This isn’t something new to our society. It has been a
plague on our families and society for the past several
decades, but it has increased in its intensity in recent years.
In fact, Meyer’s book was written in 2008. We are now
reaping the consequences of not addressing these issues
for many years.
This brings me to the crisis facing today’s parents and the
education of their children. The article I was reading stated
that “Americans [parents] are so busy that they really don’t
invest very much in trying to understand everything that’s
going on around them. In fact, they don’t invest much at all in
trying to discern truth.” Pay careful attention to what Barna
said: “The focus in America right now is on experiencing
happiness rather than identifying and living in accordance
with truth. So there’s a completely different plan that we’re
pursuing than what God intended for us.”
Families are Biblically Illiterate
Many young families do not know what the Bible teaches
on basic subjects and struggle to teach their children a
biblical view of life. Since people are more interested in
experience and personal connections, they do not desire to
pursue justice and righteousness. The research shows that
Americans are biblically illiterate and are not that interested
in gaining a biblical perspective on life. This is especially
true for younger generations. Barna talked specifically about
the characteristics of the Millennial generation. This is the
generation of young adults that were born between 1981
and 1996. It is important to note that Millennials range in
age from 22 to 37 years old today.
Barna’s studies show that a biblical worldview is disap-
pearing from the American landscape. He reported that only
10% of Americans actually possess a biblical worldview.
This is despite the fact that seven out of ten Americans still
identify themselves as Christian. The percentage of adults
who possess a biblical worldview is on the decline when
looked at from one generation to another. It is estimated
that only one out of every 25 Millennials have a biblical
worldview. These statistics are important because one does
what one believes!
Commit to Equipping Families to Teach Worldview
at Home
Millennials are today’s primary parenting generation, and
this does not bode well for future generations. If we hope
to see children and youth develop a biblical worldview and
change the direction we are going, we have to ask ourselves,
where will they get a biblical worldview? If only 4% of the
primary parenting generation has a biblical worldview, their
children have little chance of developing one on their own.
Barna put it this way: “You can’t give what you don’t have,
and most of them [Millennials] don’t have that kind of
worldview to give.”
Dr. Tony Evans emphasized this truth in his series on
Raising Kingdom Kids: “Parents are to transfer a theocentric,
God-centered worldview; that’s why He said raise them in the
Lord. Let the glasses that they wear, we call that a worldview, a
lens through which you view life, be constructed by the parents
as they have gotten it from the Lord. But if parents haven’t
gotten anything, they can’t give anything. We are to transfer
to them what we have gotten from the Lord.”
If parents don’t have a biblical worldview, then they
cannot give it to their children. Millennials are not just
the primary parenting generation today but soon will
be the primary teaching generation in Christian schools.
There is no question we are facing a parent crisis. We must
include the home in our worldview strategy if we hope to
turn the ship around.
A Worldview Training Resource for Your School or
Church
I have spent the last two years developing a wide variety
of resources to train today’s parents, church leaders, and
educators on developing a biblical worldview and a biblical
philosophy of education. A subscription-based resource
is available at KingdomEducationMinistries.com. It is my
prayer that many schools and churches will become a KEM
Prime Member and equip their staffs and board members
with a biblical worldview. Parents can also subscribe as an
individual and access the same valuable resources that are
available to churches and schools. For more information,
email [email protected].
Dr. Glen Schultz has given his life to educating future genera-
tions according to God’s plan. After five years in public edu-
cation, he entered the field of Christian education, where he
has been a teacher, coach, principal, and superintendent. He
has directed the Christian school work at LifeWay Christian Re-
sources, served as the ACSI Southeast Regional Director, Super-
intendent of Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchburg, Virginia,
and Headmaster of Sherwood Christian Academy. Currently, Dr. Schultz serves as
founder and director of Kingdom Education Ministries. He is the author of Kingdom
Education: God’s Plan for Educating Future Generations and several parenting book-
lets. Glen and his wife, Sharon, have three children and six grandchildren and live in
Summerville, SC. He is a member of the Renewanation Board of Directors.
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