BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW STUDIES Every adult has a worldview, even if they aren’ t aware of it. Children and youth are in the process of developing their worldview, which is one reason children, youth, and family discipleship is critical. Worldview is the culmination of our views and values that create our belief system. Worldview is simply what a person believes and how a person lives. It’ s a way of seeing the world. A person’ s worldview is shaped by how they answer the big questions of life such as“ Why am I here?”“ What is my purpose?”“ Why is there evil in the world?”“ What is the solution?”“ How do I make the world a better place?” Our worldview shapes how we think about both mundane and major life issues, and it is our source for making decisions. Maybe you’ ve heard someone say,“ It doesn’ t matter what you believe as long as you believe something.” Of course, that’ s not true because what we believe does matter. Beliefs have real-life consequences. And that’ s why worldview matters.
THE BARNA GROUP’ S BIBLICAL WORLDVIEW SURVEY The Barna Group interviewed 1,000 people in five-year intervals beginning in the 1990s up to the present to measure their biblical worldview. 1 Quantifying biblical worldview is not easy and requires the researcher to identify a set of beliefs as“ biblical.” For the purpose of the survey, a biblical worldview was defined as believing that absolute moral truth exists; that the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches; that Satan is considered to be a real being, not merely symbolic; that a person cannot earn their way into heaven through good works; that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and that God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today. Anyone who held all of those beliefs was said to have a biblical worldview. The research revealed that only 9 percent of Americans have a biblical worldview and that those in their teens and early twenties rarely possess a biblical worldview. One of the findings is particularly important for those who disciple children. Barna states, we need to have a bit of a family meeting about how we are doing in passing on faith to future generations
“ A person’ s worldview is primarily shaped and is firmly in place by the time someone reaches the age of 13; it is refined through experience during the teen and early adult years; and then it is passed on to others during their adult life. Such studies underscore the necessity of parents and other influencers being intentional in how they help develop the worldview of children.” 2
A child’ s belief system is largely established by the time they reach the teen years. The childhood and middle school years are the time to do the heavy lifting with discipleship. Waiting until children are older to teach the truths of the Bible is a recipe for disaster. Children need to be taught the whole Scripture and core doctrines beginning when they are little. Of course, that is nothing new. The Bible has taught these principles for thousands of years. Paul says to Timothy,“ and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus”( 2 Tim. 3:15, emphasis added). Strategically, this means the early years are important, and this should be reflected in our discipleship efforts with children.
George Barna writes that the decline in biblical worldview from older to younger generations suggests parents are not helping their children develop a biblical worldview. He points out,“ One of the challenges for parents, though, is that you cannot give what you do not have, and most parents do not possess such a perspective on life.” Churches have an incredible opportunity to help parents develop a biblical worldview, and in turn, parents will do the same for their children. Could it be that parents are abdicating their discipleship responsibility to the church in part because they have an underdeveloped biblical worldview and know they need help to teach their children the truths of the Bible? When a church fails to disciple parents, the church unintentionally encourages the parent to rely on the church and the church enables an unhealthy cycle. Parents are equally to blame in this process, but the church further disincentivizes parents by stepping into their role and discipling their children for them.
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