I’m reading an excellent book this week entitled, unChristian, by Kinnaman and Lyons. It looks at why so many young adults have turned away from Christianity. More on the answer to that question later. For now I’d like to pick up one of the few comments in the book with which I would take issue.

Kinnaman, who is the President of the Barna Group (a research group focused on conducting surveys of Americans related to spirituality) mentions how few “born again” Christians have a “biblical worldview” (something like 4% of “born agains” have a “biblical worldview” according to Barna’s research). Inevitably when I hear someone speak of a “biblical worldview” I find myself bristling a bit. I always wonder what they believe constitutes such a worldview.

According to Kinnaman, The Barna Group defines a biblical worldview by the following eight fundamental convictions: 1. Jesus lived a sinless life, 2. God is the all-powerful and all-knowing creator of the universe and he still reigns today, 3. Salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned, 4. Satan is real, 5. A Christian has a responsibility to share his or her faith with others, 6. The Bible is accurate in all the principles it teaches, 7. unchanging moral truth exists, 8. Such moral truth is defined in the Bible. (p. 75 of unChristian). If you hold these ideas, you get counted among the 4% who have a “biblical worldview.”

It strikes me that this is an odd list. It’s not that I disavow any of these, it’s just that it seems to be missing some of the most important elements of a truly “biblical worldview.” Here’s my list. Someone who sees the world through the lens of the teachings of scripture would hold that: 1. There is a God who created all things, and in and by and for whom all things exist. 2. Human beings struggle with sin. 3. God desires justice, kindness and love. 4. We are meant to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and love our neighbor as we love ourselves. 5. Jesus is God’s definitive Word to us - he is the clearest picture of the nature and character of God and of God’s will for our lives. 6. Jesus, by his death and resurrection, brings salvation to the world. 7. Human beings are meant to display sacrificial love. 8. God, by his Holy Spirit, works in our hearts and lives. 9. Jesus calls us to acknowledge the reign of God and to seek to invite others to acknowledge God’s reign and to live accordingly. 10. This life is not all there is to our existence, but we have the hope of eternal life.

Though there is some overlap with Barna’s list, I would suggest that this list may better capture the emphases of the prophets, the apostles, and Jesus himself.

What do you think constitutes a “biblical worldview”?