New Barna Research: Majority of American Pastors Do Not Hold a Biblical Worldview

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May 2022

   A new nationwide survey of America’s pastors shows that a large majority of them do not possess a biblical worldview.

   New research from the American Worldview Inventory 2022, conducted by longtime researcher Dr. George Barna and the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, has revealed that among all Christian pastors in the United States, only 37% possess a biblical worldview.

   The proportion varies, the survey found, by the pastoral position held. Among Senior Pastors, for instance, 41% hold a biblical worldview — the highest incidence among any of the five pastoral positions studied. Next highest was the 28% among Associate Pastors.

   One of the more frightening revelations emerging from the research, according to Barna, the Director of Research at the Cultural Research Center, is the worldview of pastors who work with young people. Only 12% of Children’s and Youth Pastors hold a biblical worldview.

   “A person’s worldview primarily develops before the age of 13, then goes through a period of refinement during their teens and twenties. From a worldview perspective, a church’s most important ministers are the Children’s Pastor and the Youth Pastor,” Barna said.

   “Discovering that seven out of every eight of those pastors lack a biblical worldview helps to explain why so few among the nation’s youngest generations are developing a heart and mind for biblical principles and ways of life, and why our society seems to have run wild over the last decade, in particular. It’s just further evidence that the culture is influencing the American church much more than Christian churches are influencing the culture.”

   But among the sobering results was a glimmer of hope, Barna said. 

   “You can’t fix something unless you know it’s broken,” he commented. “Other recent research we’ve conducted suggests most pastors believe that they are theologically in tune with the Bible. Perhaps these findings will cause many of them to take a careful look at how well their beliefs and behavior conform to biblical principles and commands. God is in the transformation business. Pastors who are willing to allow Him to transform their thinking and behavior can emerge from that process as a powerful example of what can happen when one’s heart, mind and soul are surrendered to God. It certainly seems that if America is going to experience a spiritual revival, that awakening is needed just as desperately in our pulpits as in the pews.”

   The research for the American Worldview Inventory 2022 was conducted in February and March of this year and included 54 worldview-related questions, each falling within one of eight categories of belief and behavior, with worldview scores given to respondents for each of those eight categories.

   The results among pastors showed that a majority of pastors have adopted biblical principles in regard to only one of the eight categories.

   For additional details on the research and categories, including the percentage of pastors who hold a biblical worldview regarding matters such as purpose, creation, sin and salvation, lifestyle, human character and nature, the Bible and relationships, among others, visit:
 www.CulturalResearchCenter.com

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