I know mine; do you know yours?

February 13, 2017

When the story of the 2010s is added to American history, it may be said that it was a decade in which the Cold War was no longer waged between nations, but – instead – between worldviews. A worldview isthe framework from which we view reality and make sense of life and the world.

Everyone has a worldview, but most don’t perceive it. Instilled through education and influence – through long spans of time – it informs what people think, say and do; it is on display, incessantly. When man-on-the-street interruptions occur (think: Jesse Watters), the interview question is really trivial; what is laid-bare, most often, is a stark display of one’s worldview.

Among the various worldviews c. 2017, there are two that clash most often: secular humanism vs. biblical. One is founded in human reason; the other in divine revelation. The battles are constant, and are waged in every sector of society 24/7/365. Most days’ headlines report the constant scrum.

So… People who aren’t Christians have a secular humanist worldview, and Christians have a biblical worldview… right? One would think, but if Watters World came to church on Sunday and did a round of questions that would expose the stark differences between them, what would you see/hear?

The Barna Research Group has solid data. Using a battery of questions designed to expose the foundation of values upon which Americans build their personal positions, they found that 4% of the population has a biblical worldview. What about “born-again believers?”

Barna isolated the self-confessed born-agains. Their findings: 9% – that’s one-out-of-ten – of the followers of Jesus think like Jesus: the vast majority (91%) of Christians think/speak/act like the folks next door who do not claim faith in Jesus Christ. Christians… without a biblical worldview.

Why is one’s worldview an important issue? Why is your worldview a significant issue? Simply put: if your worldview is skewed, your thoughts, words and actions will not align with the foundation for life that is found inside the leather covers of your personal Bible. “What would Jesus do?” is a follow-up question; “What would Jesus think?” is the prerequisite question that is even more crucial to ascertain. If you aren’t thinking like Jesus, you cannot speak for – or, act on behalf of – the One whose model for mindset must be adopted – without edit or eradication – first, and foremost.

Paul knew that. This isn’t a modern dilemma; it has been a priority determination since the earliest days of the Christian faith: “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view” (2 Corinthians 5).

Tough truth: 90% of Christians are off-the-bubble in their worldview; it becomes an unreliable mindset that warps their thoughts, fractures their words and compromises their actions. What they need – and, once secured, what they must protect – is a new point of view (“…So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view…”).

I was asked this week: “So… why do you write the Point of View?” The concise answer: I want to help leaders refine – and, to strengthen – their biblical worldview. Why?

Among Christians: only 10% have a biblical worldview. Among people: 85% are followers; 10% are managers; 5% are leaders. Currently: 324 million Americans. Born-Again Christians: 146 million (claimed). Biblical worldview: 13.1 million (9%). Kingdom leaders: 655,000 who have personal faith, biblical worldview and leadership in evidence (among 350,000 churches; less than two-per). That’s my audience: leaders like you. Objective: change the world and build God’s Kingdom.

Why not forward this PoV to a friend like you, and invite them to subscribe for free?

Bob Shank