What Do Today's Christians Really Believe?

Now, Religion in the News, a report and comment on religious trends and events being covered by the media. This week’s item is from Reuters News Service, June 1, 2005, with the headline, “Christians No Different From the World. Pollster George Barna released his research regarding the beliefs and conduct of today’s Christians. According to Barna, only 9 percent of America’s born-again Christians have a biblical world-view. To determine a biblical world view, Barna used the following eight-point criteria: 1) Believing that absolute moral truths exist. 2) Such truths are defined by the Bible. 3) Jesus Christ lived a sinless life. 4) God is all-knowing, all-powerful Creator, and still rules today. 5) Salvation is a gift of God, and cannot be earned. 6) Christians have a responsibility to share their faith in Christ. 7) Satan is real. 8) The Bible is accurate in all its teachings. 

As a result, the obvious question that must be asked is, ‘What in the world are our pastors and church leaders teaching their congregations?’ Barna’s research gets even more disturbing. His survey reveals that only 3 percent of Christian parents include the salvation of their children in the list of critical parental emphasis. At the same time, 39 percent of America’s Christian parents believe it is critical that their children get a good education. Barna’s research also revealed that only 36 percent of America’s Christian parents monitor or regulate the time and quality of TV, music, and other media that their children were allowed to access. In addition, 45 percent of America’s Christian parents teach their children that there are no moral absolutes. Forty-three percent teach their children that there are some moral absolutes. George Barna summarized his findings by saying, ‘Faith makes very little difference in their lives. Believers do not train their children to think or act differently from the world. It’s no wonder that Christian children grow up to be just as involved in gambling, excessive drinking, and other unbiblical behavior as everyone else.’ George Barna’s research suggests that the real mission field may not be in heathen lands across the seas, but in America’s churches right here at home.”

Tom: Dave, we have talked about this over the years, and if the Lord tarries - and I’d love it if the Lord returned before I finish this sentence; it would be terrific - but if the Lord tarries, looking ahead to the next generation, given the changes that we’ve seen in the church even in the last quarter century, it’s a bit frightening.

Dave: Well, these facts are, let’s say, very disturbing. It seems that Christian parents are not really bringing their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord as they’re supposed to, as you would think they would want to if they have any concern for their children, if they really believe the Bible. 

You could go back to Deuteronomy 6 - God talks about the law, and you’re supposed to write this on your house, between your eyes, it’s in your heart - you meditate on God’s Word as you walk along the way, day and night. For example, Psalm 1 says of the fruitful man, “In his (that is, God’s law) doth he meditate day and night.” 

In Psalm:119:9(BETH.) Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
See All..., “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? Bu taking heed thereto according to thy word.” 

[Paul] writes to 2 Timothy:3:15And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
See All..., “From a child you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith that is in Christ Jesus.” 

So we’re raising a generation of children, and they don’t know the Bible. I can just see myself, Tom, 70 years ago as an eight-year old sitting in Sunday school. We learned from the Bible. We didn’t have Sunday school materials. Nobody ever thought that you had to make something exciting or interesting by the world’s standards to attract the attention of young people. We were interested, and they would ask us questions out of the Bible. I can see myself there as a little boy, shooting my hand up, you know, and other kids have got their hands up, and we were all so eager to answer questions from the Bible, because we were taught the Bible and we knew the Bible. Today, that would be rare.

Tom: Well, Dave, it goes back to what we were talking about in the last segment: if parents are at a church, and their pastor becomes their spiritual guru - I mean, they live on everything that he says and he spoon feeds them all this information - how does that translate at home? The parents - the father particularly, as the spiritual head of the house, is not going to instruct his children. You mentioned Sunday school - “Well, they went to Sunday school.” And then it’s almost like farming our children out to other people - not that Sunday school isn’t a good thing, as it was a good thing for you, but was that the mainstay of how you grew up as a Christian, or was it at home?

Dave: I had a very godly father, very godly parents, and I’m thankful for that. And we had - my dad called it “reading and prayer.” Well, he would say, “Come on, kids, time to read and pray.” That was twice a day, and we went over the Bible and prayed together. I never had to try to memorize the Bible, I just heard it over and over and over and over! 

And of course there were some good Bible teachers, as well, and the traveling preachers stayed in our home. So I learned from them, talked around the table, and so forth. So that was a wonderful heritage. 

But we are to teach our children the Word of God. This is God’s Word! Wouldn’t we revere it above everything else? Who has this passion today? Well, Jeremiah said, “Thy words were found and I did eat them.” We should be hungering and thirsting after God. 

Now, where are you going to find Him? Well, in His Word, for one thing, not these revelations we talked about - these visions and so forth. 

So these are shocking statistics. He says, “Faith makes very little difference in their lives. Believers do not train their children to think or act differently from the world. It’s no wonder that Christian children grow up to be just as involved in gambling, excessive drinking, and any other unbiblical behavior as everyone else.” So it’s a sad situation, Tom. 

What is the answer? The answer is the Word of God! The Word of God is the truth. This is God’s love letter to us. This is where we learn what He wants us to know, and we need to really study it, and we need to teach our children to study it.

Tom: From a practical side, the most important thing is knowing Him and knowing what God wants. But from a practical side, it has to affect the child’s life in terms of obedience, in terms of love for his parents…This is all good stuff, so why we’re avoiding that is really a sad situation.

Dave: Amen.