Kerby Anderson

More than 100 million American adults claim to have a biblical worldview, but actually a much smaller percentage of adults do. That is one of the striking conclusions of George Barna’s survey with the American Culture & Faith Institute.

It is important to know how many people have a biblical worldview because belief drives behavior. And it was important for George Barna to get an accurate baseline to use in future comparisons.

His survey asked 20 questions about core spiritual beliefs and 20 questions assessing behavior. You were considered to have strong biblical beliefs if you got at least 80 percent of the questions correct. Based on that, they concluded that 10 percent of American adults have a biblical worldview. This pales in comparison to the 46 percent of adults who claim to have a biblical worldview.

When you look at the 20 questions assessing biblical behavior, you see similar trends. You were considered to have strong biblical behavior if you got 80 percent of the behavior questions correct. Based on that, they concluded that 18 percent of American adults have strong biblical behavior.

The survey also identified what it called an “Integrated Disciple.” They are Christians who have the intention of being an imitator of Christ. They blend their belief and behaviors into a Christ-like lifestyle. About 10 percent have strong biblical beliefs and behavior. That means they correctly answered more than 80 percent in each category in the survey.

One of the trends that match other surveys was the realization that the “younger an adult is, the less likely they are to have a biblical worldview.” Just 4 percent were Integrated Disciples, while much older adults were in the 16 percent range.

This survey of core beliefs and behavior is one more reminder about the need for good Bible teaching and biblical discipleship. Obviously, we have more work to do.