and more—has produced splits in many churches. Even major denominations such as the Southern Baptists are going through upheavals over this. As a result, many people have abandoned the church altogether.

In addition, the church has abdicated its social position of providing local welfare and support for their communities. Where once it was the church that stepped up to help those in need, they often now shunt that “responsibility” to the government. And we all know how efficient and effective the government is.

So, again, how bad is it?

Arizona Christian University’s Cultural Research Center, under the guidance of well-known pollster George Barna, has been looking at Americans’ worldviews for several years. What is a worldview? In a nutshell, it’s a set of beliefs that shapes how you see the world around you. Everyone has a worldview.

Beginning with their 2020 American Worldview Inventory (AWVI), the CRC looked at what they consider the seven main worldviews:

1. Biblical Theism (i.e., the biblical worldview)
2. Postmodernism
3. Secular Humanism
4. Moralistic, Therapeutic Deism
5. Marxism
6. Eastern Mysticism
7. Nihilism

How was a person’s worldview determined? The survey asked 54 questions in eight categories to measure beliefs and behaviors:

1. Bible, Truth, and Morals
2. Faith Practices
3. Family and the Value of Life
4. God, Creation, and History
5. Human Character and Nature
6. Lifestyle, Behavior and Relationships
7. Purpose and Calling
8. Sin, Salvation, and God Relationship

In addition to their worldview questions, they also asked a variety of demographic and theolographic (i.e., religious background) questions.

So, how did “the church” fare. In their 2022 AWVI, they looked specifically at the beliefs of parents of pre-teens, as well as members of the clergy. While 67% of pre-teen parents claimed to be Christian, only 4% of those “Christians” held a biblical worldview. That was little better than all pre-teen parents where only 2% held a biblical worldview. Pre-teen parents were predominantly Millennials, which held the lowest numbers of those with a biblical worldview.

More concerning, though, was the 2022 data regarding clergy. You would expect Christian clergy to hold a biblical worldview, but, in fact, only 37% of American clergy did (overall). Nondenominational pastors were more likely to hold such a worldview than denominational pastors. Of the Senior Pastors, 41% held a biblical worldview, followed by Associate Pastors at 28%. Worse, Teaching Pastors and Children’s and Youth Pastors sat at 13% and 12% respectively. The lowest level “award” went to Executive Pastors at only 4%.

What kind of worldviews did these surveys discover? Most were what would be considered syncretic—a mix of Christianity with New Age, Postmodernism, Secular Humanism, and the others thrown in. A pinch of this and a pinch of that. Only half of all parents believed that God was the all-powerful, all-knowing, perfect, and just creator of the universe. Of the self-identifying Christians, 76% believed that morality is relative (personal and circumstantial), 81% believed in karma and 64% accepted reincarnation.

With numbers like these, the log in the modern church’s eye is the size of a sequoia.

Today, in 2023, with all of the uproar over drag queens in schools, parents being targeted by the DOJ for expressing concern over their children’s educations, the politicizing of federal law enforcement agencies, extreme political corruption, and more, you would think more people might be turning to God for answers. How has that affected Americans’ worldviews?

The 2020 and 2023 AWVIs looked at all American adults, not just parents of pre-teens. In 2020, just 6% of all American adults held a biblical worldview. Today, that number has dropped to 4%. Older, seasoned adults (65+) held the highest percentage at only 8%, while of adults under 30, less than 1% held a biblical worldview.

Two scriptures come to mind:

I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” [Luke 18:8 ESV]

and,

And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. [Matthew 24:10 ESV]

With that, how do you stand? Among the 4%? If not, I suggest you begin to dig deep into God’s Word and prepare for His return. Once He’s back, you won’t have time to catch up.

With the next post, I’m going to briefly cover what is portrayed in Rev 4 and 5. Then, I think we’ll start into the judgments, barring anything urgent that comes up first.