At the time Barna took his survey [2003] there were 210M adults in America of which 175M or 83% claimed to be Christian but when asked questions that reveal their true nature, we get a different view of reality.
Professing christians, call themselves Christian but have not made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ or do not believe they will go to heaven simply because they accept Jesus as their Savior – these are labeled “Not Born-again Christian.”
Questions Designed to Determine Whether ONE IS A Born-Again Christian:
Have you ever made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in your life today?
- Yes
- No
- Don’t know
The following statements are about what will happen to you after you die. Answer which ONE of these statements best describes your own belief about this issue. Which comes closest to what you believe?
- When I die, I will go to heaven because I have tried to obey the Ten Commandments.
- When I die, I will go to Heaven because I am basically a good person.
- When I die, I will go to Heaven because I have confessed my sins and have accepted Jesus Christ as my savior.
- When I die, I will go to Heaven because God loves all people and will not let them perish.
- When I die, I will not go to Heaven.
- I do not know what will happen after I die.
- Other (Explain):
- Don’t know.
NOTE: A respondent is categorized as “born again” if they say “yes” to the first question and choose option 3 above in response to the second question. All other response patterns classify the individual as a non-born-again Christian.
The next level are those we can label Born-again Christians [80M; 38% of the 210M or 46% of 175m who profess to be christian] which includes people who have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ and have accepted Him as their Savior but have not yet accepted Him as their Lord. They do not believe in absolute moral truth or make choices by following Biblical Principles or do not possess a Biblical stand on the six belief statements regarding salvation, trust in the Bible, personal responsibility to evangelize, Satan’s existence, Jesus’ sinless life, and the nature of God.
The final level, are those who are Born-again Christian with a Biblical Worldview (BWV). Only 3% of the total American population is Born-Again Christian with a Biblical Worldview – 7 million of the 210 million adults!! [9% of the Born Again Christians; or only 4% of “professing christians”].
These are people who have accepted Jesus as not only their Savior but also their Lord; they accept there is absolute moral truth and make their moral choices based on the principles of the Bible; trust Christ for their salvation; and have a worldview that reflects the six key faith issues (salvation, trust in the Bible as the absolute inerrant and infallible Word of God, Personal responsibility to evangelize, Satan’s existence, Jesus’ sinless life and the nature of God).
Having a Biblical Worldview (BWV) will help answer these 7 critical questions:
- Does God exist?
- What is the character and nature of God?
- How and why was the world created?
- What is the nature and purpose of man [humanity]?
- What happens after we die on earth?
- What spiritual authorities exist?
- What is truth?
There is no more critical thing you can develop within yourself than that of a Biblical Worldview.
Those without a BWV will make wrong decisions on some level for almost every issue under the sun.
Why? Because they start with faulty, wrong, or corrupt assumptions. And when you start with wrong assumptions, you come to wrong conclusions.
Living without a BWV also makes you a SNIOP – Susceptible to the Negative Influences of Other People.
SNIOPS are easily influenced by the superficial – like fake news because deep down they know they don’t know.
[Swiped from the book by George Barna of the same title]