by John Mitchell
The Restoration Herald - Feb 2025
Last month I mentioned the importance of Bible education and this month I’d like to examine that a little more closely. I’m sure that all our readers have heard the cliché, “we are saved to serve, not sit.” Paul teaches just that in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (NKJV throughout). Furthermore, the New Testament makes it clear that it is only through a solid understanding of the Scriptures that we can be “complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17). Therefore, if we are going to walk (i.e., serve) in the manner God intended, it is imperative that we have a solid grasp of the Scriptures.
The necessity of such education was reinforced in my mind through a study conducted by Dr. George Barna, Director of Research of the Cultural Research Center (CRC) at Arizona Christian University. Specifically, the study was the CRC’s annual American Worldview Inventory, where they assess the understanding and application of a biblical worldview among Christians. The 2024 results were stunning, and not in a positive way.
Dr. Barna summarizes his work with these words:
Surprisingly, most evangelicals do not possess a biblical worldview—only about one-third do. In fact, the data strongly suggests that evangelicals are more likely to be shaped by the culture around them than they are to influence or “evangelize” it. … Almost half of the adults attending evangelical churches believe that there is no absolute moral truth that is pertinent to everyone in all situations.
(While I acknowledge that we do not consider ourselves “evangelical,” I can’t help but think that the bulk of our churches would align closely with the CRC’s assessment.)
Before we discuss the components of a biblical or Christian worldview, let’s pause to answer a more basic question: “What is a worldview?” A worldview is a perceptual framework, or set of presuppositions upon which we build our understanding of the world (this definition is not original with me). Our worldview is the vehicle through which we analyze the world around us, then decide upon our action in response. Whether people realize it or not, everyone has a worldview. Also, it is important to remember that a worldview is comprehensive in that it affects every area of life.
A creative way of thinking of a worldview is the analogy of a computer program. A worldview is the operating system for human beings in that it takes data in, processes this information, then informs and directs our response. Virtually every moment-by-moment decision we make is influenced by our worldview. The biblical worldview is a means of analyzing reality considering biblical truths and principles. In other words, it is a way of making practical application of our faith or to use the apostle John’s words, “walking in truth” (2 John 4).
Perhaps the most disheartening aspect of Barna’s research is that it reveals that the dominant worldview among Christians is Syncretism. Syncretism is a worldview that “combines core beliefs and behaviors from a variety of well-defined worldviews, such as Marxism, Secular Humanism, Eastern Mysticism, and Postmodernism, into an individualized, customized blend.” Syncretism is no more than a smorgasbord of competing and often contradictory philosophies. In a culture that has elevated personal feelings above facts, far too many individuals are prone to a lifestyle driven by emotion rather than objective biblical truth.
Paul makes it clear in Colossians 2:1-10, however, that it is only a Christian worldview that prepares people to live godly in this present age. In this passage, Paul states that in Christ reside all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. From this premise, Paul not only exhorts us to ground our lives in the truths we have been taught, but he warns against being made captive by the philosophies of the world.
The problem for many Christians is not that they are biblically illiterate. Rather, it is that they do not understand how to apply core biblical principles to everyday situations. A biblical worldview requires not only a solid grasp of Bible doctrine—what the Bible teaches as related to the various aspects of life—but also a lifestyle that consistently aligns with these core principles.
There is one additional aspect of worldview that we need to understand. An individual’s worldview answers three fundamental questions: Where did I come from, why am I here, and where am I going (i.e., what happens after death)? A Christian worldview is one in which the Bible, not secular philosophies, provides the answer to these three questions. Although it may not be obvious, how we answer these questions greatly influences our day-to-day lives.
Next month we will explore components of a biblical worldview. Meanwhile, let’s continue our 2025 resolution to make Bible education a priority in our churches.~RH
Some of the comments you hear on TV, social media, radio, etc., centers around this thought, “God saved President Trump’s life.” If that is true, why didn’t God save the life of Corey Comperatore — the fireman who was assassinated by the rogue gunman? When I hear the statement, “God saved Trump’s life/turned his head” my mind immediately goes to the wife and children of Comperatore and the other injured victims. What must they think? Was President Trump’s life more important than their injured or lost lives? No, of course not.
Let us look at the subject of interpreting providence, and what do we mean by providence? Providence is that which is directly influenced and affected by the hand of God. There are three reasons why events happen. 1) God causes them. 2) Nature affects them. 3) The freewill choices of people. All events can be categorized under these three causes.
So, after January 20, 2025, we are in anticipation of many things we have been promised by the incoming president. Reducing prices and inflation. Closing our borders. Rolling back DEI, LGBTQ. On transgender rights he would end “boys in girls’ sports,” a practice he insists, is widespread. But his policies go well beyond standard applause lines from his rally speeches. Among other ideas, Trump would roll back the Biden administration’s policy of extending Title IX civil rights protections to transgender students, and he would ask Congress to require that only two genders can be recognized at birth. Reductions in burdensome regulations. Targeting the elimination of the federal involvement in our nation’s education. Eliminating the green new deal. Improving the defense of our country.
Sounds great, doesn’t it? Well, as much as these things sound good and make us feel better about the direction of our country they are not enough. While the new administration may be able to improve our physical life, our society still has a spiritual problem. As described in Romans 1:21-32 “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible mankind, of birds, four-footed animals, and crawling creatures.
Christian apologists have long said that the three greatest miracles of the Christian faith are the creation of the universe, the incarnation of Jesus Christ, and His bodily resurrection from the dead. To these a fourth awesome miracle could be added—fulfilled Bible prophecy.